UV-LED projection photolithography for high-resolution functional photonic components

authored by

Lei Zheng, Urs Zywietz, Tobias Birr, Martin Duderstadt, Ludger Overmeyer, Bernhard Roth, Carsten Reinhardt

Abstract

The advancement of micro- and nanostructuring techniques in optics is driven by the demand for continuous miniaturization and the high geometrical accuracy of photonic devices and integrated systems. Here, UV-LED projection photolithography is demonstrated as a simple and low-cost approach for rapid generation of two-dimensional optical micro- and nanostructures with high resolution and accuracy using standard optics only. The developed system enables the projection of structure patterns onto a substrate with 1000-fold demagnification. Photonic devices, e.g., waveguides and microring resonators, on rigid or flexible substrates with varied geometrical complexity and overall structure dimensions from the nanometer to centimeter scale were successfully prepared. In particular, high-resolution gratings with feature sizes down to 150 nm and periods as small as 400 nm were realized for the first time by this approach. Waveguides made of doped laser active materials were fabricated, and their spontaneous emission was detected. The demonstrated superior performance of the developed approach may find wide applications in photonics, plasmonics, and optical materials science, among others.

Organisation(s)

PhoenixD: Photonics, Optics, and Engineering - Innovation Across Disciplines
Hannover Centre for Optical Technologies (HOT)
Institute of Transport and Automation Technology

External Organisation(s)

Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH)
Bremen University of Applied Sciences

Type

Article

Journal

Microsystems and Nanoengineering

Volume

7

Publication date

17.08.2021

Publication status

Published

Peer reviewed

Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics, Materials Science (miscellaneous), Condensed Matter Physics, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Electronic version(s)

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-021-00286-7 (Access: Open)