Electrohydrodynamic jet printing of micro-optical devices

The Electrohydrodynamic-jet (E-jet) printing process combines high resolution printing with a large variety of printing materials, making E-jet suitable for applications ranging from flexible electronics to high resolution biosensors. In this article, we explore a novel E-jet printing application fabricating high-resolution micro-optical devices. Examples given are a microlens array, an optical waveguide multiplexer, and a multi-refractive index diffraction grating. Additionally, this work presents the potential use of a multi nozzle printhead to perform low cost and flexible heterogeneous integration of multiple materials with different optical properties.