The openflexure block stage: Sub-100 nm fibre alignment with a monolithic plastic flexure stage

Qingxin Meng, Kerrianne Harrington, Julian Stirling, Richard Bowman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

As 3D printers become more widely available, researchers are able to rapidly produce components that may have previously taken weeks to have machined. The resulting plastic components, having high surface roughness, are often not suitable for high-precision optomechanics. However, by playing to the strengths of 3D printing—namely the ability to print complex internal geometries—it is possible to design monolithic mechanisms that do not rely on tight integration of high-precision parts. Here we present a motorised monolithic 3D-printed plastic flexure stage with sub-100 nm resolution that can perform automated optical fibre alignment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4763-4772
Number of pages10
JournalOptics Express
Volume28
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 17 Feb 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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