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Due to their sub-millimeter spatial resolution, ink-based additive manufacturing tools are typically considered less attractive than nanophotonics. Among these tools, precision micro-dispensers with sub-nanoliter volumetric control offer the finest spatial resolution: down to 50 µm. Within a sub-second, a flawless, surface-tension-driven spherical shape of the dielectric dot is formed as a self-assembled µlens. When combined with dispersive nanophotonic structures defined on a silicon-on-insulator substrate, we show that the dispensed dielectric µlenses [numerical aperture (NA) = 0.36] engineer the angular field distribution of vertically coupled nanostructures. The µlenses improve the angular tolerance for the input and reduces the angular spread of the output beam in the far field. The micro-dispenser is fast, scalable, and back-end-of-line compatible, allowing geometric-offset-caused efficiency reductions and center wavelength drift to be easily fixed. The design concept is experimentally verified by comparing several exemplary grating couplers with and without a µlens on top. A difference of less than 1 dB between incident angles of 7° and 14° is observed in the index-matched µlens, while the reference grating coupler shows around 5 dB contrast.

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Molecular typing of psychological disease depends on a variety of complicated environmental and phenotypic factors. The quality of results critically depends on the cohort selection criteria, including those criteria used to match case and controls. Our PTSD biomarker study initially matched patient groups on age and self‐reported race. Further analysis has shown striking differences in the types and amounts of medications used by PTSD patients vs. controls. Here, we present an approach to simultaneously match patient groups across age, ancestry, and medication use applying random sampling methods. We compare receiver operating characteristics to quantify the degree to which matching on these three variables generates blood mRNA expression biomarkers which better discriminate patients from controls. Work is in progress to fine‐tune matching by incorporating the relative effect size of these three measures. Disclaimer: Research was conducted in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and all other Federal requirements. The views expressed are those of the authors and do not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Army. Human blood sample use protocol was conducted at USACEHR under HRPO Log number A‐15459.f.