Phase Change Materials
We use phase change materials such as vanadium dioxide (VO2) to implement dynamic optical properties. They are adapted to respond to a change in external temperature or applied voltage and allow the optic into which they are built to switch between two states. These states might be between transmitting and reflecting or between resonant at one wavelength to resonant at another.
We deposit our VO2 using a sol-gel technique that is scalable to large wafers and eventually to continuous roll processing. Depending on the specific application, additional thin film layers are added to the front and/or back side of the substrate. Substrates are primarily rigid silicon but can also be made flexible and conformal.
Processed wafer with embedded phase change material
Our phase change material technology is currently enabling variable emissivity tiles for passively thermal regulation of spacecraft.
Processed wafer with embedded phase change material
