Systems and methods for integrated free space optical elements and devices

Abstract

A system and method for producing an integrated optical assembly, which can include providing a functionalized scaffold material; and forming an optical assembly including at least two optical components within the scaffold material, the forming of the optical assembly including: lithographically patterning a first optical component within the scaffold material; and lithographically patterning a second optical component within the scaffold material aligned with the first optical component.

Description

IRRA-M03-PCTSYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATED FREE SPACE OPTICAL ELEMENTS AND DEVICESCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 644,374, title “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INTEGRATED FREE SPACE OPTICAL ELEMENTS AND DEVICES”, filed on 08-MAY-2025, which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] This invention relates generally to the field of optical systems, and more specifically to a new and useful system and method for integrated free space optical elements and devices.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The demand for advanced optical components and systems has grown rapidly across fields such as communications, sensing, imaging, and computation, driving a need for compact, high-performance, and integrated optical solutions. However, traditional fabrication methods for optical components— such as lenses, waveguides, reflectors, filters, and resonators— often rely on complex, multi-step manufacturing processes that are costly, difficult to scale, and poorly suited for producing custom or monolithic assemblies. These limitations hinder the ability to create miniaturized, multifunctional, or free-space optical systems that require precise spatial alignment of diverse optical elements. There remains a need for fabrication approaches that can efficiently produce integrated, three-dimensional optical assemblies with a variety of component types, while maintaining alignment accuracy and reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.

[0004] Thus, there is a need in the optical system field to create a new and useful system and method for integrated free space optical elements and devices. This invention provides such a new and useful system and method.IRRA-M03-PCTBRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] Fig. 1 shows an exemplary optical system implemented through the system and method.

[0006] Figs. 2-5 are flow diagrams of method variations.

[0007] Fig. 6 is a schematic block diagram showing a multi-component optical assembly with two components.

[0008] Fig. 7 is a schematic block diagram showing a multi-component optical assembly with two components directly interfacing each other.

[0009] Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram showing a multi-component optical assembly with more than two components arranged in 3D space.

[0010] Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram showing an optical assembly with a single optical component.

[0011] Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram showing an optical assembly contacted with an integrated system to form an optical system comprised of a scaffold-contained optical assembly and the integrated system.

[0012] Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing an optical assembly interfacing the optical assembly with another integrated system formed on top of the scaffold material by fabricating an electrical, optical, or other type of subsystem onto a surface of the scaffold material.

[0013] Fig. 12 is a schematic block diagram showing an optical system interfacing an optical assembly with an integrated system, formed by physically manipulating a structure of the scaffold material for insertion of an electro / optical inserted subsystem for interfacing with the optical assembly.

[0014] Fig. 13 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an optical assembly interfacing with multiple integrated external systems and components to form an optical system.

[0015] Fig. 14 is a detailed exemplary schematic diagram illustrating a method of providing a functionalized scaffold material used for producing an optical assembly.

[0016] Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating various options for scaffold materials, patterning materials, and fill materials that may be used in providing a functionalized scaffold material.

[0017] Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing one exemplary patterning processed used in forming optical components.

[0018] Fig. 17 is an exemplary optical assembly comprised of three lens components.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0019] Fig. 18 is an exemplary optical assembly using a set of optical components to redirect light.

[0020] Fig. 19 is an exemplary optical system with multiple optical assemblies integrated with an integrated system like fiber or photonic integrated chip, which can be used to help with alignment.

[0021] Fig. 20 is a diagram and image of an exemplary fabricated sample of an optical assembly forming a meta lens of two layers formed by two optical components directly connected.

[0022] Fig. 21 is a diagram and image of an exemplary fabricated sample of an optical assembly forming a meta lens of four layers formed by four optical components fabricated in a layered arrangement in the direction of the beam.

[0023] Fig. 22 is an exemplary image illustrating feasibility of using the optical assembly enabling pLenses & pPrisms to be aligned to waveguides with submicron accuracy.

[0024] Fig. 23 is a schematic diagram of an optical assembly made of multiple diffractive layers to form a 3D diffractive deep neural network (D2NN).

[0025] Fig. 24 is a schematic representation of one exemplary optical assembly with multiple interacting optical components.

[0026] Fig. 25 is a side-view of a diagram representing an exemplary optical assembly with external integrations with a chip.

[0027] Fig. 26 is a flow diagram representing an exemplary optical assembly and integrations.

[0028] Fig. 27 is a side-view of a diagram representing an exemplary optical assembly with external integrations with a chip.

[0029] Fig. 28 is a flow diagram representing an exemplary optical assembly and integrations with a chip.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The following description of the embodiments of the invention is not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments but rather to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use this invention.IRRA-M03-PCT1. Overview

[0031] Systems and methods described herein are directed to the fabrication of integrated optical components and devices. The systems and methods enable the patterning of a variety of three-dimensional (3D) optical components within a scaffold material, thereby forming various optical assemblies and / or optical devices. The optical components maybe lithographically aligned with high precision and formed at micro- and nanoscale dimensions, facilitating the construction of complex, monolithic 3D optical components and / or systems devices.

[0032] The systems and methods utilize a lithographic fabrication approach to form integrated assemblies of optical components, which may be customized for a wide range of applications and performance objectives. The optical components may include, but are not limited to, lenses, reflectors (including mirrors, prisms, and other reflective structures), waveguides, multiplexers, surface coatings, polarizers, filters, gratings, interferometers, splitters, resonators, cavities, and other optical components. The fabrication processes described herein allow for the integration of multiple optical component types within a unified optical architecture formed inside the scaffold material and which can be interfaced with external components such as shown in Fig. 1.

[0033] In various embodiments, the systems and methods facilitate the creation of integrated optical assemblies, wherein one or more optical components are fabricated and optically integrated within a continuous scaffold material. The resulting integrated optical assemblies provide a monolithic platform for advanced optical functionality, enabling complex free-space optical assemblies to be realized within a compact, lithographically defined structure.

[0034] The optical assembly may serve as or be used in forming an optical system. In some embodiments, the optical system may further include additional components that are operatively or physically integrated with the optical assembly. In certain implementations, these external components maybe co-packaged or fabricated in conjunction with the scaffold-based optical assembly to form an integrated optical system module. Accordingly, the systems and methods may enable the integration of scaffold-contained optical assemblies with additional optical, electro-optical, or electronic systems.

[0035] As used herein, “optical assembly” is used to characterize a set of optical components disposed within or formed within the scaffold material. “Optical system” may be used to characterize an optics-based system which may include an optical assembly alone or in combination with additional external components.

[0036] In certain embodiments, an integrated optical assembly may be directly attached to, mounted upon, or fabricated in conjunction with an underlying optical, electrical, electro-IRRA-M03-PCT mechanical, and / or electro-optical platform, such as a semiconductor device or photonic circuit. The scaffold material may also serve as a fabrication platform for additional or alternative options for integration with an optical, electro-optical, or electronic system. The integrated optical assembly, and in particular the surface of the scaffold material may support additional processing steps, including lithographic patterning, deposition, doping, or etching, to create complementary electrical or optical structures in situ.

[0037] In some variations, the systems and methods allow for the incorporation of discrete electro-optical, electro-mechanical, or optical components into the integrated optical assembly. Regions of the scaffold may be selectively formed, machined, or otherwise physically processed to create defined openings or attachment sites for external components. Such externally integrated components ("drop-in components") may include, for example, light sources, photodetectors, modulators, optical isolators, vapor cells, non-linear media, gain media, or other functional devices / materials, which maybe physically, electrically, and / or optically incorporated into the integrated optical assembly to extend its capabilities.

[0038] In addition, the integrated optical assembly may be fabricated to include interfaces, connectors, and / or mechanical coupling features that facilitate attachment to external systems or other forms of optical integration. For example, optical connectors, mechanical alignment features, or electrical interconnects maybe incorporated with the scaffold structure, enabling seamless integration with external optical, electrical, electro-mechanical, electro-optical, or packaging systems. These flexible integration options support a wide range of potential applications and system architectures.

[0039] The systems and methods described herein support a wide variety of possible integrated optical assemblies and configurations. The approaches described are capable of enabling numerous combinations of optical components within a scaffold material, and the resulting assemblies may vary widely in structure, complexity, and function depending on the objective of a desired design. Any discussion of specific optical components, configurations, or example assemblies herein is provided solely for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the scope of the systems and methods. Additional variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the present disclosure.

[0040] The system and method may provide a number of potential benefits. The system and method are not limited to always providing such benefits and are presented only as exemplary representations for how the system and method may be put to use. The list of benefits is not intended to be exhaustive, and other benefits may additionally or alternatively exist.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0041] As one potential benefit, the systems and methods may enable the fabrication of integrated assemblies comprising multiple optical components. A wide variety of optical component types may be fabricated and assembled within a single scaffold material, with each component individually customized for different optical properties, dimensions, orientation, and configuration. The systems and methods may be used for the creation of complex optical assemblies with arbitrary designs and varying degrees of functional complexity, allowing for sophisticated combinations of optical components within a unified assembly. In some variations, these maybe used to make optical assemblies with free space components like 3D waveguides. Furthermore, the optical assemblies may be combined with other components to make other advanced optics-based systems.

[0042] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may provide a reliable and reproducible fabrication process. The fabrication may reduce or eliminate costly and error prone calibration or alignment steps present when forming traditional optical assemblies. Because the components are lithographically defined and integrated within a common scaffold material, precise spatial alignment and optical registration maybe inherently achieved during fabrication. This approach may facilitate the production of complex assemblies with high precision and repeatability, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency. Herein the high precision fabrication may enable forming of features and alignment between optical components and / or with external elements with nanometer, micrometer, or millimeter precision. Moreover, the use of a single, unified fabrication process enables the creation of finished integrated optical assemblies without requiring separate assembly steps, alignment procedures, or post-fabrication adjustments.

[0043] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may be used in making or enabling highly complex optical systems. The optical assemblies can be highly complex and customized. Furthermore, the systems and methods may also enable interfacing with a variety of systems and / or components external to the optical assembly further expanding the complexity of devices supported.

[0044] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may support the miniaturization of free-space optical systems. By fabricating integrated optical assemblies within a lithographically defined scaffold material, overall system volume may be significantly reduced while maintaining complex functionality and optical performance.

[0045] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may reduce position tolerance requirements for interfacing with external components. For example, the integration of opticalIRRA-M03-PCT assemblies within a defined scaffold structure may reduce sensitivity to fiber alignment or other positional variations, improving ease of packaging and system integration.

[0046] As an additional potential benefit, the systems and methods may reduce optical loss by minimizing the number of interfaces and enabling the integration of anti-reflection coatings directly within the assembly. Improved alignment between internal components may further reduce insertion loss and scattering effects.

[0047] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may enhance power handling capabilities. This may be achieved through the systems and methods by enabling miniaturization of an optical system but still not confining light to micron scale waveguides.

[0048] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may enable various optical solutions through a consolidated manufacturing process. The systems and methods may allow for the integration of a wide range of optical element types— including gradient index, diffractive, refractive, and meta-optical components— without requiring separate manufacturing processes or tools.

[0049] As another potential benefit, the systems and methods may yield monolithic optical assemblies. In this way, the systems and methods may yield optical assembly solutions within a single monolithic structure, which can lend itself for being mechanically interfaced with or for packaging. Such assemblies maybe directly attached to other systems, packages, or fixtures, facilitating robust integration and simplifying alignment and mounting procedures.2. Method

[0050] As shown in FIG. 2, a method for production of an integrated optical assembly can include: providing a functionalized scaffold material S110, forming an optical assembly comprising at least two optical components within the scaffold material S120. More generally, the optical assembly comprises a set of optical components. Providing the functionalized scaffold material may further comprise providing the scaffold material S112, introducing patterning material within the scaffold S114, and adding a fill material within the scaffold material S116, and forming the optical assembly may further comprise: lithographically patterning a first optical component within the scaffold material S122 and lithographically patterning a second optical component within the scaffold material aligned with the first optical component S124 as shown in Fig. 4.

[0051] The method functions to lithographically pattern, fabricate, and / or otherwise assemble a set of optical components within regions of the scaffold material. The method mayIRRA-M03-PCT form the optical components with precise spatial relationships to one another, enabling the creation of complex, integrated, three-dimensional optical assemblies. The scaffold material supports and encapsulates the optical components while maintaining the pathways necessary for the intended optical functionality. The optical assembly may be used as part of an optical system. In some variations, the optical system is the optical assembly contained within the scaffold material. In other variations, the method may include interfacing optical assembly with at least one external optical system S130 as shown in Fig. 3, wherein the optical assembly may be used with one or more other systems as part of an optical system.

[0052] In many variations, the method is used for forming an integrated optical assembly comprising a set of optical components, wherein the set of optical components may include two, three, or more optical components. In such variations, the method may alternatively be framed as including: providing a functionalized scaffold material S110; and forming an optical assembly comprising a set (or plurality) of optical components within the scaffold material S120, wherein forming the optical assembly may further comprise, for each optical component of the set: lithographically patterning the optical component within the scaffold material S123 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0053] The relative positioning and alignment of the optical components may be defined in one-dimension (1D), two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) space, such that the optical components are spatially coordinated to achieve desired optical functionalities across the integrated assembly. Through the lithographic fabrication process, the optical components may be formed in a pre-aligned and pre-calibrated state, eliminating the need for post-fabrication manual alignment or adjustment. Functional integration between the optical components is inherently achieved during the fabrication process, with the spatial relationships among components designed to produce collective optical behaviors, such as beam shaping, signal multiplexing, interferometry, polarization control, wavelength filtering, or other desired optical effects.

[0054] In some alternative variations, the method may include forming an integrated optical assembly comprising a single optical component within the scaffold material. A single optical component, such as one of the component types discussed herein, may itself serve as an integrated optical assembly. The method steps described for fabricating a multiple-component integrated optical assembly may similarly be applied to the formation of a single-component integrated optical assembly. Accordingly, the systems and methods are not limited to multicomponent configurations and may also encompass the fabrication of individually formed optical components integrated within a scaffold material.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0055] Block Sno, which includes providing a functionalized scaffold material, functions to provide or yield a porous scaffold material with integrated patterning materials and / or filler materials that can be lithographically patterned in block S120. The functionalized scaffold material will be a porous scaffold material with patterning and / or fill materials The functionalized scaffold material serves as a target medium for lithographic patterning and can form a structural foundation of the integrated optical assembly at least in part.

[0056] The functionalized scaffold material may be sized to accommodate the intended volume and spatial parameters necessary for containing the optical components of the integrated optical assembly. In some variations, the functionalized scaffold material may also possess optical properties suitable for enabling optical coupling between one or more external optical systems and the optical components fabricated within the integrated optical assembly. During fabrication, the functionalized scaffold material maybe positioned and aligned as a targeted object for subsequent lithographic processing.

[0057] As shown in FIG. 4, providing a functionalized scaffold material may include providing the scaffold material S112, introducing patterning material within the scaffold S114 and adding a fill material within the scaffold material S116. In some variations, the patterning material and fill material may be the same material (i.e. , a patterning fill material) and so this may alternatively be characterized as providing the scaffold material and introducing a patterning fill material into the scaffold material.

[0058] After patterning, the unpatterned patterning materials may be washed out or otherwise removed from within the scaffold material as shown in Fig. 14. Different combinations of scaffold materials, patterning solutions and fill materials maybe used as shown in FIG. 15.

[0059] Providing the scaffold material functions to supply a porous material that can be used as a structural lattice within which functionalized materials may be patterned and formed into 3D structures. The scaffold material is nanoporous which can facilitate fabrication of optical components within the volume of the scaffold material with nanoscale precision. The scaffold material may provide support for patterning of 3D geometries. The scaffold material may also provide gradient properties as a function of material fill factor. In some variations, the scaffold material may also provide controllable shrink. Furthermore, the scaffold material may provide mechanical robustness for packaging and integration of a produced optical assembly.

[0060] The scaffold material in some variations will be unchanged through the lithographic process. The scaffold material maybe or include a polymer gel, a nanoporous silica, and / or nanoporous silicon. Exemplary scaffold materials may include but are not limited materials selected from the list containing: Nano / micro-porous - Germanium, Silicon, Oxides (e.g., Silica,IRRA-M03-PCTTitania, and the like), Chalcogenide (e.g., ZnE, CdE, PbE, SnE, and the like), Polymers / gels, and / or other suitable scaffold materials.

[0061] In many variations, the scaffold material is provided as a monolithic structure which can be characterized as a single, continuous body. In some variations, the scaffold material may, within this monolithic form, exhibit either homogeneous or heterogeneous material properties.

[0062] In a homogeneous scaffold variation, the scaffold material may exhibit substantially uniform chemical and physical properties throughout its volume. In an alternative heterogeneous scaffold variation, the scaffold material may comprise two or more materials with differing properties, or a material in which properties such as density, refractive index, or chemical composition vary across its volume.

[0063] Regardless of whether the scaffold material is homogeneous or heterogeneous, the monolithic structure provides a continuous three-dimensional substrate suitable for lithographic fabrication and alignment of optical components.

[0064] Introducing patterning material within the scaffold functions to add photosensitive materials to facilitate patterning. The patterning materials may include or be a chromophore material and / or photosensitive polymer resin. Introducing the patterning material may involve saturating the scaffold material or otherwise filling the patterning material with the patterning material. A chromophore is one non-limiting example of a patterning material agent that can be patterned onto, into, initiate, or catalyze the substrate material. Examples of chromophores that may be used include but are not limited to: Fluoresceinyl Glycine Amide (FGA), Al 6x3546- cadaverine, quantum dots, nanoclusters of gold or silver, and Sulfo-Cy3-amine.

[0065] Adding a fill material within the scaffold material functions to fill pores of the scaffold material. In some variations, the fill material may include or be a dielectric material that fills the pores of the scaffold material to create index contrast. In other variations, the fill material may include or be an electrically conductive material to create electrical structures. As one exemplary variation, the fill material may be a polymer that is introduced to fill pores of the scaffold material (e.g., a nanoporous silica). Other exemplary fill materials may include metals or metal chalcogenides.

[0066] Block S120, which includes forming the optical assembly, functions to use lithographic processes to fabricate optical components within regions of the scaffold material. Forming the optical assembly will generally include forming two or more optical components. Accordingly, the method may include: lithographically patterning a first optical component within the scaffold material (S122); and lithographically patterning a second optical component within the scaffold material, aligned with the first optical component (S124). More generally, aIRRA-M03-PCT set of two, three, or more optical components may be formed, wherein for each optical component of the set, the method includes lithographically patterning the optical component within the scaffold material (S123).

[0067] As shown in FIG. 6, one exemplary optical assembly may be patterned to comprise of two components. In this example, the optical components may be distinct components positioned in free space within a scaffold material.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 7, in some variations at least two optical components may be directly connected, wherein patterning the first and second optical component forms a meta optical component made from two or more optical components directly integrated.

[0069] As shown in Fig. 8, in some variations, more than two optical components may be used to form arbitrary complex optical assemblies. The optical components maybe formed in free space.

[0070] As shown in Fig. 9, in some exemplary variations, the optical assembly may include a single optical component.

[0071] In general, "lithographic patterning" may be characterized as the use of directed light or other energy sources to spatially define, alter, or create material structures within the scaffold material. As discussed, patterning may involve the addition, removal, or transformation of material in localized regions, such as through photopolymerization, photodegradation, ablation, sintering, or other light-induced or energy-induced processes. The patterning will be performed to alter the optical parameters at different points in space and thereby forming optical components within the scaffold material. The lithographic patterning process defines the geometry, optical properties, and spatial relationships of the optical components within the scaffold material.

[0072] The systems and methods described herein may utilize a variety of lithographic techniques to form the optical components within the scaffold material as shown in FIG. 16. Suitable techniques may include, but are not limited to, multiphoton lithography, two-photon lithography, one-photon lithography, two-color lithography, holographic one- or two-photon lithography, one- or two-photon interference lithography, and tomographic one-photon lithography, as well as other lithographic processes suitable for three-dimensional patterning. In some variations, the fabrication systems and methods may incorporate approaches disclosed in US Patent Publication No. 20220380602, titled “System and method for high resolution 3D nanofabrication”; US Patent No. 11,237,343, titled “Volumetric optical integrated circuits”; and PCT Application No. WO 2024073400 Al, titled “Line scanning temporally focused two-photon lithography system,” each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0073] Lithographically patterning an optical component may include lithographically fabricating a wide variety of optical components within a scaffold material. The optical components may belong to different functional classes. The first and second optical components or other optical components of the optical assembly may be selected from a set of optical components that includes lenses, reflectors, waveguides, multiplexers, surface coatings, polarizers, filters, gratings, interferometers, splitters, resonators, cavities, and specialty optical components.

[0074] Each optical component may be lithographically patterned with predetermined spatial geometries, optical properties, and alignments to achieve the desired optical functionality within an integrated optical assembly. The optical components maybe patterned individually or in functional combinations to construct complex three-dimensional free-space optical systems as part of the integrated optical assembly. The following sections describe nonlimiting examples of optical components that may be fabricated using the disclosed systems and methods.

[0075] A non-limiting list of example optical components, structures, or other types of elements or features that may be made or formed for an optical component may include: Refractive lenses (including plano-convex lenses, plano-concave lenses, biconvex lenses, biconcave lenses, aplanatic lenses, cylindrical lenses, bi conic lenses, toroidal / toric lenses, freeform lenses, refractive Fresnel lenses, and powell lenses), diffractive lenses (including diffractive optical elements, Fresnel zone plates, diffractive Fresnel lenses, binary optics, and holographic optical elements), hybrid lenses (including hybrid refractive-diffractive lenses, hybrid GRIN-diffractive lenses, and hybrid aspheric-GRIN lenses), gradient index (GRIN) lenses (including GRIN Fresnel lenses, Luneburg lenses, and Eaton lenses), aspheric lenses, axicons (including refractive axicons and diffractive axicons), metalenses (including single-layer metalenses, multi-layer metalenses, multi-order metalenses, multi-level metalenses, freeform metalenses (with and without axis-symmetry), and tunable metalenses), and lens stacks (including microlens arrays, monolithic lens stacks, bonded multi-material stacks, and compound multi-element lens configurations (not limited to doublets or triplets) designed to be one or more of the following: athermal, telecentric, achromatic, depth of focus, depth of field, field of view, distortion, field curvature, and correction of up to i5th-order Zernike aberrations). Beam splitters (including cube beam splitters, plate beam splitters, polarizing beam splitters, and dichroic beam splitters), prisms (including optical wedges, dispersive prisms, and retroreflectors (such as corner cubes)), optical filters (including neutral density filters, bandpass filters, long-pass filters, short-pass filters, notch filters, interference filters, color filters, tunableIRRA-M03-PCT filters, andthin-film rugate filters), polarization control optics (including polarizers (wire grid polarizers, birefringent polarizers, and thin-film polarizers), waveplates (half-wave plates and quarter-wave plates), optical isolators, and optical circulators), beam shaping components (including optical diffusers, optical homogenizers, integrating spheres, beam expanders, beam reducers, optical power equalizers, vortex phase plates, polarization-maintaining microlens arrays, Talbot lens arrays, moire lens stacks, and engineered scattering surfaces), diffraction gratings (including transmission gratings, reflection gratings, ruled gratings, holographic gratings, echelle gratings, chirped diffractive gratings, and wavelength-dependent beam displacers), photonic structures (including photonic crystal slabs, spatially variant photonic crystals, photonic lanterns, photonic crystal fibers (passive), anti-resonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs), birefringent metasurfaces, spin-orbit coupling microstructures, and zero-index metamaterial slabs), energy optical components (including compound parabolic concentrators (CPCs), solar lenslet arrays, and microprisms), lithographic structures (including micromirrors, optical masks, lithographic reticles, and alignment marks), and other beam control components (including quasi-random diffusers, optical resonators, and Fabry-Perot etalons), and / or other suitable optical components.

[0076] Below are described in more detail some exemplary types of components and examples. The optical components are not limited to these examples.

[0077] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a lens structure within the scaffold material. In such a variation at least one of the optical components is a lens structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of lenses maybe formed, including but not limited to refractive lenses, diffractive lenses (e.g., single or multilevel and / or single or multiorder diffractive), gradient index (GRIN) lenses, aspheric lenses, hybrid refractive- diffractive lenses, metalenses, multi-layer metalenses, Luneburg lenses, lens stacks, Fresnel lenses, Fresnel zone plates, GRIN Fresnel lenses, cylindrical lenses, telecentric lenses, plano-convex lenses, plano-concave lenses, axicon lenses, biconvex lenses, biconcave lenses, aplanatic lenses, achromatic lenses, and / or freeform lenses.

[0078] The lens structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as surface curvature, refractive index gradients, diffractive surface profiles, nanoscale structuring, and / or other optical parameters. Lens optical components maybe configured to focus light, collimate light into parallel beams, disperse light, correct for optical aberrations, maintain consistent magnification, or manipulate optical phase and amplitude.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0079] A refractive lens may utilize the principle of light refraction through curved surfaces or index gradients to focus or disperse light, enhancing image clarity in various optical devices.

[0080] A diffractive lens may employ a complex phase mask, achieved either through changes in thickness, refractive index, or both, to diffract light into multiple directions, allowing for the precise control of light phase and amplitude.

[0081] A GRIN lens may feature an arbitrary gradient in its refractive index, enabling it to focus light without the conventional curved surfaces of traditional lenses.

[0082] An aspheric lens may be designed with non-spherical surfaces or index profile to correct aberrations that occur in spherical lenses, improving image quality across a wider field.

[0083] A hybrid lens may combine refractive and diffractive optical technologies to correct for chromatic aberration or thermal variation and improve overall optical performance in a compact form.

[0084] A metalens may use sub-wavelength nanostructures to focus light, overcoming the limitations of traditional optics by providing thinner, lighter, and more effective alternatives.

[0085] A multi-layer metalens may be an advanced lens that includes multiple layers of nanostructured materials, each tailored to manipulate light differently, enhancing the lens's focusing and imaging capabilities while minimizing or reducing thickness.

[0086] A Luneburg lens may be a spherical, radially symmetric gradient index lens that can focus light from any direction onto its opposite surface, providing wide-angle imaging capabilities.

[0087] A lens stack may include multiple lenses aligned and integrated into a single assembly to achieve complex imaging or optical performance that individual lenses cannot.

[0088] A Fresnel lens may incorporate a series of concentric annular sections to reduce the amount of material required, making the lens lighter and thinner while maintaining its optical capability. Fabrication of a Fresnel element may also be faster to lithographically pattern.Metasurfaces, metalenses and / or other components may also be more quickly lithographically patterned.

[0089] A Fresnel zone plate may function as a diffractive optical component.

[0090] A GRIN Fresnel lens may combine the lightweight, thin design of a Fresnel lens with the gradient index technology of a GRIN lens to provide superior focus with minimal material use.

[0091] A cylindrical lens may focus light into a line instead of a point.

[0092] A telecentric lens may maintain constant magnification when imaging objects, regardless of their distance from the lens.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0093] A plano-convex / concave lens may feature one flat and one convex or concave surface, respectively.

[0094] An axicon lens may be lens fabricated with a conical surface, and which may be used to transform a beam (e.g., laser beam into a ring-shaped distribution.

[0095] A biconvex or biconcave lens may have two outward or inward curved surfaces respectively.

[0096] An aplanatic lens may be patterned to minimize spherical aberration and coma, delivering superior image quality across a wide field of view.

[0097] An achromatic lens may be formed to correct for chromatic aberration, using a combination of materials to focus different wavelengths of light at the same point.

[0098] A freeform lens may also be formed, which may shape light to a desired shape.

[0099] An athermal lens which maybe formed to correct for dimensional and / or refractive index changes that result from thermally induced changes in materials.

[0100] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a reflector structure within the scaffold material. In such a variation, at least one of the optical components in the optical assembly may be a reflector structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of reflectors may be formed, including but not limited to prisms, mirrors, Bragg gratings, corner cube reflectors, retroreflectors, GRIN reflectors, Eaton lenses, total internal reflection mirrors, and curved reflectors (including spherical, parabolic, and aspheric types).

[0101] The reflector structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as surface geometry, angular relationships between reflective surfaces, periodic refractive index variations, and / or other properties. Reflector optical components maybe configured to redirect light paths, reflect incident light, return light toward its source, or manipulate light through total internal reflection or wavelength-selective reflection.

[0102] A prism may be lithographically patterned to redirect, refract, or disperse light through its angular geometry, which may thereby allow precise control of optical pathways for various applications.

[0103] A mirror may be lithographically patterned to reflect incident light using a smooth surface that may be flat, curved, or otherwise shaped to achieve desired reflection characteristics.

[0104] A Bragg grating may be lithographically formed by introducing periodic variations in the refractive index within the scaffold material, enabling the selective reflection of specific wavelengths of light, useful for wavelength filtering and signal processing.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0105] A corner cube reflector may be formed to include three mutually perpendicular reflective surfaces, such that light entering the reflector is reflected directly back toward its source, regardless of the angle of incidence.

[0106] A retroreflector may be lithographically fabricated to return incoming light rays along their original path of propagation, enhancing visibility or signal return in various optical systems.

[0107] A total internal reflection mirror may be patterned to exploit the phenomenon of total internal reflection occurring at an interface between high- and low-refractive-index materials, achieving reflection without absorption losses.

[0108] Curved reflectors such as spherical, parabolic, freeform, or aspheric reflectors maybe lithographically patterned to manipulate the paths of incoming light beams, focusing or spreading them according to the desired optical function.

[0109] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a waveguide structure within the scaffold material. In such a variation, at least one of the optical components maybe a waveguide structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of waveguides may be formed, including but not limited to step-index waveguides, gradient index (GRIN) waveguides, single-mode waveguides, multimode waveguides, photonic crystal waveguides, strip waveguides, rib waveguides, slot waveguides, hollow-core waveguides, polarization-maintaining waveguides, planar waveguides, and plasmonic waveguides. The waveguide structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as refractive index profiles, waveguide geometries, periodic optical structures, and gap dimensions, depending on the waveguide type. Waveguide optical components may be configured to guide light along defined pathways, confine light within specified regions, control the number of optical modes supported by the waveguide, maintain the polarization state of propagating light, or confine optical energy using photonic crystal or plasmonic effects.

[0110] A step-index waveguide may be lithographically patterned with a core region of uniform refractive index surrounded by a cladding region with a lower refractive index, enabling total internal reflection to guide light along the core.

[0111] A gradient index (GRIN) waveguide may be formed with a refractive index that gradually changes, typically decreasing from the center outward, enabling light propagation through continuous refraction within the waveguide material.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0112] A single-mode waveguide may be lithographically fabricated with dimensions and refractive index profiles that support the propagation of a single optical mode, useful for maintaining signal coherence over long distances.

[0113] A multimode waveguide may be formed with a larger core diameter that supports the simultaneous propagation of multiple optical modes.

[0114] A photonic crystal waveguide may be patterned by introducing a periodic optical nanostructure that creates a photonic bandgap, confining and guiding light within defect regions of the crystal structure.

[0115] A strip waveguide may be lithographically formed as a rectangular high-refractive- index region surrounded by lower index material, confining light primarily within the strip.

[0116] A rib waveguide may be formed as a raised strip on the surface of the scaffold material, with slightly etched regions on either side to help confine the optical mode.

[0117] A slot waveguide may be fabricated with a narrow, empty gap between two strips of material with a higher refractive index.

[0118] A hollow-core waveguide may be patterned to allow light to propagate through a defined central hollow region, confined by reflective or guiding structures surrounding the core.

[0119] A polarization-maintaining waveguide may be lithographically designed to maintain a defined polarization state of propagating light. A polarization changing waveguide may also or alternatively be lithographically designed to alter a polarization state (e.g. a twisted asymmetric waveguide that rotates the polarization state).

[0120] A planar waveguide may be formed as a slab of higher refractive index material that guides light along its plane by total internal reflection at its surfaces.

[0121] A plasmonic waveguide may be formed with surface plasmons generated at the interface between a metal and a dielectric to guide light along the interface.

[0122] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a multiplexing structure within the scaffold material. In such a variation, at least one of the optical components is a multiplexing structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of multiplexers may be formed, including but not limited to wavelength multiplexers, spatial multiplexers, mode multiplexers, temporal multiplexers, and polarization multiplexers.

[0123] The multiplexing structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as spatial arrangement, modal structure, polarization selectivity, wavelength response characteristics, and / or other optical parameters. Multiplexing optical components may be configured to combine multiple optical signals into a single transmission path, separateIRRA-M03-PCT optical signals based on wavelength, spatial mode, or polarization state, or otherwise route optical signals within the integrated optical assembly according to their distinguishing optical properties.

[0124] A wavelength multiplexer may be lithographically patterned to combine or separate optical signals based on their respective wavelengths.

[0125] A spatial multiplexer may be fabricated to combine or separate optical signals based on their spatial positions or propagation paths.

[0126] A mode multiplexer may be lithographically formed to combine or separate optical signals according to their optical mode structures.

[0127] A polarization multiplexer may be fabricated to combine or separate optical signals based on their polarization states.

[0128] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a surface coating structure on and / or within the scaffold material. In such a variation, at least one of the optical components includes a surface coating structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of surface coatings maybe formed, including but not limited to interferometric anti-reflective coatings, gradient index (GRIN) anti-reflective coatings, high-reflection coatings, and chromatic filter coatings.

[0129] The surface coating structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as layer thickness, refractive index profile, wavelength-dependent reflectivity or transmission, and / or other optical parameters. Surface coating optical components maybe configured to reduce surface reflections, enhance reflectivity, selectively filter light based on wavelength, or improve optical coupling between components within the integrated optical assembly.

[0130] An interferometric anti-reflective coating may be lithographically patterned to reduce reflection from surfaces by causing destructive interference between light waves reflected from multiple layers.

[0131] A GRIN anti-reflective coating may be patterned with a refractive index gradient to minimize reflections by smoothly matching the refractive index between different optical media.

[0132] A high-reflection coating may be fabricated to maximize the reflection of light off a surface, enhancing signal return or optical feedback.

[0133] A chromatic filter coating may be lithographically patterned to selectively transmit light of specific wavelengths while blocking or reflecting others, enabling wavelength-specific filtering.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0134] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a polarizer structure within the scaffold material. In such a variation, at least one of the optical components maybe a polarizer structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of polarizers may be formed, including but not limited to quarter-wave plates, half-wave plates, other waveplates, Brewster’s angle polarizers, polarization rotators, and polarizing beam splitters.

[0135] The polarizer structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as phase retardation profiles, surface angles, polarization-selective transmission or reflection characteristics, and / or other optical parameters. Polarizer optical components maybe configured to alter the polarization state of light, selectively transmit or reflect specific polarization states, or manipulate the relative phase between orthogonal polarization components.

[0136] A quarter-wave plate, half-wave plate, or other waveplate may be lithographically patterned to introduce a controlled phase shift between orthogonal polarization components of light, thereby altering its polarization state.

[0137] A Brewster’s angle polarizer may be fabricated to transmit light with a particular polarization while minimizing reflection at a specific angle of incidence.

[0138] A polarization rotator, such as a waveguide-based rotator or a Fresnel rhomb, may be included to rotate the polarization direction of light by a fixed or variable angle. Such components may be patterned or integrated within the scaffold to support polarization control functions.

[0139] A polarizing beam splitter may be lithographically patterned to separate an incoming beam of light into two beams of orthogonal polarization states.

[0140] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a filter structure within the scaffold material. In such variations, at least one of the optical components is a filter structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of filters may be formed, including but not limited to bandpass filters, longpass filters, shortpass filters, neutral density filters, interference filters, absorptive colored filters, edge filters, and Lyot filters.

[0141] The filter structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as transmission bands, absorption characteristics, wavelength-dependent filtering profiles, and / or other optical parameters. Filter optical components may be configured to selectively transmit or block light based on wavelength, uniformly attenuate the intensity of transmittedIRRA-M03-PCT light, modify the spectral content of light, or selectively transmit light with specific polarization characteristics.

[0142] A bandpass filter, longpass filter, or shortpass filter may be lithographically patterned to selectively transmit light. Bandpass filters will allow transmission of a specific frequency band of light. Longpass filters will transmit above a configured wavelength. Shortpass filters will transmit below certain wavelength ranges.

[0143] A neutral density filter may be fabricated to uniformly reduce the intensity of light across a broad wavelength range without altering its color balance.

[0144] An interference filter may be lithographically formed using multiple thin layers to cause constructive and destructive interference, selectively transmitting specific wavelengths.

[0145] An absorptive colored filter may be patterned to absorb certain wavelengths while transmitting others, typically used to alter the color of transmitted light.

[0146] An edge filter may be fabricated to block or transmit light above or below a configured cutoff wavelength.

[0147] A Lyot filter may be patterned to form birefringent crystal materials to selectively transmit specific polarizations at varying wavelengths.

[0148] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a grating structure and / or photonic crystals within the scaffold material. In such variations, at least one of the optical components may be a grating structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of gratings maybe formed, including but not limited to one-dimensional (1D) gratings, two-dimensional (2D) gratings, three-dimensional (3D) gratings, blazed gratings, transmission gratings, reflection gratings, holographic gratings, volume Bragg gratings, Rugate grating, gradient refractive index grating, multi-level refractive index grating, echelle gratings, woodpile photonic crystals, opal photonic crystals, gyroidal photonic crystals, grisms, chirped gratings of an arbitrary (nonlinear) chirp, and Ronchi gratings.

[0149] The grating structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as grating period, groove shape, groove depth, refractive index variation profiles, and / or other optical parameters. Grating optical components maybe configured to diffract light into multiple beams, selectively separate wavelengths, enhance diffraction efficiency at specific orders, or perform beam shaping and spectral filtering within the integrated optical assembly.

[0150] A 1D grating may be lithographically patterned with slits or grooves arranged in a single dimension to diffract incoming light into multiple orders.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0151] A 2D grating may be fabricated with a two-dimensional array of elements, spreading light into multiple directions.

[0152] A 3D grating may be lithographically formed with diffraction structures arranged volumetrically to manipulate light propagation through three dimensions.

[0153] A blazed grating may be patterned with angled and / or gradient facets to enhance efficiency of a specific diffraction order.

[0154] A transmission grating may be formed to diffract light passing through it, rather than reflecting it.

[0155] A reflection grating may be lithographically fabricated to diffract light based on reflections from structured surfaces.

[0156] A holographic grating may be created using holographic exposure techniques for fine control over the resulting diffraction pattern.

[0157] A volume Bragg grating may be lithographically patterned within a bulk material where periodic refractive index variations are formed internally to affect light propagation.

[0158] An echelle grating may be fabricated with large blaze angles to achieve high- resolution spectral separation at high diffraction orders.

[0159] A Ronchi grating may be lithographically patterned as alternating opaque and transparent bars, often used for optical system testing and calibration.

[0160] Photonic crystals such as woodpile photonic crystals, opal photonic crystals, gyroidal photonic crystals, and / or other types of photonic crystals may be fabricated. In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning an interferometer structure within the scaffold material. In such a variation, at least one of the optical components may be an interferometer structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of interferometers may be formed, including but not limited to Mach-Zehnder interferometers, Michelson-Morley interferometers, Sagnac interferometers, Fizeau interferometers, Fabry-Perot interferometers, and common-path interferometers.

[0161] The interferometer structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as beam splitting geometries, optical path length differences, mirror placement, cavity structures, and / or other optical parameters. Interferometer optical components may be configured to split and recombine light beams, produce optical interference patterns, measure changes in optical path length, detect rotational motion, or filter specific wavelengths based on resonance effects within the integrated optical assembly.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0162] A Mach-Zehnder interferometer may be lithographically patterned to split light into two separate paths and recombine them to produce interference based on differences in optical path lengths.

[0163] A Michelson-Morley interferometer may be fabricated to split a beam, reflect the split beams, and recombine the beams to analyze the interference patterns produced.

[0164] A Sagnac interferometer may be lithographically formed to split light into counterpropagating beams along a loop path to detect rotational motion via resulting phase shifts.

[0165] A Fizeau interferometer may be formed to compare the phase difference between two beams traveling along different optical paths, useful for precise distance measurements.

[0166] A Fabry-Perot interferometer may be lithographically patterned to form two parallel reflective surfaces to create multiple beam interferences, sensitive to wavelength changes. This may enable high-resolution wavelength filtering.

[0167] A common-path interferometer may be fabricated such that both a reference and sample beams travel along a shared optical path, enhancing stability and minimizing sensitivity to external disturbances.

[0168] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a splitter structure within the scaffold material. In such variations, at least one of the optical components may be a splitter structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of splitters may be formed, including but not limited to polarizing beam splitters, non-polarizing beam splitters, beam splitter of different reflectivity and transmissivity (e.g., non-5o:5O beam splitters), dichroic mirrors, waveguide splitters, and Y- or X-shaped optical splitters / combiners.

[0169] The splitter structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as splitting ratios, polarization selectivity, wavelength selectivity, waveguide junction geometries, and / or optical parameters. Splitter optical components maybe configured to divide an incoming optical signal into multiple optical paths, combine multiple optical signals into a single path, selectively split signals based on wavelength or polarization, or redistribute optical power among multiple outputs within the integrated optical assembly.

[0170] A polarizing beam splitter may be lithographically patterned to divide an incoming light beam into two beams of orthogonal polarization states.

[0171] A non-polarizing beam splitter may be fabricated to divide light into two beams without significantly altering their polarization states.

[0172] A beam splitter of different reflectivity and transmissivity may be lithographically formed to divide incident light into two beams with intensity ratios. In some variations, theIRRA-M03-PCT intensity ratios may split different from an even 50:50 split, but in some variations a 50:50 split may be configured.

[0173] A dichroic mirror may be patterned to reflect certain wavelengths of light while transmitting others, thereby acting as a spectral splitter.

[0174] A waveguide splitter may be lithographically formed to divide an optical signal into two or more optical waveguide paths.

[0175] A Y-splitter or X-splitter / combiner may be fabricated to split a single optical signal into multiple branches or to combine multiple optical signals into one.

[0176] In some variations, lithographically patterning an optical component comprises lithographically patterning a resonator structure or other suitable cavities or features within the scaffold material. In such variations, at least one of the optical components may be a resonator structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material. Various types of resonators may be formed, including but not limited to ring resonators, toroidal resonators, etalons, Fabry- Perot resonators, Bragg reflectors, photonic crystal resonators, photonic crystal defect resonators, dish resonators, spherical resonators, whispering gallery mode resonators, plasmonic resonators, confocal resonators, stable and unstable resonators, and hemispherical resonators.

[0177] The resonator structures may be lithographically patterned to define optical parameters such as cavity geometry, reflective surface placement, refractive index profiles, resonant path lengths, and / or optical parameters. Resonator optical components may be configured to confine light within a closed or semi-closed optical path, support standing or circulating wave modes, selectively enhance specific wavelengths or modes, or enable filtering, sensing, or amplification functions within the integrated optical assembly.

[0178] A ring resonator may be lithographically patterned as a closed loop that supports circulating optical modes around the ring structure.

[0179] An etalon may be fabricated establishing two parallel reflective surfaces forming a resonant cavity that selectively transmits specific wavelengths based on multiple beam interferences.

[0180] A Fabry-Perot resonator may be lithographically patterned forming two facing mirrors to trap light between them, creating multiple beam interference effects.

[0181] A Bragg reflector may be formed by lithographically patterning a structure comprising alternating layers or regions of differing refractive indices to reflect specific wavelengths via constructive interference.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0182] A photonic crystal defect resonator may be lithographically fabricated by forming a defect region into a photonic crystal structure, localizing and enhancing light at specific frequencies.

[0183] A dish resonator may be patterned to form a parabolic or concave shape configured to focus and reflect optical waves toward a focal point.

[0184] A spherical resonator may be lithographically patterned to form a resonator with spherical geometry, supporting modes of resonance that may be defined by geometry of the resonator (e.g., shape and size).

[0185] A whispering gallery mode resonator may be fabricated to confine light traveling along the curved surface of a circular structure by continuous total internal reflection.

[0186] A hemispherical resonator may be patterned to form a half-sphere structure that focuses or reflects waves to form specific wave patterns.

[0187] The systems and methods described herein are capable of fabricating a wide variety of additional or specialized optical components beyond the different classes optical components discussed herein, which may not fall strictly within traditional optical component classes. Such optical components may include, but are not limited to, phase plates, grisms, transformation optics structures, inverse-designed optics, optical isolators, optical circulators, light pipes, photonic jet generators, Mie scatterers, collimators, diffusers, holograms, volume phase holograms, moire lenses, axilenses or axicons, microlens arrays, and deep diffractive neural networks. These optical components may similarly be patterned to adjust a variety of optical properties to form the optical component. Furthermore, these may be used to enable various functionality.

[0188] A phase plate may be lithographically patterned to introduce spatially varying thickness and / or refractive index to introduce phase shifts to an optical wavefront passing through the phase plate.

[0189] A grism (e.g., a combined prism and grating) may be fabricated as a hybrid component combining a prism and a diffraction grating to disperse light while controlling its propagation path.

[0190] A transformation optics structure may be patterned as a component formed of materials with varying refractive indices to control light paths as if the space through which light travels is being transformed.

[0191] An inverse-designed optic may be an optical structure formed using algorithmically generated geometries that achieve a desired manipulation of light, often determined through iterative simulation or optimization techniques.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0192] An optical isolator may be lithographically patterned to allow light to pass in one direction while blocking it in the opposite direction, reducing back reflections and feedback into upstream optical components.

[0193] An optical circulator may be formed to route light from one port to another in a unidirectional sequence, enabling directional signal routing in multi-port optical systems.

[0194] A light pipe may be patterned as a physical structure designed to transmit or distribute light from one location to another.

[0195] A photonic jet generator may be lithographically fabricated as a dielectric microsphere or cylinder that produces a tightly focused beam of light on the shadow side when illuminated.

[0196] A Mie scatterer may be formed as a particle or structure that scatters light based onMie theory, influencing the propagation and distribution of light / electro magnetic waves.

[0197] A collimator may be lithographically patterned to narrow a beam of light so that the light rays are parallel to a specific direction.

[0198] A diffuser may be patterned to spread or scatter light from a source evenly over a wider area.

[0199] A hologram may be formed as a photographic or structured recording of a light field, used to reconstruct a fully three-dimensional image.

[0200] A volume phase hologram may be patterned within a material volume, where refractive index variations are recorded, allowing for high-efficiency diffraction and image reproduction.

[0201] A moire (focal length tunable) lens may be fabricated using the superposition of two or more non-lens geometries that interact to form a tunable moire pattern, adjusting the effective focal length.

[0202] An axilens or axicon may be lithographically patterned as a conical lens, linear GRIN lens, or mirror that transforms a plane wave into a ring-shaped wavefront, often used to produce Bessel beams.

[0203] A microlens array may be formed as an array of small lenses used to focus and / or direct light.

[0204] A deep diffractive neural network may be lithographically patterned as an optical system of optical subcomponents or structure of varied optical properties designed using deep learning techniques, capable of performing optical computations by propagating light through a sequence of diffractive layers.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0205] In many variations, patterning optical components can be performed to form optical components with distinct spatial positioning wherein there is an optical path through the scaffold material between the optical components.

[0206] In some variations, patterning the optical components may form a combined optical component with two or more discussed optical components that are directly integrated. This may be used to create combined optical components which may include various combinations of two or more optical components.

[0207] In one such variation, one or more optical components may include anti-reflection layers or other types of enhanced reflection layers such as a (GRIN) anti-reflection layer applied to one or more sides of an optical component and / or an interface to an external system or component. The anti-reflection layer or enhanced reflection layer maybe used to reduce or enhance reflection depending on a fabricated gradient profile. Accordingly, forming an optical assembly may comprise lithographically patterning an anti-reflection layer onto another optical component. In the case of blocks S122 and S124, the second optical component may be a GRIN anti-reflection layer, an index matching layer, a thin film anti-reflection layer, or other type of anti-reflection layer, and the first optical component may be one of the optical components discussed herein such that forming the optical assembly include lithographically patterning the first optical component and lithographically patterning a GRIN anti-reflection layer onto at least one surface or layer of the first optical component. As shown in Fig. 8, one optical component may include a patterned anti-reflection layer. In many variations, the optical assembly may include multiple optical components, each with GRIN anti-reflection layers formed on them.

[0208] In some variations, external components such as a drop-in component that interfaces with the optical assembly may also include similar anti-reflection layers or other index matching coatings / features.

[0209] Different optical components may be combined and patterned within the functionalized scaffold material to yield a number of different optical systems. As shown in Fig. 17 and Fig. 18, in some variations, multiple lenses maybe fabricated and utilized as a lens relay.

[0210] As shown in Fig 19, lithographically patterning the optical components such that the components may be precisely aligned with other structures. This may be made to enable pluggable expanded beams. As shown in Fig. 19, there may be two optical assemblies, each integrated with fiber or a PIC, where a beam can be more easily aligned between them. In this example, a 100pm beam may enable around 10 pm misalignment. In a similar manner pLenses and pPrisms maybe aligned to waveguides with sub-micron accuracy as shown in Flig. 22.IRRA-M03-PCTCombining pLenses and pPrisms, and waveguides may further enable going any 2D array of inputs and outputs even with variable pitches.

[0211] As shown in Fig. 20 and 21, in some variations multiple adjacent layers may be fabricated as different optical components to yield a resulting optical system.

[0212] As shown in the example of Fig. 23, optical components may be patterned to yield a complex optical assembly. In this example, multiple diffractive layers may be algorithmically designed and specified to form a deep diffractive neural network comprising multiple diffractive layers.

[0213] Block S130, which includes interfacing optical assembly with at least one external optical system, functions to facilitate using the integrated optical assembly with other optical systems. There may be a variety of approaches for interfacing the optical assembly with an external system. In many variations, multiple approaches may be used in combination depending on the application and use-case. Interfacing the optical assembly with at least one external optical component or subsystem may be used to integrate with various other elements such as fibers, fiber arrays, metalenses, photodiodes, photoabsorber, MEMs mirrors, modulators, lenses, prisms, and the like.

[0214] In some variations, the optical assembly may be directly augmented through an integrated secondary system directly interfacing with the scaffold. This may include variations of: interfacing the scaffold material with an external platform at a surface of the scaffold material; fabricating an electrical, optical, or other type of subsystem onto a surface of the scaffold material; and / or physically manipulating a structure of the scaffold material for insertion of an inserted subsystem for interfacing with the optical assembly. In some variations, a resulting optical system may be formed by interfacing the optical assemblies with external systems / components in a variety of approaches as shown in FIG. 13.

[0215] Various types of external components may be integrated or otherwise interfaced with the optical assembly. Some examples of such systems or components may be integrated may include but not limited to: MEMS or active systems / components, PIC systems / components, and / or fiber or fiber array systems / components. These systems or components may be interfaced with the optical assembly as a drop-in component, a platform contacted or attached to a surface of the scaffold material, fabricated onto a surface of the scaffold material, through a fabricated interface of the optical assembly, or using some other form of interface.

[0216] MEMS-based components or systems or other types of active components or systems may include, but are not limited to: MEMS scanning mirrors, MEMS mirror arrays, MEMS tunable filters (e.g. MEMS tunable Fabry-Perot), digital micromirror devices (DMDs), piston-IRRA-M03-PCT mode MEMS mirror arrays (e.g. phase-DMD), deformable mirrors (adaptive-optics mirrors), optical switches, optical cross-connects, wavelength selective switches (WSS), tunable lenses, optical modulators, interferometric modulators (IMOD displays), grating light valve modulators (GLVs), optical shutter arrays (micro-shutters), tunable optical filters, variable optical attenuators (VOAs), dynamic gain equalizers, tunable lasers, optical phased arrays, tunable metasurface optics, dynamic dispersion compensators, spatial light modulators (SLMs), Liquid Crystal on Silicon SLMs, transmissive SLMs, Pockels cell electro-optic SLMs, magneto-optic SLMs, Acousto-optic Modulators (AOM), Electro-optic Modulators (EOM), and / or other MEMS-based or otherwise active components or systems.

[0217] PIC-based components or systems may include but are not limited to: Waveguide, waveguide crossing, taper (adiabatic coupler), grating coupler, edge coupler, evanescent coupler, adiabatic coupler, directional coupler, Y-branch splitter, multimode interference coupler (MMI), star coupler, mode converter, mode multiplexer / demultiplexer, polarization rotator, polarization beam splitter (PBS), polarization splitter-rotator (PSR), polarizer, Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI), ring resonator, racetrack resonator, disk resonator, photonic crystal cavity, photonic crystal waveguide, Bragg grating, arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), echelle grating (planar concave grating), Fabry-Perot cavity, thermo-optic phase shifter, optical isolator, optical circulator, and / or other suitable PIC-based components or systems.

[0218] Fiber-based components or systems may include but are not limited to: Monolithic spatial mode multiplexer, microlens, axicon, positioning features, mode strippers / cladding mode strippers, spatial filters, photonic lanterns, fiber positioners, Fresnel lenses, collimators, angled faces, gradient lenses, modulators, homogenizers, mode mixers, cavities, pinholes, and / or other suitable fiber-based components or systems.

[0219] Fiber array-based components or systems may include but are not limited to: Microlenses, microlens arrays, V-grooves, microholes, coverplates, axicon arrays, spatial filter arrays, lensed fibers, homogenizers, fly’s eye microlenses, fly’s eye homogenizers, arrayed waveguide gratings, pinhole arrays, gradient index lenses, and / or other fiber array-based components or systems.

[0220] As discussed, in some variations, the method may include interfacing the scaffold material with an external platform at the surface of the scaffold material as shown in Fig. 10, which functions to provide a scaffold material built on top of or otherwise contacted with an integrated system or single component containing one or more photonic, electronic, electro- optical, electromagnetic, electro-mechanical, ad / or other type of component or platform. In other words, this variation includes interfacing the scaffold material (and thereby a resultingIRRA-M03-PCT optical assembly) onto another platform or component. The platform may include, for example, various electrical, optical or other types of platforms such as a photonic integrated circuit (PIC), silicon photonics platform, silicon waveguides, silicon nitride waveguides, polymer waveguides, germanium devices, diamond, 2D material platforms such as graphene or Molybdenum disulfide (M0S2), Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) devices, Indium Phosphide (InP) devices, Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices, Aluminum Gallium Arsenide (Al GaAs) devices, Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs), Zinc Selenide (ZnSe), Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), other compound semiconductor devices, Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) devices, CMOS-compatible substrate, microelectromechanical (MEMS) device, microoptoelectromechanical (MOEMS) device, hybrid optoelectronic platform comprising active or passive optical devices, detectors, emitters, modulators, integrated circuitry, dies, wafers, chips, fiber arrays or other suitable systems that can interface with the optical assembly. These additional components may be attached, adhered, or otherwise contacted with a surface of the scaffold material for interacting with optical assembly components fabricated within the functionalized scaffold material so that the set of these external components and scaffold-contained optical components can function as an integrated optical system assembly.

[0221] The electro / optical subsystem platform may serve as a substrate surface on which the scaffold material is mounted. In some framings of the method, interfacing the scaffold material onto the electro / optical subsystem platform may be performed as part of providing the scaffold material S110.

[0222] The scaffold may be interfaced with the electro / optical subsystem platform prior to forming the optical assembly in block S120. In such variations, method may include determining position and / or orientation of the electro / optical subsystem platform and aligning one or more optical components of the optical assembly to the electro / optical subsystem platform when forming the optical assembly. This variation may enable direct alignment of lithographically patterned optical components within the scaffold material to pre-existing optical paths or functional regions of an underlying system.

[0223] As discussed, in some variations, the method may include fabricating an electro, optical, electromechanical, or other type of subsystem onto a surface of the scaffold material, which functions to use the scaffold as a base substrate or surface for subsequent device fabrication as shown in Fig. 11. This may include, for example, depositing, patterning, or assembling optoelectronic components on the outer surface of the scaffold material after the optical assembly has been formed in block S120. The resulting fabricated subsystem may beIRRA-M03-PCT referred to as an electro / optical layered subsystem and may be implemented in addition to or independently from an electro / optical subsystem platform as described above.

[0224] Fabricating the electro / optical layered subsystem may utilize a variety of standard or modified surface-based fabrication techniques, such as various semiconductor, surface deposition, printing, or other fabrication techniques. Such surface-based fabrication techniques may include, for example: thin-film deposition, photolithography, etching, doping, lift-off processing, or inkjet / material jet printing. These processes maybe adapted to the material properties of the scaffold to ensure proper adhesion, alignment, or optical coupling. In preferred variations, the electro / optical layered subsystem is fabricated in alignment with one or more components of the optical assembly, enabling precise coupling between waveguides, lenses, detectors, and / or other optical structures.

[0225] As discussed, in some variations, the method may include physically manipulating a structure of the scaffold material for insertion of an electrical, mechanical, optical, or other type of component, material, or system inserted subsystem for interfacing with the optical assembly, which functions to enable external subsystems to be added within the containing volume of the scaffold material as shown in Fig. 12. This process may be used to accommodate adding externally inserted components. More specifically this process may include physically manipulating a structure of the scaffold material to establish at least one defined cavity in the scaffold material and inserting at least one component for interfacing with the optical assembly. Here a formed defined cavity may be characterized as a concave cavity recessed into the scaffold material.

[0226] Physically manipulating the structure may include cutting or otherwise removing material from the scaffold material to establish defined cavities and then inserting a component into the defined cavities. Physically manipulating the structure may be performed as a postprocessing step after forming the optical assembly S120, where material is machined or otherwise removed. Physically manipulating the structure may alternatively be part of providing the scaffold material S110 wherein the scaffold material may be formed with the defined cavities formed prior to forming the optical assembly.

[0227] For example, by forming a defined pocket in the scaffold material, the method may enable external components which may not be directly fabricated to be mechanically inserted and aligned. For example, these components may include for example magneto-optically active components like garnet, optical isolators, gain media (e.g., laser gain media), single-crystal semiconductor materials, light sources, photodetectors, modulators, vapor cells, non-linear media, or other functional devices / materials, which maybe physically, electrically, and / orIRRA-M03-PCT optically incorporated into the integrated optical assembly to extend its capabilities. These pockets or defined cavities can be fabricated through a variety of methods, including direct forming during the casting or creation of the scaffold, laser ablation, machining, or chemical etching.

[0228] In some variations, interfacing the optical assembly with at least one external optical system (S130) may include fabricating one or more connector features configured to facilitate mechanical and / or optical interfacing between the integrated optical assembly and an external optical system. The connector features may be lithographically defined, mechanically formed, or otherwise integrated into or onto the scaffold material. The connector features may support coupling to external devices such as optical fibers, vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), photonic chips, grating couplers, or other integrated or discrete optical elements.

[0229] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include forming one or more connector structures configured to interface a one-dimensional (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) array of optical components with a corresponding 1D or 2D array of external optical interfaces, such as fiber arrays, VCSEL arrays, waveguide arrays, or grating coupler arrays. The connector features may enable direct optical coupling between aligned arrays or may include intermediary coupling structures.

[0230] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include forming one or more mechanical alignment structures, such as grooves, slots, or pockets, to facilitate passive alignment and physical fixation of external optical or electro-optical systems. These structures may be recessed, protruded, or surface-patterned regions configured to receive a mating connector or alignment key.

[0231] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include forming one or more optical coupling primitives, such as integrated tapers or other features, which function to decrease alignment sensitivity, enable mode matching, or perform optical multiplexing or demultiplexing functions to facilitate interfacing the integrated optical assembly with one or more external systems.

[0232] In some variations, interfacing the optical assembly with at least one external optical system (S130) may include fabricating an optical bus, which functions to establish defined optical routing paths with components of the optical assembly. The optical bus may be used to facilitate communication between components within the optical assembly, or between the optical assembly and external optical or electronic systems. The optical bus may comprise one or more lithographically patterned waveguides, couplers, or transmission lines, optionally integrated with active or passive optical components.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0233] In one variation, fabricating an optical bus may include forming one or more optical bus structures configured to route optical signals between multiple chips, chiplets, or dies, including to and from integrated transceivers for signal reading, modulation, or transmission.

[0234] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include forming one or more internal optical routing paths that direct light between different locations within the optical assembly, such as between lens elements, detectors, or other optical components formed within the scaffold.

[0235] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include coupling an optical bus to one or more external or internal electronic components, such as photodiodes, modulators, detectors, or integrated circuits, or to internal or external optical elements such as waveguides, grating couplers, or optical tapers.

[0236] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include forming one or more interaction regions within the bus, where the optical signal remains in the bus while interacting with active components. These may include Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs) with a thermal, electrical, optical, or otherwise modulated signal controlled by a chip or other types of interferometers. Various other modulation mechanisms may be fabricated as an optical component, which may include modulators that leverage electro-optic modulation (e.g., modulator based on Pockels effect), photo-absorption modulation, thermo-optic modulation, acousto-optic modulation, or other types of modulation that can be used to alter an optical signal.

[0237] In one variation, fabricating such connector features may include forming one or more coupling regions between the bus and active control components, such as MEMS mirrors, phase change materials, or other electrically, optically, or thermally activated elements.

[0238] These interfacing strategies may be applied independently or in combination. For example, a scaffold may be positioned on an electro / optical platform while also supporting surface-fabricated components and housing one or more inserted subsystems. The flexibility of integration enables complex hybrid optical systems to be constructed with high spatial precision and functional versatility.

[0239] As with the variety of options for a resulting optical assembly, the different forms of external integrations with the optical assembly may be used to create a wide variety of optical systems. Some exemplary optical systems as shown in Figs. 24-28.

[0240] In some variations, the optical assembly may be configured for enabling a hyperspectral imager. In some variations, this may include interfacing the integrated optical assembly with at least one external system (S130) wherein the external system and the opticalIRRA-M03-PCT assembly yield an optical system operable as a hyperspectral imager. The resulting optical system functions to perform light mapping that enables a datacube. A hyperspectral imaging system maybe configured to capture a full optical datacube comprising spatial and spectral dimensions (X, Y, and wavelength) at each pixel. The optical assembly maybe configured to perform spectral filtering, light routing, or beam shaping to support acquisition of multi-band or continuous spectral information. In some variations, the hyperspectral imager may use computational reconstruction methods to extract three-dimensional (3D) spectral data from a single two-dimensional (2D) image or from a sequence of 2D images, with the optical assembly providing wavelength separation, spatial multiplexing, or phase-encoded encoding to support such reconstruction.

[0241] In some variations, the optical assembly may be configured for enabling an optical transceiver device. In some variations, this may include interfacing the optical assembly with an external system (S130) wherein the external system and the optical assembly yield an optical system operable as an optical transceiver device. The optical transceiver device may be attached to one or more optical fibers for optical input and output. The transceiver may include a combination of multiplexing and / or demultiplexing components, electronic signal reading components (e.g., photodetectors), and electro-optic signal modulation components (e.g., a Mach-Zehnder modulator driven by a heater on a chip). The optical assembly may be configured to route light to or from such components.

[0242] In some variations, the method may include interfacing the integrated optical assembly with a laser device. The laser device may include an on-chip laser, such as a verticalcavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) or edge-emitting laser, which outputs into the integrated optical assembly. The method may include forming optical elements within the assembly to condition, redirect, or otherwise process the laser signal. These may include integrated coupling optics, polarizers, filters, waveplates, optical modulators, or drop-in optical isolators. The laser output may be coupled to another optical subsystem, such as a photonic chip, or may be routed to an output fiber via one or more connector structures as described above.3. System

[0243] As shown in FIGURE 6 a system for integrated optical assembly device may include a scaffold material 110; and an optical assembly 100 comprising a set of optical components 120 lithographically formed within the scaffold material 110. The optical assembly 100 may comprise of a plurality of optical components 120 that are spatially arranged for optical interactions between the components.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0244] The system may additionally or alternatively include any component, variation, or structure described in the associated method disclosures or disclosure in general herein.

[0245] The scaffold material 110 functions to provides a three-dimensional structural framework in which optical components maybe lithographically fabricated in the scaffold material 110. The scaffold functions as a medium that supports optical alignment and structural stability while maintaining free-space or guided light paths through the volume of the material.

[0246] The scaffold may be formed from a nanoporous or otherwise patternable material, including photopolymers, gels, glasses, porous silicon, or composite materials, and may exhibit either homogeneous or heterogeneous optical properties. The scaffold structure maybe monolithic, continuous, and optionally exhibit spatially varying refractive index or other material properties to enable integration with diverse optical components.

[0247] The optical components 120 function as formed optical elements or functional optical systems that define the behavior of light within the optical assembly.

[0248] The set of optical components may include two, three, or more components configured to function collectively as the integrated optical assembly. Accordingly, the set of optical components 120 can include at least a first optical component and a second optical component. Two or more optical components maybe positioned in three-dimensional space within the scaffold, with relative spatial alignment enabling complex optical interactions. In some variations, two or more optical components may be directly integrated with one another forming an integrated meta or hybrid optical component. For example, a first optical component may include a GRIN grating or anti-reflective layer directly formed on the surface of the first optical element (e.g., a lens or waveguide). The optical assembly 100 may, in some variations, include a single optical component.

[0249] The optical components may include one or more optical components from the set of optical components consisting of: lenses, reflectors, waveguides, multiplexing, surface coatings, polarizers, filters, gratings, interferometers, splitters, and resonators. Other types of optical components may also be used.

[0250] An exemplary list of lens components may be or include: refractive lens, diffractive lens, GRIN lens, aspheric lens, hybrid lens, metalens, multi-layer metalens, Luneburg lens, lens stack, Fresnel lens, GRIN Fresnel lens, cylindrical lens, telecentric lens, plano-convex / concave lens, biconvex / concave lens, aplanatic lens, achromatic lens, and / or freeform lens. Other types of lens components may also be used.

[0251] An exemplary list of reflector components may be or include: prism (any angle), mirror, Bragg grating, corner cube reflector, retroreflector, total internal reflection mirror,IRRA-M03-PCT and / or curved reflectors (spherical, parabolic, aspheric, etc.). Other types of reflector components may also be used.

[0252] An exemplary list of waveguide components maybe or include: step index, GRIN, single mode, multimode, photonic crystal waveguide, strip waveguide, rib waveguide, slot waveguide, hollow-core waveguide, polarization-maintaining waveguide, planar waveguide, and / or plasmonic waveguide. Other types of waveguide components may also be used.

[0253] An exemplary list of multiplexing components may be or include: a wavelength multiplexer, spatial multiplexer, mode multiplexer, temporal multiplexers, and / or polarization multiplexer. Other types of multiplexing components may also be used.

[0254] An exemplary list of surface coating components may be or include: interferometric anti-reflective coatings, GRIN anti-reflective coatings, high-reflection coating, and / or chromatic filter coatings. Other types of surface coating components may also be used.

[0255] An exemplary list of polarizer components may be or include: quarter-wave, halfwave, other waveplates, Brewster’s angle polarizer, polarization rotator, and / or polarizing beam splitter. Other types of polarizer components may also be used.

[0256] An exemplary list of filter components may be or include: bandpass filters, longpass filters, shortpass filters, neutral density filters, interference filter, absorptive colored filter, edge filter, and / or Lyot filters. Other types of filter components may also be used.

[0257] An exemplary list of grating components may be or include: 1D grating, 2D grating, 3D grating, blazed grating, transmission grating, reflection grating, holographic grating, volume Bragg grating, Rugate grating, gradient refractive index grating, multi-level refractive index grating, echelle gratings, woodpile photonic crystals, opal photonic crystals, gyroidal photonic crystals, grisms, chirped gratings of an arbitrary (nonlinear) chirp, and / or Ronchi grating. Other types of grating components may also be used. In some variations, a grating structure may be selected from an expanded group which can include: one-dimensional (1D) gratings, two- dimensional (2D) gratings, three-dimensional (3D) gratings, ruled gratings (including classically ruled gratings, mechanically ruled gratings), holographic gratings (including sinusoidal holographic gratings, blazed holographic gratings), volume gratings (including volume Bragg gratings, volume phase holographic (VPH) gratings, chirped volume Bragg gratings), transmission gratings, reflection gratings, blazed gratings (including echelle gratings, dual-blaze gratings), chirped gratings (including linearly chirped gratings, nonlinearly chirped gratings), apodized gratings, phase-shifted gratings, fiber Bragg gratings (including uniform FBGs, chirped FBGs, tilted FBGs, long-period fiber gratings, phase-shifted FBGs), rugate gratings, gradient refractive index gratings, multi-level refractive index gratings, grisms, Ronchi gratings,IRRA-M03-PCT concave gratings (including Rowland-type gratings, aberration-corrected flat-field gratings, constant deviation monochromator gratings), slanted gratings, binary gratings, echelle gratings, woodpile photonic crystals, opal photonic crystals, gyroidal photonic crystals, and photonic crystal slabs.

[0258] An exemplary list of interferometer components may be or include: a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, Michelson-Morley interferometer, Sagnac interferometer, Fizeau interferometer, Fabiy-Perot interferometer, and / or a common-path interferometer. Other types of interferometer components may also be used.

[0259] An exemplary list of splitter components may be or include: polarizing beam splitter, non-polarizing beam splitter, beam splitter of different reflectivity and transmissivity, dichroic mirror, waveguide splitter, and / or Y and X splitters / combiners. Other types of splitter components may also be used.

[0260] An exemplary list of resonator components may be or include: ring resonator, etalon, Fabry-Perot, Bragg reflector, photonic crystal defect, dish resonator, spherical resonator, whispering gallery mode resonator, confocal, stable and unstable resonators, and / or hemispherical resonator. Other types of resonator components may also be used.

[0261] An exemplary list of other types of components with various functionality may be or include: phase plate, grism (prism + grating), transformation optics, inverse designed optics, optical isolator, optical circulator, light pipe, photonic jet generator, Mie scatterer, collimator, diffuser, hologram, volume phase hologram, moire (focal length tunable) lens, axil ens / axi con, microlens arrays, and / or deep diffractive neural network subsystem. Other types of optical components may also be used.

[0262] The system may additionally include or interface with other components. In particular, the system may include components to facilitate interfacing an external optical system with the optical assembly 100.

[0263] In one variation, the system may include an electro / optical subsystem platform 130, which functions as a base structure onto which the scaffold material 110 may be mounted or aligned. The platform 130 may include active or passive optoelectronic devices, such as photonic integrated circuits, detectors, modulators, or emitters.

[0264] In another variation, the system may include an electro / optical layered subsystem 140, which is fabricated onto the surface of the scaffold material. The layered subsystem may include deposited, printed, or patterned components that couple optically or electronically with the embedded optical components.IRRA-M03-PCT

[0265] In another variation, the system may include drop-in components directly integrated within the scaffold material 110 for interfacing with the optical assembly too. Accordingly, the system may include a defined component cavity 152 recessed into the scaffold material no and a component 154 inserted into the defined cavity. The inserted component may include electrical, optical, magnetic, thermal, or hybrid functionality, and is positioned to align and interface with one or more optical components in the scaffold.

[0266] In some variations, the system may include one or more connector structures configured to interface the optical assembly with external devices, such as fiber arrays, chipl ets, or optoelectronic modules.

[0267] In some variations, the system may include one or more optical buses for internal signal routing between embedded components or for signal routing to / from external systems.

[0268] In some variations, the system may include or interface with a hyperspectral imager coupled to the optical assembly to acquire spatially-resolved spectral data.

[0269] In some variations, the system may include or interface with an optical transceiver device, optionally including multiplexers, detectors, and modulators interfaced with the optical assembly.

[0270] In some variations, the system may include or interface with a laser device, such as an edge-emitting or surface-emitting source, optically coupled into the assembly via integrated optics or connectors.

[0271] As used herein, first, second, third, etc. are used to characterize and distinguish various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections. These elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. Use of numerical terms maybe used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer and / or section from another element, component, region, layer and / or section. Use of such numerical terms does not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Such numerical references may be used interchangeably without departing from the teaching of the embodiments and variations herein.

[0272] As a person skilled in the art will recognize from the previous detailed description and from the figures and claims, modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the invention without departing from the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

IRRA-M03-PCTCLAIMSWe Claim:

1. A method for producing an integrated optical assembly, comprising: providing a functionalized scaffold material; and forming an optical assembly comprising at least two optical components within the scaffold material, the forming comprising: lithographically patterning a first optical component within the scaffold material; and lithographically patterning a second optical component within the scaffold material aligned with the first optical component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scaffold material is a 3D nanoporous material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein lithographic patterning the first optical component and the second optical component comprises performing two-photon lithography.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising interfacing the optical assembly with at least one external optical system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the scaffold material comprises interfacing the scaffold material with an external platform at a surface of the scaffold material.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising fabricating a subsystem onto a surface of the scaffold material and aligned with the optical assembly.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein layering the optical system comprises performing one or more surface-based fabrication techniques selected from the group consisting of spin coating, vapor deposition, solution deposition, thin-film deposition, photolithography, etching, doping, hybrid bonding, lift-off processing, polishing, and inkjet printing.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a defined cavity in the scaffold material and inserting at least one component into the cavity, wherein the at least one component interfaces with the optical assembly.IRRA-M03-PCT9. The method of claim 4, further comprising fabricating one or more connector features configured to facilitate mechanical or optical interfacing between the optical assembly and the external optical system.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising fabricating an optical bus configured to route optical signals between one or more components of the optical assembly or between the optical assembly and the external system.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein interfacing the optical assembly with an external optical system yields an optical system operable as a hyperspectral imager.

12. The method of claim 4, wherein interfacing the optical assembly with an external optical system yields an optical system operable as an optical transceiver device.

13. The method of claim 4, wherein interfacing the optical assembly with an external optical system comprises interfacing the optical assembly with a laser device.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising lithographically patterning an antireflection or enhanced reflection layer on at least a portion of the first optical component or the second optical component.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second optical components are selected from a set of optical components that includes lenses, reflectors, waveguides, multiplexers, surface coatings, polarizers, filters, gratings, interferometers, splitters, resonators / cavities, and specialty optical components.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a lens structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the lens structure is selected from the group consisting of refractive lenses, diffractive lenses, gradient index (GRIN) lenses, aspheric lenses, hybrid refractive-diffractive lenses, metalenses, multi-layer metalenses, Luneburg lenses, Eaton lenses, lens stacks, Fresnel lenses, Fresnel zone plates, GRIN Fresnel lenses, cylindrical lenses, telecentric lenses, plano-convex lenses, plano-concave lenses, axicons, biconvex lenses, biconcave lenses, aplanatic lenses, achromatic lenses, athermal lenses, and a freeform lens.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a reflector structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.IRRA-M03-PCT19. The method of claim 18, wherein the reflector structure is selected from the group consisting of prisms, mirrors, Bragg gratings, blazed grating, corner cube reflectors, retroreflectors, GRIN reflectors, Eaton lenses, total internal reflection mirrors, freeform surface reflectors, and curved reflectors.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a waveguide structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the waveguide structure is selected from the group consisting of step-index waveguides, gradient index (GRIN) waveguides, singlemode waveguides, multimode waveguides, photonic crystal waveguides, strip waveguides, rib waveguides, slot waveguides, hollow-core waveguides, polarizationmaintaining waveguides, planar waveguides, and plasmonic waveguides.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a multiplexing or de-multiplexing structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the multiplexing structure is selected from the group consisting of wavelength multiplexers, spatial multiplexers, mode multiplexers, temporal multiplexers, and polarization multiplexers.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a surface coating structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the surface coating structure is selected from the group consisting of interferometric anti-reflective coatings, gradient index (GRIN) anti-reflective coatings, high-reflection coatings, and chromatic filter coatings.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a polarizer structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the polarizer structure is selected from the group consisting of quarter-wave plates, half-wave plates, other waveplates, Brewster’s angle polarizers, polarization rotator, and polarizing beam splitters.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a filter structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the filter structure is selected from the group consisting of bandpass filters, multi -bandpass filters, band-stop filters, notch filter,IRRA-M03-PCT longpass filters, shortpass filters, neutral density filters, interference filters, absorptive colored filters, edge filters, and Lyot filters.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a type of grating or photonic crystal structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the grating structure is selected from the group consisting of one-dimensional (1D) gratings, two-dimensional (2D) gratings, three- dimensional (3D) gratings, blazed gratings, transmission gratings, reflection gratings, holographic gratings, volume Bragg gratings, Rugate grating, gradient refractive index grating, multi-level refractive index grating, echelle gratings, woodpile photonic crystals, opal photonic crystals ,gyroidal photonic crystals, grisms, chirped gratings of an arbitrary (nonlinear) chirp, and Ronchi gratings.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is an interferometer structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the interferometer structure is selected from the group consisting of Mach-Zehnder interferometers, Michelson-Morley interferometers, Sagnac interferometers, Fizeau interferometers, Fabry-Perot interferometers, and common-path interferometers.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a splitter structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the splitter structure is selected from the group consisting of polarizing beam splitters, non-polarizing beam splitters, beam splitter of different reflectivity and transmissivity, dichroic mirrors, waveguide splitters, and Y- or X-shaped optical splitters / combiners.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optical components is a resonator / cavity structure lithographically patterned within the scaffold material.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the resonator / cavity structure is selected from the group consisting of ring resonators, etalons, Fabry-Perot resonators, Bragg reflectors, photonic crystal defect resonators, dish resonators, spherical resonators, whispering gallery mode resonators, confocal resonators, stable resonators, unstable resonators, and hemispherical resonators.IRRA-M03-PCT38. The method of claim i, wherein at least one of the optical components maybe a component selected from the group consisting of: a phase plate, grism, transformation optics structure, inverse-designed optical component, optical isolator, optical circulator, light pipe, photonic jet generator, Mie scatterer, collimator, diffuser, hologram, volume phase hologram, moire lens, axilenses or axicon, microlens array, and deep diffractive neural network.

39. A system comprising: a scaffold material; and an optical assembly comprising at least a first optical component and a second optical component positioned within the scaffold material, wherein the first optical component is aligned with the second optical component within the scaffold material.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the scaffold material comprises a three-dimensional nanoporous material.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein at least one of the first optical component or the second optical component includes a gradient index (GRIN) anti-reflection layer.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the optical assembly includes at least one component selected from the group consisting of lenses, reflectors, waveguides, multiplexers, surface coatings, polarizers, filters, gratings, interferometers, splitters, resonators, and specialty optical components.

43. The system of claim 39, further comprising an electro / optical subsystem platform interfaced with the scaffold material.

44. The system of claim 39, further comprising an electro / optical layered subsystem fabricated onto a surface of the scaffold material.

45. The system of claim 39, further comprising a component inserted into a defined cavity recessed into the scaffold material, wherein the component is aligned with at least one of the optical components of the optical assembly.

46. The system of claim 39, further comprising one or more connector features configured to facilitate mechanical or optical interfacing between the optical assembly and an external system.IRRA-M03-PCT47. The system of claim 39, further comprising an optical bus configured to route optical signals between components of the optical assembly or between the optical assembly and an external system.

48. The system of claim 39, further comprising a hyperspectral imager optically coupled to the optical assembly.

49. The system of claim 39, wherein the optical assembly is integrated into an optical system functional as an optical transceiver device.

50. The system of claim 39, wherein the optical assembly is integrated into an optical system functional as a laser device.

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