Subwavelength-resolution near-field Raman spectroscopy

The resolution capabilities of near-field Raman spectroscopy based on a giant enhancement of the electric field near a nanosized metal probe are studied. As a test sample, bundles of single-walled carbon nanotubes deposited on glass substrates are used. It is shown that this method ensures a subwavelength spatial resolution of about 50 nm and demonstrates a Raman scattering enhancement of the order of 10⁴.     

Coaxial electrohydrodynamic direct writing of nano-suspensions

Two monodisperse nano-suspensions, which contain 20-nm and 120-nm silica particles (30 wt.%), were electrohydrodynamically jetted simultaneously in coaxial needles. Irrespective of which suspension was in the inner or outer needle, the cone-jet mode was obtained and the droplets resulting from jet break-up were used to direct write ∼80 μm lines. Turbulent flow in the cones ensured that the suspensions were subjected to intense mixing and therefore the microstructure contains a random mixture of the two types of nanoparticles of unchanged morphology.     

Laser direct writing of biomolecule microarrays

Protein-based biosensors are highly efficient tools for protein detection and identification. The production of these devices requires the manipulation of tiny amounts of protein solutions in conditions preserving their biological properties. In this work, laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) was used for spotting an array of a purified bacterial antigen in order to check the viability of this technique for the production of protein microarrays. A pulsed Nd:YAG laser beam (355 nm wavelength, 10 ns pulse duration) was used to transfer droplets of a solution containing the Treponema pallidum 17 kDa protein antigen on a glass slide. Optical microscopy showed that a regular array of micrometric droplets could be precisely and uniformly spotted onto a solid substrate. Subsequently, it was proved that LIFT deposition of a T. pallidum 17 kDa antigen onto nylon-coated glass slides preserves its antigenic reactivity and diagnostic properties. These results support that LIFT is suitable for the production of protein microarrays and pave the way for future diagnostics applications. PACS 87.14.Ee; 81.15.Fg; 07.07.Df     

Parallel direct laser writing of micro-optical and photonic structures using spatial light modulator

Two-photon polymerization (2PP) is a powerful tool for direct laser writing of micro-optical and photonic structures due to its flexibility in 3D structuring and sub-micrometer resolution. However, it can be time consuming to fabricate arrays of micro-optical devices and complex photonic structures. In this study, we propose to use predefined patterns (PPs) for parallel 2PP processing. A PP contains a multiple focal spot pattern optimized for the fabrication of certain microstructures. PP can be created by holographic laser beam modulation with a spatial light modulator (SLM). The quantity and position of the multiple foci can be flexibly and precisely controlled by predesigned computer generated holograms (CGHs). With these specially designed PPs, parallel fabrication of arbitrary distributed microlens arrays and 3D photonic structures is demonstrated. This method significantly improves throughput and flexibility of the 2PP technique and can be used for mass production of functional devices in micro-optics and photonics.     

Subwavelength-resolution label-free photoacoustic microscopy of optical absorption in vivo

Optical absorption provides essential biological functional information but cannot be sensed by mainstream optical microscopy technologies directly, which detect fluorescence or scattering and may require undesirable labeling. Here we developed in vivo subwavelength-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (SW-PAM) that provides exquisitely high optical-absorption contrast due to nonfluorescent, or fluorescent, endogenous pigments. Having approached the ultimate diffraction-limited optical resolution, SW-PAM can resolve subcellular organelles. Vasculature and early-stage melanoma were imaged with 12:1 and 17:1 contrasts, respectively, without labeling. SW-PAM along with the scaled-up macroscopy, as the only technology that measures the same contrast origin over such a wide length scale, can potentially accelerate translation from microscopic research to clinical practice.     

利用飞秒激光直写实现透明介电材料中三维维微微纳结构的制备与集成

本文综述了利用飞秒激光三维直写技术,在玻璃和晶体等透明介电材料中实现微流体、微光学、微电子学等一系列功能性微纳结构,并进一步构筑新型微纳光子器件的原理、技术与应用。     

低空频模板实现微光变图像的激光直写方法

提出一种采用低空频模板实现微光变图像(micro-optical variable device)的激光直写方法。低空频模版由6×6个不同取向线条状单元图形构成，单元图形由空间光调制器输入，经精缩投影光学系统缩微，在光刻胶面上逐单元曝光。控制单元图形的结构取向能够实现各种复杂设计和特性的微光变图像。在低频光栅模板的基础上，给出了定向散斑结构输入模板的设计方法，它可进一步改进图像的非彩色效果。采用自行研制的SVG-LDW04型激光直写系统制作了微光变图像，其结构特征线度为4μm～100μm。该方法无需机械旋转机构，为实现微光变图像提供了一种便捷有效的手段。     

Glassy nanostructures fabricated by the direct laser writing method

This paper reports on the synthesis of glassy nanostructures in which the framework is a face-centered cubic lattice of inverse yablonovite with a disordered glassy superstructure. The synthesis has been performed by the direct laser writing method based on two-photon polymerization of a photosensitive material. The fabricated structures have been investigated using scanning electron microscopy. A theoretical calculation of the photonic band structures of the direct yablonovite and the inverse yablonovite has been carried out.     

Whispering-gallery-mode microdisk lasers produced by femtosecond laser direct writing

We report in this Letter fabrication of whispering-gallery-mode microdisk lasers by femtosecond laser direct writing of dye-doped resins. Not only is well-defined disk shape upheld on an inverted cone-shaped supporter, but the disk also exhibits significant lasing actions characteristic of an abrupt increase of light output and the significant narrowing of the spectral lines when the threshold is approached. This work shows that the laser micronanofabrication technology is not only applicable to passive micro-optical components, but also it may play an important role in fabrication of active optoelectronic devices and their integrated photonic circuits.     

飞秒激光加工蓝宝石超衍射纳米结构

蓝宝石具有超强硬度及耐腐蚀、耐高温、在紫外-红外波段具有良好的透光性等优点,在军工业以及医疗器械方面具有广泛的应用前景.然而这些优点又对蓝宝石的机械加工或化学腐蚀加工带来困难.飞秒激光脉冲具有热损伤小、加工分辨率高、材料选择广等特点,被广泛应用于固体材料改性和高精度三维微纳器件加工.本文提出了利用飞秒激光多光子吸收特性在蓝宝石表面实现超越光学衍射极限的精细加工.利用聚焦后的波长为343 nm的飞秒激光,配合高精密三维压电位移台,实现激光焦点和蓝宝石晶体的相对三维移动,在蓝宝石晶体衬底上进行精确扫描,得到了线宽约61 nm的纳米线,纳米线间的最小间距达到142 nm左右.利用等离子体模型解释了加工得到的纳米条纹的产生原因,研究了激光功率、扫描速度对加工分辨率的影响.最终本工作实现了超越光学衍射极限的加工精度,为实现利用飞秒激光对高硬度材料的微纳结构制备提供了参考.     

飞秒激光直写光量子逻辑门

量子比特在同一时刻可处于所有可能状态上的叠加特性使得量子计算机具有天然的并行计算能力,在处理某些特定问题时具有超越经典计算机的明显优势.飞秒激光直写技术因其具有单步骤高效加工真三维光波导回路的能力,在制备通用型集成光量子计算机的基本单元—量子逻辑门中发挥着越来越重要的作用.本文综述了飞秒激光直写由定向耦合器构成的光量子比特逻辑门的进展.主要包括定向耦合器的功能、构成、直写和性能表征,集成波片、哈达玛门和泡利交换门等单量子比特逻辑门、受控非门和受控相位门等两量子比特逻辑门的直写加工,并对飞秒激光加工三量子比特逻辑门进行了展望.     

Optodynamic analysis of direct laser writing of graduation lines

The direct laser writing of graduation lines in Cr thin films on glass substrates has been investigated. The Nd-YAG laser and the astigmatic optical system have been used to write rectangular holes in the Cr film. The optimal writing parameters: the laser pulse energy, the Cr layer thickness and the substrate-objective distance were determined using the optoacoustic probe beam deflection method to detect the evaporation of the material. The evaporation is concluded to be the essential process in the laser writing of graduation lines. The rims formed by the surface tension gradient at the hole edges indicate that the laser writing of graduation lines is a typical two-phase removal process.     

Three-dimensional direct femtosecond laser writing of second-order nonlinearities in glass

We demonstrate that direct femtosecond laser writing in silver-containing zinc and gallium phosphate glass enables generation of three-dimensional (3D) optical second-order nonlinear microstructures having an χ(2) value about 2.5 times that of quartz. The proposed physical model involves photo-reduction, photo-dissociation, and migration of silver species within the glass matrix. 3D laser-written second-order nonlinear structures could become a new class of nonlinear optical components.     

An azobenzene functionalized polymer for laser direct writing waveguide fabrication

We report on non-lithographic laser direct writing fabrication of optical waveguides by using a 4′-hydroxy-4-nitroazobene dye-functionalized polymer film. The polymer film reveals permanent change of refractive index at high laser illumination intensity. A focused continuous wave low power green laser beam at 532 nm wavelength is used to directly write waveguide structures on the polymer film. The magnitude of refractive index increase at film surface is about 0.006. One-step laser writing results in graded index waveguides in film depth direction under ambient conditions without pre- and post-processing. As a by-product, the laser writing also results in a very small air valley at the boundary between the laser written and non-written regions which may contribute in part although minimal to the waveguide lateral confinement and can be used for visual observation of waveguide patterns. The fabricated waveguide is found to be stable and easily reproducible.     

Femtosecond laser direct writing of embedded optical waveguides in aluminosilicate glass

Using tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses to irradiate lines in aluminosilicate glass, embedded lines with increased refractive index, which function as optical waveguides were observed. The pulse energy (4.5–11.2 μJ) and writing speed (50–700 μm/s) were shown to affect the resultant optical properties of the waveguides such as the magnitude of refractive index change, core diameter and propagation mode. At pulse energies above 5 μJ, two types of structures were observed, namely an inhomogeneous void-like structure and a cross-sectional crack-like structure. These structures were found to affect significantly the resultant waveguiding properties of the irradiated lines. Using pulse energy of 5 μJ or below, single mode waveguides were fabricated. Raman spectroscopy showed that the fs laser pulses generated structural changes to the aluminosilicate glass. The fabrication of a 1×4 splitter was also demonstrated. PACS 42.62.-b; 42.82.-m; 81.05.Kf     

Laser direct writing pattern structures on AgInSbTe phase change thin film

Different pattern structures are obtained on the AgInSbTe(AIST) phase change film as induced by laser beam.Atomic force microscopy(AFM) was used to observe and analyze the different pattern structures.The AFM photos clearly show the gradually changing process of pattern structures induced by different threshold effects,such as crystallization threshold,microbump threshold,melting threshold,and ablation threshold.The analysis indicates that the AIST material is very effective in the fabrication of pattern structures and can offer relevant guidance for application of the material in the future.     

Femtosecond laser direct writing of multiwavelength Bragg grating waveguides in glass

Novel Bragg grating waveguide structures have been fabricated in bulk borosilicate glass through a type II photosensitivity mechanism driven by single femtosecond laser pulses. Low-loss single-mode waveguides and narrow-linewidth Bragg gratings were generated simultaneously by forming an array of refractive index voxels in a single laser scan. Laser pulse duration is shown to significantly affect the grating strength and waveguide loss. Bragg wavelengths, defined by the periodicity of laser-modified volumes, were fully controlled by the sample scan speed to provide resonances anywhere in the 1200-1620 nm telecommunication bands. Four linear Bragg filters with distinct resonant wavelengths are presented that define the first demonstration of laser writing of multiple-wavelength and cascaded Bragg grating waveguides in a single process step.     

Effect of spatio-temporal coupling on ultrafast laser direct writing in glass

Spatio-temporal coupling characteristics of ultrafast laser pulses are quantitatively tailored. An asymmetric microstructure is induced in the focal volume when the laser scans perpendicularly to the direction of the spatial chirp in fused silica. The tilted direction reverses when adding a Dove prism into the light path. The sign of the pulse front tilt can be turned from positive to negative by changing the group delay dispersion by steps. We reveal that the tilted direction of a microstructure depends on spatial chirp, and the interplay between spatiotemporal chirp leads to the change of tilted angles.