Assess. Design. Enable.
DFX Evaluation & Engineering
Design · Coating · Lithography · Etching · Nanoimprint · Testing
How We Approach
You define the performance target. We engineer the manufacturing path — selecting the right technical approaches from our six engineering collaboration modules and leveraging a network of vetted equipment partners and manufacturing platforms to build the most suitable implementation route for your specification.
The six capabilities below are building blocks, not a fixed menu. We combine them according to your exact specification, timeline, and production volume, working through qualified partners and manufacturing platforms while maintaining engineering oversight throughout the development process.
Our Expertise
Design — Optical Design & Engineering
We provide optical design and engineering services for diffractive and refractive micro-nano optics — or we take your existing design and adapt it for manufacturability.
Design Engineering:
- DOE, beam shaper, MLA, diffuser, and grating design — with grating period, depth, and duty cycle optimized for target wavelength and diffraction order
- Metalens design — sub-wavelength phase profile engineering for focusing, imaging, and beam steering
Manufacturing-Ready Design:
Every design we specify or review is assessed against lithography, etching, or nanoimprint constraints — ensuring it can be fabricated reliably, not just simulated successfully.
We design for the process — not just for performance.
Our Expertise
Coating – Thin Film Coatings
We specify, design, and validate thin-film coatings across the full spectrum — from DUV to LWIR — for demanding optical and photonic applications. Our approach starts with your performance requirements and ends with a deposition process matched to your substrate, environment, and volume needs.
Coating Engineering:
- E-beam Evaporation — versatile, fast-turnaround, cost-effective for many applications
- Ion-Assisted Deposition (IAD) — high-density, low-stress coatings for precision optics
- Magnetron Sputtering — dense, pinhole-free films with excellent uniformity
- Ion-Beam Sputtering (IBS) — ultra-low-loss, high-precision coatings for demanding specifications
- Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) — sub-nm thickness control for ultra-thin films
- Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) — conformal films for complex geometries
Manufacturing-Ready Deposition:
Every coating route is evaluated against substrate material, thermal budget, adhesion, stress, and environmental requirements — ensuring performance is achieved reliably, not just on the witness sample.
We design for the chamber — not just for the spec sheet.
Our Expertise
Lithography — Patterning Services
We define and coordinate precision litho patterning for optical and photonic structures — from high-volume production to rapid prototyping.
Litho Engineering:
- High-volume photolithography — aligner, stepper, and scanner-based exposure for feature sizes from micron to sub-micron
- Maskless patterning — laser direct write, P2P, dual diffraction, and Talbot lithography for flexible, fast-turnaround prototyping and small-batch
- Electron-beam lithography — sub-20nm resolution for master tooling and nano-scale structures
- Lift-off process — sacrificial resist removal after deposition, leaving patterned metal or dielectric structures
- Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) — replication for high-volume manufacturing
- Mask layout & sourcing support — we review your mask design, align specifications, and coordinate fabrication through our photomask partner network.
Manufacturing-Ready Patterning:
Every process choice — mask-based or mask-less, direct-write or replication — is selected based on your feature size, volume, and timeline. We coordinate wafer-scale patterning on formats, with alignment accuracy and feature size controlled to your specification.
We design for yield — not just resolution.
Our Expertise
Etch — Dry Etching & Micro-Structuring
We engineer high-precision dry and wet etching for optical, MEMS, and photonic structures — defining the right process chemistry and tool configuration for your material and feature requirements.
Dry Etching Engineering:
- ICP-RIE — high-density plasma for high-aspect-ratio structures, deep silicon etching (Bosch process), and III-V materials
- CCP-RIE — dielectric and semiconductor etching with good uniformity and moderate ion energy
- RIE — standard dielectric and semiconductor etching for less demanding feature sizes
- IBE — pure physical sputtering for materials that are difficult to etch chemically, including TFLN/TFLT and noble metals
Wet Etching:
Chemical-based removal with high selectivity, smooth surfaces, and batch processing capability. Anisotropic profiles can be achieved on specific crystal orientations, while isotropic etching is typical for amorphous materials.
Typical applications:
- Deep silicon etching (DRIE) for MEMS and TSV
- TGV (Through-Glass Via), quartz, fused silica, sapphire, and SiC processing
- Damage-layer removal, substrate thinning, and surface preparation
Process Parameters:
Aspect ratio · Sidewall angle · Depth control · Roughness
From large-area gratings to high-aspect-ratio vias — we match the right etch process to your design.
Our Expertise
Nanoimprint Lithography — Master, Replication & Materials
Nanoimprint lithography (NIL) enables cost-effective, high-volume replication of nano-structured optical components. We support multiple process variants — plate-to-plate, roll-to-plate, and roll-to-roll — across UV and thermal NIL platforms. The imprinted structures can serve as final functional surfaces or as etch masks replacing conventional lithography.
NIL Engineering:
- Master fabrication — UV-NIL and thermal NIL masters on quartz or silicon
- Feature size < 20nm · Sub-wavelength structures · Large-area uniformity
- UV-NIL: low-temperature, high-throughput, compatible with polymers and sol-gel
- Thermal NIL: high-temperature, high-fidelity, glass-like polymers
- Replication — wafer-scale with high pattern fidelity
Critical factors: master quality, template materials, and product-grade polymers.
We support nano-structure replication at scale — from master design to thousands of replicas.
Our Expertise
Testing & Analysis — Metrology, Inspection & Quality Validation
We coordinate every component against your performance specifications. Our testing framework covers dimensional, optical, surface, and environmental reliability requirements through a coordinated set of metrology tools.
Testing Engineering:
- Interferometry — surface figure, flatness, wavefront error (λ/10 or better)
- AFM — surface roughness, feature profile, 3D topography
- SEM / CD-SEM — feature inspection, critical dimension metrology
- FIB — focused ion beam milling, site-specific analysis
- UV-VIS-NIR spectrometry — transmission, reflection, loss
- Optical performance — efficiency, uniformity, extinction ratio, LIDT
- Environmental testing — thermal cycling, humidity, mechanical shock (Telcordia-grade)
We know what matters — and we validate data against your specification.
Summary
Tech Engineering Summary
Our capabilities are enabled through a qualified partner network and engineering collaboration model, allowing us to access advanced manufacturing technologies while maintaining flexibility across different applications and production requirements.
| Engineering | What We Enable | Key Metrics |
|---|---|---|
Design | DOE, beam shapers, MLAs, gratings, metalens — with DFM feedback | Custom phase profile · Manufacturing-oriented |
Coating | AR/HR, optical filters, PBS, DWDM, GFF — from DUV to LWIR | Low R · High R · Broad wavelength coverage |
Lithography | UV, laser direct write, e-beam, NIL — prototyping to volume | Fine features · Wafer-scale formats |
Etch | ICP-RIE, RIE, deep silicon, TGV — high-aspect-ratio structures | High aspect ratio · Tight depth control |
NIL | Master fabrication & replication （AR SRG ) — UV and thermal NIL | Sub-20nm features · High fidelity · Large-area wafers |
Testing | Interferometry, spectrometry, AFM — optical and surface metrology | High precision · Broad spectral range · Environmental Reliability Validation |
Have a Specific Process Challenge?
From design to production — ask us about feasibility.