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Leveraging on ENZ Metamaterials to Achieve 2D and 3D Hyper-Resolution in Two-Photon Direct Laser Writing.
Giuseppe Emanuele Lio1,2,3, Antonio Ferraro1,2, Tiziana Ritacco1,2
1Institute of Nanotechnology - Nanotec, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Ponte P. Bucci - Cubo 33C, Rende, 87036, Italy.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|March 30, 2021
Summary
A new two-photon direct laser writing lithography technique uses near-zero metamaterials to create ultra-high-resolution dielectric nanostructures. This breakthrough enables advanced applications in photonics and anti-counterfeiting technologies.
Area of Science:
- Nanotechnology
- Optics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Two-photon direct laser writing (2PDLW) lithography is a key technique for fabricating 3D micro- and nanostructures.
- Achieving higher resolution and smaller feature sizes in 2PDLW remains a significant challenge for advanced applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel technique for improving the resolution of 2PDLW.
- To enable the fabrication of ultrathin dielectric hyper-resolute nanostructures.
- To explore applications in all-dielectric metalenses and 3D micro-fabrication.
Main Methods:
- Utilized extraordinary epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) metamaterial features to achieve high collimation in laser writing.
- Developed and applied deep machine learning codes for tailoring all-dielectric metalenses.
- Investigated the fabrication of ultrathin dielectric nanostructures with adjustable heights (5-50 nm).
Main Results:
- Achieved a size reduction of 89% in height and 50% in width compared to standard 2PDLW.
- Demonstrated the fabrication of extremely thin all-dielectric metalenses.
- Successfully created a highly detailed 3D bas-relief of Da Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine" with a 500 nm height.
Conclusions:
- The developed ENZ metamaterial-based 2PDLW technique significantly enhances fabrication resolution.
- This advancement opens new possibilities for ultracompact photonics, all-dielectric apochromatic imaging systems, and anti-counterfeiting applications.
- The ability to create detailed nanoscale structures paves the way for next-generation optical devices.
