High-resolution light field prints by nanoscale 3D printing

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of nanoscale 3D printing via two-photon polymerization to create high-resolution light field prints with smooth motion parallax, enabling hyper-realistic 3D images for applications like security and print media.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of two-photon polymerization lithography to produce high-resolution, multi-view light field prints with nanoscale color pixels, surpassing previous pixelation limitations.

Findings

Achieved spatial resolution of 29-45 μm and angular resolution of ~1.6°.

Created color pixels as small as a single nanopillar (~300 nm).

Produced smooth motion parallax across 15×15 views.

Abstract

A light field print (LFP) displays three-dimensional (3D) information to the naked-eye observer under ambient white light illumination. Changing perspectives of a 3D image are seen by the observer from varying angles. However, LFPs appear pixelated due to limited resolution and misalignment between their lenses and colour pixels. A promising solution to create high-resolution LFPs is through the use of advanced nanofabrication techniques. Here, we use two-photon polymerization lithography as a one-step nanoscale 3D printer to directly fabricate LFPs out of transparent resin. This approach produces simultaneously high spatial resolution (29 - 45 {\mu}m) and high angular resolution (~ 1.6 {\deg}) images with smooth motion parallax across 15 {\times} 15 views. Notably, the smallest colour pixel consists of only a single nanopillar (~ 300 nm diameter). Our LFP signifies a step towards hyper-realistic 3D images that can be applied in print media and security tags for high-value goods.