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UV-LED projection photolithography for high-resolution functional photonic components
Lei Zheng1,2, Urs Zywietz3, Tobias Birr3
1Hannover Centre for Optical Technologies, Leibniz University Hannover, Hannover, Lower Saxony 30167 Germany.
Microsystems & Nanoengineering
|September 27, 2021
Summary
UV-LED projection photolithography rapidly creates precise optical micro/nanostructures. This cost-effective method achieves high resolution for photonic devices, enabling new applications in optics and materials science.
Area of Science:
- Optics
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Miniaturization and high geometrical accuracy are key drivers for advanced photonic devices.
- Existing micro- and nanostructuring techniques face challenges in cost and complexity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate UV-LED projection photolithography as a simple, low-cost method for generating optical micro- and nanostructures.
- To achieve high resolution and accuracy in fabricated photonic devices using standard optics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized UV-LED projection photolithography with 1000-fold demagnification.
- Employed standard optical components for structure pattern projection onto substrates.
- Fabricated various photonic devices, including waveguides and microring resonators, on diverse substrates.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated 2D optical micro- and nanostructures with high resolution and accuracy.
- Achieved feature sizes down to 150 nm and periods as small as 400 nm for gratings.
- Fabricated waveguides from doped laser active materials and detected their spontaneous emission.
Conclusions:
- UV-LED projection photolithography offers a rapid, cost-effective, and high-performance solution for micro- and nanostructuring in optics.
- The technique's versatility supports applications in photonics, plasmonics, and optical materials science.
- This approach enables the creation of complex photonic devices at the nano- to centimeter scale.
