3D Printed on a Chip: MIT Unveils First Photonic 'Silicon Printer'

MIT engineers have created the world's first 3D printer on a chip, combining silicon photonics and 3D printingThe new system uses microscopic optical antennas to guide a laser into the resin, allowing two-dimensional designs to be created in just a few seconds – with no moving parts or mechanisms.

The chip printer emits adjustable beams of light through a transparent plate with photopolymer resin, which hardens under the influence of radiation. The chip itself is made on the basis of photonic technologies, where light is transmitted and controlled using 160nm thick nanometer antennas. Unlike classic 3D printers, there are no mechanics here - all control comes from the chip.

The project was a joint effort between the MIT and UT Austin photonics and photochemistry labs. An important element was new light sensitive resins, developed specifically for this technology. They allow them to freeze precisely in the right places, creating shapes when exposed to light from antennas. So far, we are talking about 2D printing, but the next step will be the creation volumetric 3D printing in one step, by output holographic image inside the resin volume.

According to Professor Elena Notaros, the team has already begun designing a next-generation chip capable of producing full 3D models inside a polymer environment. This is not only a breakthrough in miniaturization, but also a step toward portable devices capable of printing physical objects directly from the chip.