The increasing demand for optics quality requires the lowest optical power loss, which can occur from unwanted reflections. Laser direct writing (LDW) allows for the fabrication of complex structures, which is particularly advantageous in micro-optic applications. This research demonstrates the possibility of forming an anti-reflective coating on hybrid polymer micro-lenses fabricated by employing LDW without changing their geometry. Such coating deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) decreased the reflection from 3.3% to 0.1% at a wavelength of 633 nm for one surface of hybrid organic–inorganic SZ2080™ material. This research validates the compatibility of ALD with LDW 3D multiphoton lithography synergistically, expanding its applications on optical grade sub-100 μm scale micro-optics.
Periodically modulated optical coatings, fabricated by depositing conformal films on modulated substrates, offer unique capabilities for spectral and spatial filtering of light. However, conventional deposition methods often do not achieve required replication and conformality on submicron-size structured surfaces. In this paper, we compare various thin film deposition techniques, including electron beam evaporation, atomic layer deposition, and ion beam sputtering, to evaluate their ability to control multilayer coating growth on periodically modulated substrates. Our study demonstrates that both single-layer and multilayer coatings produced by ion beam sputtering effectively replicate the initial geometry of structured surfaces, thereby enhancing optical performance.
Laser direct writing allows for the fabrication of complex structures, which is particularly advantageous in micro-optic applications. However, the increasing demand for optics quality requires the lowest optical power loss, which can occur from unwanted reflections. This research demonstrates the possibility of forming an anti-reflective coating on hybrid-polymer micro-lenses fabricated by employing laser direct writing (LDW), without changing their geometry. Such coating deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) decreased the reflection from 3.3 % to 0.1 % at the wavelength of 633 nm for one surface of SZ2080™.
Periodically modulated optical coatings, fabricated by depositing conformal films on modulated substrates, offer unique capabilities for spectral and spatial filtering of light. However, conventional deposition methods often do not achieve the required replication and conformality on submicron-size structured surfaces. In this paper, we compare various thin film deposition techniques, including electron beam evaporation, atomic layer deposition, and ion beam sputtering, to evaluate their ability to control multilayer coating growth on periodically modulated substrates. Our study demonstrates that both single-layer and multilayer coatings produced by ion beam sputtering effectively replicate the initial geometry of structured surfaces, thereby enhancing optical performance.
In this study, we demonstrate the potential capability to control Tamm plasmon-polaritons (TPP) by applying atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a highly precise technique for plasmonic applications. Applications in plasmonics usually require tens of nanometers or less thick layers; thus, ALD is a very suitable technique with monolayer-by-monolayer growth of angstrom resolution. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and polarized reflection intensity identified the TPP resonances in the photonic band gap (PBG) formed by periodically alternating silicon oxide and tantalum oxide layers. The sub-nanometer control of the Al2O3 layer by ALD allows precise tailoring of TPP resonances within a few nanometers of spectral shift. The employing of the ALD method for the fabrication of thin layers with sub-nanometer thickness accuracy in more complex structures proves to be a versatile platform for practical applications where tunable plasmonic resonances of high quality are required.