Assess. Design. Enable.
DFX Evaluation & Engineering
Design · Coating · Lithography · Etching · Nanoimprint · Testing
How We Approach
Capability
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.
Capability
Coating – Thin Film Coatings
We specify, design, and qualify 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.
Capability
Lithography — Patterning Services
We engineer 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
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 support wafer-scale patterning up to 12 inches, with alignment accuracy and feature size controlled to your specification.
We pattern for yield — not just resolution.
Capability
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.
Capability
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 enable nano-structure replication at scale — from master design to thousands of replicas.
Capability
Testing & Analysis — Metrology, Inspection & Quality Validation
We validate 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
| 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 — 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 — 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 REL-Validation |
Have a Specific Process Challenge?
From design to high-volume manufacturing — ask us about feasibility.