3D Nano-Printing in Integrated Optics: From Laboratory Experiments to Industrial Production

Multi-photon lithography has become a powerful tool for additive 3D fabrication on the micro- and nano-scale. This talk will give an overview on our progress in leveraging lithographic 3D nano-printing as a tool for integrated optics. We exploit the technique for fabrication of 3D freeform single-mode waveguides, so-called photonic wire bonds, that can efficiently connect optical chips within a chip-scale package, without the need for high-precision active alignment steps. Photonic wire bonding builds the base of highly flexible photonic multi-chip modules that combine different optical integration platforms in a hybrid approach. 3D nano-printing also allows fabrication of freeform micro-optical elements with highest precision directly on the facets of integrated optical devices. Such facet-attached elements allow for beam-shaping, low-loss coupling with high alignment tolerance, or wafer-level probing of optical devices. While the viability of these concepts has been demonstrated in laboratory experiments in a first step, they are now made available to industrial applications through dedicated production tools along with robust and scalable fabrication processes.