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Published
, Published online: 18 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.095
Carbon materials have significant scientific and application potential in the terahertz field. Metasurfaces are considered the core components of next-generation of terahertz photonic systems. The introduction of advanced carbon-based fabrication techniques operating with high efficiency and low complexity is essential for the development of terahertz metasurface photonic devices. In this study, we demonstrate a carbon-based manufacturing approach. This relies on a dual-mode additive manufacturing technique and can be used to directly print subwavelength resonant structures on flexible substrates. We demonstrate the preparation method and properties of different carbon nanocomposite inks. In addition, we present printing parameter configurations and printing results. To demonstrate their effectiveness, two carbon-based metasurface terahertz absorbers and a terahertz filter are designed and fabricated. The resonant structures are printed directly onto different flexible substrates using different printing modes. A fibre-based terahertz spectroscopy system is built to test the samples. The test results meet the expectations and are consistent with the simulations. By enabling the low complexity of carbon-based additive manufacturing and offering flexibility in flexible substrate choice and resonant-pattern design, the approach could facilitate terahertz metasurface technologies for real-world applications.
Published
, Published online: 18 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.107
Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are expected to overcome the intrinsic bottleneck faced by conventional electronic circuits, enabling substantial improvements in bandwidth capacity and data processing speed. Nevertheless, the on-chip integration of lasers remains a critical challenge hindering the development of PICs. Furthermore, conventional photonic devices exhibit large feature sizes and inter-component separation distances on the order of tens of micrometres, resulting in a low integration density. In this study, an ultracompact integrated photonic logic chip is proposed for all-optical information processing. The integrated architecture comprises a III-V micro-laser, four hybrid Bi2Te3-Si micro-ring resonators, and inverse-designed structures. The nonlinear material Bi2Te3 coated on the Si micro-ring resonators achieved optical tunability. The components are interconnected via waveguides and inverse-designed structures with a compact intercomponent distance of merely 1.5 μm. Pump–probe measurements reveal hundreds of femtoseconds of transient responses in the hybrid Bi2Te3-Si resonant elements, whereas the integrated chip experimentally demonstrates two-bit optical logic operations enabled by the hybrid resonators and integrated micro-laser. This study presents a novel technical solution for the implementation of fully on-chip integrated photonic circuits and establishes a new research paradigm for the development of ultrahigh-integration-density photonic chips.
Published
, Published online: 18 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.120
Efficient light harvesting from front and rear sides is essential for improving solar energy utilisation in applications such as photovoltaics and seawater desalination. This requires absorbers that exhibit strong double-sided absorption in the ultraviolet to near-infrared range, mechanical flexibility for transfer onto diverse substrates, reliable performance stability, and manufacturing scalability for practical deployment. However, these capabilities are difficult to achieve simultaneously using conventional thin-film or metamaterial absorbers. In this study, we developed a double-sided bioinspired metamaterial absorber (DS-BMA) composed of a single layer of chromium (Cr) nano-units, whose front and back surfaces mimic the morphologies of moth eyes and marine diatoms, respectively. The gradient geometric configuration of the DS-BMA significantly broadened the bandwidths of plasmonic resonances, thereby enabling near-perfect absorption over the entire solar spectrum. Using a scalable self-assembly-based process, we experimentally showed a flexible, transferable DS-BMA with a thickness of 500 nm. It achieved average absorptances of 93% and 96% on the front and back sides, respectively, over a wavelength range of 220–2,500 nm. The DS-BMA exhibited polarisation-independent omnidirectional absorption as well as excellent thermal stability, corrosion resistance, and mechanical robustness. Therefore, the DS-BMA provides a promising route toward high-efficiency, low-cost, and integrable photothermal/photovoltaic energy conversion devices.
Published
, Published online: 16 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.128
Additive manufacturing using 2-Photon Polymerization (2PP, aka direct laser writing DLW) enables the fabrication of almost arbitrary complex 3D structures from the meso to the sub-micron scale. However, deviations between the anticipated target structure and the actual print often occur due to physico-chemical processes, limiting the accuracy and reliability of this technology. To minimize these deviations, we hereby present our latest research in developing different neural networks, targeting the above-mentioned aspect. Our networks are trained on several experimental as well as theoretical datasets and show good results in predicting fabrication deviations and (pre-) correcting 2.5D μ-structures. Hence, we demonstrate, that besides conventional iterative correction methods, neural networks are a promising alternative to significantly improving the output quality in DLW. First directly pre-corrected structures show a reduction of the root mean square error up to 93% in the best case scenario. Furthermore, there are no fundamental limitations to transferring this machine learning approach to other 3D printing technologies, as they all face the same challenge in terms of fidelity. To our point of view, the use of neural networks has the potential to enhance the capabilities of this technology, enabling the creation of complex structures with increased accuracy and precision in the near future.
Published
, Published online: 09 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.112
Table-top extreme ultraviolet (EUV) reflection ptychography has gained increasing interest in semiconductor metrology due to its nanometer-scale resolution, nondestructive character, and laboratory-scale cost-effectiveness. However, its widespread adoption remains constrained by alignment challenges inherent to grazing-reflection geometry, which have prevented reflective configurations from achieving image quality comparable to those of transmission-mode systems. In this study, we introduce a table-top EUV grazing-reflection ptychography system that enables full-pose self-calibration through holistic system modeling and highly efficient optimization. The developed system is validated using a customized wafer sample and real chip sample. Experimental results indicate that the system successfully corrects image distortions, improves resolution, and enhances surface metrology quality. Furthermore, we discuss algorithmic and physical issues including the feature-domain phase-retrieval for ptychography and coupling effect among pose parameters. The proposed approach not only accelerates the transition of EUV reflection ptychography toward real-world use but also opens avenues for methodological advances to a wider range of imaging applications.
Published
, Published online: 08 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.090
Phase-shifting interferometry underpins surface topography metrology in precision fields such as semiconductor manufacturing and optical engineering. However, its reliance on stringent vibration isolation and precise phase-shifting control restricts its applicability in many scenarios, particularly in the characterisation of large-aperture optical components. To address these limitations, we present disturbance-introduced interferometry, which harnesses ambient random mechanical disturbances as phase-shifting sources. We also develop a large-disturbance-adaptive natural phase decoding algorithm to reconstruct the surface topography from the resulting interferograms. This framework reduces reliance on stringent vibration isolation and precise phase-shifting control, making it particularly suitable for large-aperture surface metrology and measurements in vibration-prone manufacturing environments. Experimental results demonstrated that even in uncontrolled and vibration-prone environments, the method achieves a root-mean-square wavefront repeatability below 0.0018\begin{document}$ \lambda $\end{document} \begin{document}$ \lambda $\end{document} \begin{document}$ \lambda $\end{document} \begin{document}$ \lambda $\end{document} \begin{document}$ \lambda $\end{document}
Published
, Published online: 07 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.105
An achromatic metalens (480–640 nm) was designed via integrating propagation and geometric phase principles and fabricated using one-step nanoimprint lithography (NIL). A novel nanoimprint photoresist was used, which not only has a high refractive index (1.92–1.97) and high transmittance (>99%) but also exhibits low shrinkage (≤5.19%). This low shrinkage results in small dimensional deviations of the meta-atoms relative to the NIL master. The working stamp was fabricated in 10 min using an ultraviolet-curable material. This process is much faster than polydimethylsiloxane-based alternatives, which require several hours of thermal curing. Owing to its high fabrication accuracy, the metalens exhibited excellent focusing and achromatic performance, with a wavelength-dependent focal-length deviation of <2%. This study has provided a potential route for the high-precision, high-efficiency, and large-scale production of achromatic metalenses and other nano/micro-optical devices.
Published
, Published online: 01 September 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.013
The rapid evolution of high-end technologies demands optical manufacturing with low cost, high efficiency, and superior performance. Existing sub-aperture polishing paradigms rely on a stable tool influence function (TIF) and control material removal by convolving dwell time along the path. However, regulating only dwell time creates an inherent trade-off between removal efficiency and fabrication accuracy, introducing mid-spatial-frequency errors. This paper proposes an innovative manufacturing paradigm based on the immersion depth and scanning speed dynamic co-variation (IDSS-DC) model, establishing an adjustable mechanism for the TIF. A novel dual-degree-of-freedom coordinated control paradigm is developed to simultaneously achieve high efficiency and superior fabrication quality. The influence of immersion depth on removal efficiency is derived, facilitating spatiotemporal control of the TIF in efficiency and profile, allowing optimization of multi-spatial-frequency errors within a single pass. Additionally, a dwell time solution method using constant-variable speed dual-mode (CVSDM) driven by actively controllable spatiotemporally variable TIF (ACSV TIF) accelerates error convergence. Magnetorheological finishing experiments and simulations show that the IDSS-DC model surpasses the traditional paradigm improving accuracy by nearly 10% and reducing processing time by more than 30%. The results demonstrate efficient and stable convergence of multi-spatial-frequency errors, providing an innovative manufacturing paradigm for nanometer-level precision and high-efficiency optical fabrication.
Published
, Published online: 21 April 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.039
3D printed contact lenses have emerged as promising candidates for advanced ocular applications due to their customizable design and functional versatility. In this study, a novel conformal auxetic-inspired metamaterial ocular disc architecture was developed using digital light processing (DLP), a high-resolution vat photopolymerization technique, and fabricated using an in-house hydrogel formulation. The printed disc was systematically evaluated for its mechanical, optical, and physicochemical performance. Mechanical testing confirmed excellent elasticity and durability, with the hydrated hydrogel exhibiting a tensile modulus of ~0.71 MPa, matching the range of commercial soft contact lenses. Laser profilometry revealed a smooth surface topology essential for user comfort, achieving a root mean square roughness (Rq) of 1.78 µm, a nearly 98% reduction compared to conventionally printed hemispherical lenses. Contact angle measurements (64° hydrated) indicated favorable wettability. Optical characterization exhibited high light transmittance, averaging ~83% across the visible spectrum in the hydrated state. Hydration related properties, including swelling kinetics, water content, and gel fraction, confirmed effective water uptake and retention, supporting oxygen permeability. FTIR spectroscopy validated the chemical integrity of the polymer network, while DSC/TGA analysis confirmed thermal stability up to 300 °C. Furthermore, rheological evaluation indicated a stable viscoelastic profile with notable self-healing behavior. Collectively, this study establishes a 3D printed hydrogel-based conformal metamaterial contact lens platform, offering a promising pathway for the development of next-generation smart ocular devices via additive manufacturing.
Published
, Published online: 28 August 2026
, doi: 10.37188/lam.2026.121
Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) doubles the lateral resolution compared with wide-field fluorescence microscopy. However, the fast modulation of structured illumination patterns is typically highly dependent on pixelated digital devices, which suffer from low optical efficiency, self-diffraction noise, and high costs. Here, we present a Sector-Rotational SIM (Sero-SIM), which integrates the modulation of the illumination direction and phase shift into a single sector-rotational transmissive grating, achieving an approximately twofold resolution enhancement at a very low cost and minimal control complexity. Moreover, by incorporating a pyramidal lens into the optical setup, we decouple the sector size from the field of view (FOV), expanding the FOV by more than 13 times. We evaluated the performance of Sero-SIM using high-fidelity imaging of diverse subcellular structures in both fixed samples and live cells. The capability of large-FOV super-resolution imaging endows Sero-SIM with a strong potential for applications spanning multiple spatial scales, from pathological tissues and cell populations to single cells and subcellular organelles. Altogether, Sero-SIM introduces a distinctive and practical approach for SIM implementation.
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