In Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality News
September 18, 2020 – Inkron, a Nagase Group Company and provider of siloxane-based, optically clear Nano-Imprint Lithography (NIL) materials, has recently announced that it has made a strategic investment in NIL materials and components development infrastructure.
The company stated that the investment will help to significantly accelerate Inkron’s development of high-performance optical materials needed in critical components of augmented reality (AR) glasses, 3D sensors and other diffractive optical elements (DOE). Inkron added that as a result of the investment, it will also be able to provide component prototyping and small series manufacturing services for its customers.
The cornerstone of the investment is the purchase and installation of an EVG 7200 automated UV NIL system from EV Group (EVG), which enables mass manufacturing of micro and nanoscale structures. According to Inkron, the EVG 7200 system with SmartNIL technology is ideally suited for volume production of next-generation photonic devices including waveguides and DOEs, for applications such as AR and virtual reality (VR).
“Through our NILPhotonics Competence Center, EV Group partners with companies like Inkron from across the photonics supply chain to leverage our NIL technology and expertise to accelerate the development of new devices and applications,” stated Markus Wimplinger, Corporate Technology Development & IP Director at EV Group. “Working with Inkron gives us the opportunity to support their efforts in developing advanced optical resists that are critical to manufacturing next-generation optical devices.”
In addition to the NIL equipment, Inkron has made and continues to make significant investments in optical structures manufacturing and testing equipment, including device performance and reliability testing. The company stated that a dedicated team has been established to support the Inkron NIL ecosystem with material scientists, lithography process engineers and photonics experts, headed by VP, Dr. Janne Kylmä.
Commenting on the company’s investment, Inkron VP of Operations, Jukka Perento, who also directs the commercial side of the NIL activities, said: “We are excited to accelerate the development of our new, optimized and innovative optical resin technologies. The new EVG 7200 system plays a vital role in this strategic move. These new capabilities will help us to address the critical performance roadmaps of our customers and will help them to succeed”. Perento added, “Our nano-imprintable high refractive index materials and matching gap filling coatings, combined with EVG’s NIL system, provide the critical wafer-level solutions that optics manufacturers need in order to quickly scale up the production of their latest developments.”
Inkron offers NIL processable materials and optical coatings in a broad index of refraction (RI) that cover RI range between 1.1 and 2.0 in VIS/NIR range. For full specifications on the EVG 7200 system, click here. For more information on Inkron, please visit the company’s website.
Image credit: Industrial News Service
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.