EV Group, Inkron Partner on Diffractive Optical Element Structures

Austria-based EV Group (EVG), a company specializing in equipment and processes in the manufacturing of MEMS, nanotech and semiconductors; and Finnish company Inkron, manufacturer of high and low refractive (RI) coating materials, are partnering for the development and production of diffractive optical element (DOE) structures.

DOE structures — which shape and split laser beams — have various applications in a number of fields and devices including augmented/virtual/mixed reality, automotive, and consumer electronics.

“Demand for wafer-based optical components and sensors across commercial and consumer markets is accelerating at a breakneck pace, driving the need for materials and processes that are optimized to meet the performance requirements and production volumes required in these markets,” stated Markus Wimplinger, corporate technology development and IP director at EV Group. “Inkron has extensive know-how in optical materials, and is one of the leading manufacturers of high and low RI coatings, making the company an ideal partner to work with at our NILPhotonics Competence Center. Collaborations such as this one enable EVG to further explore and expand the applications and capabilities of our NIL technology, ensuring the availability of production-ready solutions for next-generation optical devices and end products.”

Some major uses of this technology can be found spread throughout the tech industry, many in areas that are vital to the continued development of consumer and enterprise devices like smartphones, wearables, sensors and cameras.

3D sensors, biometric authentication, facial recognition, iris scanning, optical fingerprint sensors and infrared imaging are all technologies that rely on DOEs and optical sensing devices in general.

The automotive industry is also increasingly relying on DOEs for its LiDAR systems, heads-up displays, smart lighting and in-car sensing.

Perhaps most critically, the health industry uses the same tech for medical imaging with endoscopic cameras, ophthalmic applications, and surgical robotics.

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January 23, 2020 – by Tony Bitzionis