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Materials Science in Additive Manufacturing Additive manufacturing of active optics

A B

Figure 8. Semiconductor materials for 3D printing of active optics. (A) Fabricating micro/nanostructures of oxide semiconductors with laser direct writing.
Adapted with permission from Long et al. (Copyright © 2023, American Chemical Society). (B) Printing of semiconductor QDs‑based structures by
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photoexcitation-induced chemical bonding. Adapted with permission from Liu et al. (Copyright © 2022, The American Association for the Advancement
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of Science).
Abbreviation: QDs: Quantum dots
systems that integrate active materials into a variety control and minimize aberrations. Fresnel lenses, which
of optical components. These systems can be used in are thinner and lighter than traditional lenses, can also
lenses, optoelectronic devices, integrated photonics, be produced using additive manufacturing, providing a
and metasurfaces, allowing for precise control of light more efficient solution for applications that require large
propagation, emission, and directionality. This section apertures or compact optical systems. 67
outlines key components that have been fabricated using Diffractive optical elements (DOEs), which manipulate
additive manufacturing techniques and highlights their light through intricate surface patterns, can be precisely
potential applications in advanced optical technologies. manufactured using additive techniques. These DOEs
4.1. Refractive and diffractive optics for light are particularly useful in beam shaping, holography,
directional manipulation and wavelength separation applications. The precision
of 3D printing allows for the creation of multilayered,
Additively manufactured lenses are transforming high‑resolution DOEs that can manipulate light at very
refractive and diffractive optics by allowing for the creation fine scales, making them indispensable in fields such as
of highly customized and complex geometries, which optical communications, medical imaging, and virtual
were previously difficult to fabricate using traditional reality. The combination of this advanced refractive and
manufacturing techniques. Refractive optics manipulate diffractive optics, made possible by 3D printing, represents
light by bending it through bulk material, whereas a significant leap forward in the design and functionality of
diffractive optics alter the light’s path through phase shifts modern optical systems. Figure 10 shows the printed active
caused by microstructures on the surface of the lens. By refractive and diffractive optics.
combining these two approaches in 3D printing, it is
possible to achieve new functionalities in optical systems, 4.2. Optoelectronics: Integration and
such as enhanced focusing, beam shaping, and spectral multifunctionality for next-generation devices
filtering. 66 Additive manufacturing has brought significant
3D printing enables the fabrication of complex advancements to the field of optoelectronics by facilitating
refractive lenses with precise geometries, making them the integration of complex optical and electronic
ideal for focusing light in advanced imaging systems. For functionalities onto a single platform. Traditional
example, hybrid lenses that incorporate both refractive manufacturing processes for optoelectronic devices, such
and diffractive elements can be designed to optimize light as LEDs and photodetectors, often face limitations in

Volume 3 Issue 4 (2024) 10 doi: 10.36922/msam.5748