Solnil develops advanced optical materials and nanoimprint lithography processes for fabricating high-performance optical coatings and metasurfaces. Their proprietary resin formulations enable tunable refractive indices from 1.12 to 2.6 with ultra-low optical loss, facilitating the creation of next-generation optical components for AR and photonics.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Developing advanced optical components requires materials with precisely controlled refractive indices and minimal optical loss, which are often difficult to achieve with conventional fabrication methods. This limitation hinders the performance and miniaturization of devices in fields like augmented reality and advanced photonics.
Solution
Solnil provides a suite of proprietary resin formulations and a patented nanoimprint lithography (NIL) process for fabricating optical coatings and metasurfaces. Our materials enable refractive indices ranging from 1.12 to 2.6, with optical losses below 0.1% for high-index materials and below 0.05% for low-index materials. The NIL process allows for precise control over material composition, morphology, and custom dimensions, facilitating the creation of high-performance optical elements. These solutions are designed for compatibility with liquid deposition and imprinting techniques, offering a versatile platform for next-generation optical devices.
Target Audience
Solnil targets manufacturers and researchers in the photonics and micro-optics industries, including those developing augmented reality displays, metalenses, and high-power laser optics.
Features
- Resin formulations offering tunable refractive indices from 1.12 to 2.6 in the visible spectrum.
- High-index materials (n=2 to 2.6) composed of sub-10nm inorganic crystalline building blocks, achieving optical loss < 0.1%.
- Low-index materials (n=1.12 to 1.4) based on self-organized porous inorganic networks, achieving optical loss < 0.05%.
- Intermediate-index materials (n=1.4 to 2) created by blending low and high-index formulations.
- Patented nanoimprint lithography process for direct fabrication of optical-grade metal oxide metasurfaces.
- Capability to produce large surfaces with controlled metal oxide compositions, multiple morphologies, and custom dimensions.
- Materials compatible with spin or dip deposition methods for coating applications.
- High-index materials (e.g., TiO2) offer refractive index up to 2.60 @520nm with haze < 0.2% and absorption < 0.1%.
- Low-index materials (e.g., SiO2) offer refractive index down to 1.120 @520nm with haze < 0.05% and absorption < 0.05%.
- Demonstrated thermal and environmental resistance for low-index materials, including thermal shock, humidity, and UV stability.