平面全息光栅曝光系统中的分光器件特性分析

分光器件是全息光栅曝光系统中的关键光学元件,它将入射激光光束分成两束,两相干光束叠加后形成干涉条纹。曝光系统的稳定性不但影响干涉条纹对比度,还影响光栅衍射波前像差、杂散光水平以及光栅掩模刻槽质量。为了提高曝光系统的稳定性,分析入射光束角度偏离与两相干光束夹角(2θ)的关系,并结合干涉条纹周期公式,分别导出了以光栅和棱镜作为分光器件时入射激光束角度偏离量与待制作光栅空间相位差的解析表达式,据此分析了光栅和棱镜曝光系统的稳定性。结果表明,采用光栅分光的曝光系统的稳定性比棱镜分光曝光系统稳定性提高5~6个数量级,这对长时间曝光制作全息光栅具有实际意义。     

Fabrication of freestanding nanoscale gratings on silicon-on-insulator wafer

We report a bottom-up process for the fabrication of freestanding nanoscale gratings on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer. Freestanding membrane devices suffer deflection due to the residual stress of the buried oxide layer of SOI wafer. The deflection will affect the device shape and result in the fracture problem for devices fabricated on thin silicon membrane. The bottom-up process is developed to overcome the fabrication issue for thin silicon membrane gratings. The silicon handle layer is removed through back wafer etching of silicon, where the buried oxide layer acts as an etch stop layer. The grating structures are then defined on thin silicon device layer by electron beam lithography and generated by fast atom beam etching. The grating structures are finally released in vapor HF to form the freestanding nanoscale gratings. The freestanding linear/circular gratings, 1,500-nm period grating with the grating width of 200- and 850-nm period grating with the grating width of 100 nm, are successfully achieved on 260-nm silicon device layer.     

Direct Fabrication Methods of Surface Relief Electro-Optic Gratings in Azo-Polymer Films

Two fabrication methods of surface relief electro-optic (EO) gratings in azo-polymer films are described: surface deformation by a continuous wave laser and laser ablation by a pulse laser. In the fabrication process, the periodic intensity modulation of laser beams is formed by an interference fringe or a phase mask. The surface relief EO grating is fabricated by poling the surface relief grating (SRG) after the SRG fabrication process. The linear dependence of an applied voltage in the modulation efficiency of the first-order diffraction beam is observed. The proposed methods are effective for highly-efficient surface relief EO grating fabrication.     

掺Yb光纤激光器阵列谱合成系统的光束传输模型及光束特性分析

建立了由掺Yb光纤激光器阵列、变换透镜、闪耀光栅和输出耦合镜组成的光束谱合成系统的光束传输模型.在考虑光栅角色散、光栅刻槽倾角误差和光栅衍射效率情况下,利用光线追迹法、衍射积分方法、光束非相干叠加原理和强度二阶矩方法,推导出高斯光束非平行倾斜入射到闪耀光栅的相位变化公式以及谱合成光束的光强分布解析表达式.分析了高斯光束非平行倾斜入射到光栅后,光栅角色散、光栅衍射效率和光栅刻槽倾角误差对掺Yb光纤激光器谱合成系统输出光束特性的影响.研究结果表明,谱合成光束具有与单根光纤激光器几乎相同的光束质量;光栅角色散对合成光束特性的影响可忽略;随着光栅刻槽倾角误差的增大,谱合成光束的光束质量明显变差;当光栅刻槽倾角误差较大时,必须考虑光栅衍射效率对合成光束特性的影响. 关键词： 掺Yb光纤激光器 非平行倾斜入射 光束谱合成 光束质量     

Fabrication of 50 nm period gratings with multilevel interference lithography

We have developed a multilevel interference lithography process to fabricate 50 nm period gratings using light with a 351.1 nm wavelength. In this process multiple grating levels patterned by interference lithography are overlaid and spatial-phase aligned to a common reference grating using interferometry. Each grating level is patterned with offset phase shifts and etched into a single layer to achieve spatial-frequency multiplication. The effect of the multilayer periodic structure on interference lithography is examined to optimize the fabrication process. This process presents a general scheme for overlaying periodic structures and can be used to fabricate more complex periodic structures.     

Multiple micro mirrors for X-ray focusing and collimation

A novel route for fabrication of compact optical system for X-rays is presented. It is based on the extensive use of tools developed for microelectronics and micromechanics: electron beam lithography, optical lithography and X-ray lithography. Virtually any shape can be obtained in order to match the system to the different needs. In this paper, we concentrate the attention on focusing system made by nested mirrors. A system for synchrotron radiation source and one for laboratory source have been designed and simulated by a ray-tracing code developed ad hoc. The main parameters and the fabrication tolerance errors have been evaluated. The first prototypes have been produced following different fabrication routes. They are presented here together with considerations for future developments.     

A novel raster-scanning method to fabricate ultra-fine cross-gratings for the generation of electron beam moiré fringe patterns

The resolution of the electron beam moiré method depends on the line frequency of the grating. Recently, more and more effort has been devoted to increase the frequency, and a novel method for producing high-resolution electron beam gratings is presented in this work. Cross-gratings with a frequency up to 14,832 lines/mm (67 nm pitch) were successfully fabricated using a common scanning electron microscope without a dedicated pattern generation system. The quality of the grating was high enough to produce high-quality moiré fringe patterns. In this method, the ultra-fine cross-grating can be fabricated only through one-directional scanning on the resist, which can improve the grating quality and significantly reduces the fabrication time. The number of control parameters for grating fabrication could be reduced to two compared to the six parameters required by conventional methods, which facilitates the use of the electron beam moiré method. The frequency of the fabricated grating is linearly proportional to the exposure magnification. Thus, the frequency of the grating can be accurately predetermined, and the null field can be easily obtained in the electron beam moiré method. The quality of the fabricated gratings was illustrated by the obtained micrographs and moiré fringe patterns. The full-field local strain near an induced crack was studied to verify the application potential of this method.     

Deformation and profile measurement using the digital projection grating method

This paper presents a digital projection grating method for full field measurement of out-of-plane deformation and shape of an object. Two grating patterns on an object before and after deformation are captured by a CCD camera and stored in a computer. With the aid of Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and signal demodulating techniques, a wrapped phase map is generated. The phases are expanded in the range of 0–2π and compared with the resulting moiré pattern. An unwrapping procedure is used to obtain a continuous phase. In addition, a digital method for fractional fringe multiplication is also developed. Results on deformation and object profile measurements are presented.     

Fabrication of Silicon-Blazed Gratings for Couplers

To our knowledge, no blazed grating has been fabricated in silicon (Si) at a pitch of less than half a micron. In this article, we report the fabrication of Si-blazed gratings at the period of 400 nm, using electron beam lithography and ion beam etching techniques. The blazed grating is extremely useful as a grating coupler in integrated optics, operating at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.3 mum, because very high output efficiency of the grating coupler is expected. This will allow coupling to thin film devices in silicon, previously not regarded as promising because coupling to them was very inefficient.     

Fabrication of Silicon-Blazed Gratings for Couplers

To our knowledge, no blazed grating has been fabricated in silicon (Si) at a pitch of less than half a micron. In this article, we report the fabrication of Si-blazed gratings at the period of 400 nm, using electron beam lithography and ion beam etching techniques. The blazed grating is extremely useful as a grating coupler in integrated optics, operating at the telecommunication wavelength of 1.3 mum, because very high output efficiency of the grating coupler is expected. This will allow coupling to thin film devices in silicon, previously not regarded as promising because coupling to them was very inefficient.     

High performance diffraction gratings made by e-beam lithography

Gratings are essential components in different high performance optical set-ups such as spectrometers in space missions or ultrashort-pulse laser compression arrangements. Often such kinds of applications require gratings operating close to the technological accessible limits of today??s fabrication technology. Typical critical parameters are the diffraction efficiency and its polarization dependency, the wave-front error introduced by the grating, and the stray-light performance. Additionally, space applications have specific environmental requirements and laser application typically demand a high damage threshold. All these properties need to be controlled precisely on rather large grating areas. Grating sizes of 200?mm or even above are not unusual anymore. The paper provides a review on how such high performance gratings can be realized by electron-beam lithography and accompanying technologies. The approaches are demonstrated by different examples. The first example is the design and fabrication of the grating for the Radial-Velocity-Spectrometer of the GAIA-mission of the ESA. The second grating is a reflective pulse compression element with no wavelength resonances due to an optimized design. The last example shows a three level blazed grating in resonance domain with a diffraction efficiency of approximately 86?%.     

Two-photon reduction: a cost-effective method for fabrication of functional metallic nanostructures

Metallic nanostructures have underpinned plasmonic-based advanced photonic devices in a broad range of research fields over the last decade including physics, engineering, material science and bioscience. The key to realizing functional plasmonic resonances that can manipulate light at the optical frequencies relies on the creation of conductive metallic structures at the nanoscale with low structural defects. Currently, most plasmonic nanostructures are fabricated either by electron beam lithography (EBL) or by focused ion beam (FIB) milling, which are expensive, complicated and time-consuming. In comparison, the direct laser writing (DLW) technique has demonstrated its high spatial resolution and cost-effectiveness in three-dimensional fabrication of micro/nanostructures. Furthermore, the recent breakthroughs in superresolution nanofabrication and parallel writing have significantly advanced the fabrication resolution and throughput of the DLW method and made it one of the promising future nanofabrication technologies with low-cost and scalability. In this review, we provide a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art DLW fabrication technology for nanometer scale metallic structures. The fabrication mechanisms, different material choices, fabrication capability, including resolution, conductivity and structure surface smoothness, as well as the characterization methods and achievable devices for different applications are presented. In particular, the development trends of the field and the perspectives for future opportunities and challenges are provided at the end of the review. It has been demonstrated that the quality of the metallic structures fabricated using the DLW method is excellent compared with other methods providing a new and enabling platform for functional nanophotonic device fabrication.     

The influence of grating shape formation fluctuation on DFB laser diode threshold condition

Not only the grating material refractive index itself but also the Bragg grating physical shape formation affects the coupling strength greatly. The Bragg grating shape includes three factors, namely grating depth, duty ratio and grating angle. During the lithography and wet etching process, there always will be some fluctuation between the target and real grating shape formation after fabrication process. This grating shape fluctuation will affect the DFB coupling coefficient \(\kappa\), and then consequently threshold current and corresponding wavelength. This paper studied the grating shape formation fluctuation influence to improve the DFB fabrication yield. A truncated normal random distribution fluctuation is considered in this paper. The simulation results conclude that it is better to choose relative thicker grating depth with lower refractive index to obtain a better fabrication tolerance, while not quite necessary to spend too much effort on improving lithography and wet etching process to get a precisely grating duty ratio and grating angle.     

基于多层介质膜光栅的谱合成系统光束特性分析

针对多层介质膜光栅在光束谱合成系统中的应用, 利用光线追迹方法, 建立了基于多层介质膜光栅的谱合成系统光传输模型. 多层介质膜光栅引入的相位调制包括浮雕表面上光程差与浮雕结构光程差两部分, 且受到光栅槽深、占空比和光束入射角等因素的影响. 利用衍射积分方法和光束非相干叠加原理, 计算模拟了基于多层介质膜光栅的谱合成系统的合成光束光强分布. 在此基础上, 利用强度二阶矩方法分析了合成光束的光束质量, 并讨论了多层介质膜光栅的槽深、占空比和制作误差等因素对合成光束特性的影响. 结果表明: 改变多层介质膜光栅的槽深和占空比以及中心光束入射角会影响合成光束能量, 但不会影响合成光束的光束质量, 合成光束的光束质量始终保持与单个子光束的光束质量相当; 多层介质膜光栅的制作误差对合成光束的光束质量和能量均存在明显影响.     

InGaAs circular-grating-coupled surface emitting laser with focusing function fabricated by electron beam writing with circular scanning

We report the design, fabrication and operation of an InGaAs QW circular-grating-coupled surface emitting laser (CGCSEL) which can focus the output laser beam. Circular distributed Bragg reflector and circular chirped grating coupler were fabricated by electron beam lithography employing smooth circular scanning and two step reactive ion etching. Single-mode-like lasing at a wavelength of 978.3 nm was accomplished. Focusing function was confirmed and the focused spot size around 80 μm was obtained.     

TE0导模干涉刻写周期可调亚波长光栅理论研究

通过棱镜耦合激发非对称金属包覆介质波导结构中的TE₀导波模式, 利用两束TE₀模的干涉从理论上实现了周期可调的亚波长光栅刻写. 分析了TE₀模式的色散关系, 刻写亚波长光栅的周期与激发光源、棱镜折射率、光刻胶薄膜厚度及折射率之间的关系. 用有限元方法数值模拟了金属薄膜、光刻胶薄膜和空气多层结构中TE₀导模的干涉场分布. 研究发现, 激发光源波长越短, TE₀ 模干涉刻写的亚波长光栅周期越小; 光刻胶越厚, 刻写的亚波长光栅周期越小; 高折射率光刻胶有利于更小周期亚波长光栅的刻写. 相较于表面等离子体干涉光刻, 基于TE₀ 模的干涉可在厚光刻胶条件下通过改变激发光源、棱镜折射率、光刻胶材料折射率、特别是光刻胶薄膜的厚度等多种方式实现对亚波长光栅周期的有效调控.     

Two-dimensional X-ray waveguides: fabrication by wafer-bonding process and characterization

The fabrication of two-dimensionally confining X-ray waveguides enables the generation of nanoscopic X-ray beams. First applications of such waveguides for lens-less holographic imaging have already been demonstrated, but were limited by the fabrication methods and the design. To overcome these limitations, we present here the fabrication process for a second generation of X-ray waveguide with air or vacuum as guiding channel, based on e-beam lithography, ion etching and subsequent wafer bonding. This is a first step towards waveguides fulfilling requirements of high transmission and high confinement, since the process can be scaled down to smaller channel dimensions from the present structures. We address the structuring method used and present results of first X-ray characterization at synchrotron beamlines, under two entirely different beam settings, corresponding to the coupling of a coherent beam and an incoherent beam. PACS 41.50.+h; 42.82.Cr; 07.85.Qe     

Measurement of Wave-Front Aberrations in Lithography Lenses with an Overlay Inspection Tool

Measurement methods using overlay inspection tools have been established for wave-front aberrations in optical lithography lenses used for integrated circuit manufacturing. Three-beam interferometry and asymmetric two-beam interferometry can transform the wave-front aberrations at selected points on the lens pupil to lateral image shifts for fine grating objects. A technique of overlapped exposures makes the image shifts of inner lines of the grating images optically measurable, even if the images are too fine to be resolved optically. These methods are available in the fields of integrated circuit manufacturing and lithography tool assembling. This paper sums up measurement methods for wave-front aberrations. It is experimentally estimated that the methods are equally matched with the phase measuring interferometry widely used in the tool assemblies respecting accuracy and precision.This paper was originally presented at the 2nd International Conference on Optical Design and Fabrication, ODF2000 which was held on November 15–17, 2000 at the International Conference Center, Tokyo, Waseda University, Japan.     

大口径多层介质膜光栅衍射效率测量及其在制作工艺中的应用

多层介质膜光栅是高功率激光系统的关键光学元件.为了满足国内强激光系统的迫切需求, 在大口径多层介质膜光栅的研制过程中,建立了单波长自准直条件下的衍射效率测量方法及其误差分析. 结果表明误差主要由探测器的噪声和测试人员的差异产生,对衍射效率测试精度的影响是±1%. 在此基础上,将光栅衍射效率及其分布测量技术应用于光栅制作工艺中, 作为大口径光栅无损检测的一种手段,如判断光栅掩模是否能进行离子束刻蚀、 离子束刻蚀的在线监测和是否需要再刻蚀,从而实现对大口径多层介质膜光栅离子束刻蚀过程的定量、 科学控制,提高了离子束刻蚀光栅制作工艺的成功率.利用上述技术,已成功研制出多块最大尺寸为 430 mm× 350 mm、线密度1740线/mm、平均衍射效率大于95%的多层介质膜光栅. 实验结果表明,该方法操作简单、测量快速准确,不必检测光栅微结构. 为大口径多层介质膜光栅研制的无损检测工程化奠定了基础.     

Macromolecular nanoelectronics

We have explored new organic materials and fabrication methods to fabricate organic photodiodes and light emitting diodes. Grafting of a fullerene derivative to a polythiophene backbone yielded an integrated acceptor-donor polymer that we used as the active material in organic photodiodes. Using a method of soft lithography, soft embossing, we fabricated submicron structures to be used as organic light emitting diodes. Employing a silicone rubber replica (stamp) of an optical diffraction grating we transferred the grating pattern to an organic resist layer by placing the stamp in conformal contact with the resist. The transferred pattern was subsequently used as an etch mask for the processing of the device. The structures were successfully utilized as light emitting diodes and photodiodes, with device characteristics influenced by the imposed structure.