An anti-reflective 1D rectangle grating on GaAs solar cell using one-step femtosecond laser fabrication

We report the fabrication of the anti-reflective micro/nano-structure on absorbing layer of GaAs solar cell surface using an efficient approach based on one-step femtosecond laser irradiation. Morphology of the microstructures and reflectance of the cell irradiated are characterized with SEM and spectrometer to analyze the influence of laser processing parameters on the change of microstructures induced and the reflectance. It has been found that the rectangle grating micro/nano-structure with a period of 700 nm and width of 600 nm is obtained neatly with laser pulse energy of 30.5 μJ(pulse duration is 130 fs, center wavelength is 800 nm, scanning speed is 2.2 mm/s and spot diameter is 22 µm). Reflectance has been suppressed to 23.6% with rectangle structure from 33% of planar cell. In addition, simulation using a finite-difference-time domain(FDTD) method results show that the rectangle grating micro/nano-structure can effectively suppress the reflection within large wavelength ranges.     

Quasi-Talbot effect of the sub-wavelength Ag grating

When a TM-polarized beam incidents normally on a thick sub-wavelength Ag grating with small opening ratio, self-images form in the transparent dielectric layer due to contributions not only from waves radiating from the slits, but also from the Surface Plasmons (SPs) created on Ag surface. These two contributions make the self-images connect together along the propagation direction and form continuous stripes with period equal to half of that of the grating. We define this phenomenon as quasi-Talbot effect. For a thin sub-wavelength Ag grating or a grating with large opening ratio, its intensity distribution conforms to the conventional Talbot effect. Investigation on quasi-Talbot effect of sub-wavelength metal grating can develop new applications in nano-scale devices.     

Fano resonance sensing based on coupled sub-wavelength dielectric grating and periodic photonic crystal

Based on the diffraction effect of sub-wavelength dielectric grating and the optical property of periodic photonic crystal, a hybrid structure of sub-wavelength grating all-dielectric multilayer thin film containing periodic photonic crystal is proposed. The transmission property of the structure is simulated by finite element method (FEM). The result shows that the discrete state generated by the sub-wavelength waveguide grating will be coupled with the continuous state generated by the photonic crystal cavity and the Fano resonance can be formed. The Fano resonance sensing model based on structural parameters and resonance wavelength are established, the influence of structural parameters on the Fano resonance spectral curve is quantitatively analyzed by numerical simulations, and the dynamic detection of the refractive index of samples is realized. The above structure can realize the optical refractive index sensing with high figure of merit (FOM) value and provide an effective theoretical reference for the formation of Fano resonance in the all-dielectric hybrid structure.     

溶胶-凝胶法MgF2紫外增透膜的制备和性能研究

 采用溶胶-凝胶法,以醋酸镁和氟化氢为原料,以甲醇为溶剂制备了MgF₂溶胶,利用浸渍提拉法在洁净石英基片上镀膜,考察了反应温度对溶胶微结构、薄膜结构和性能的影响。样品采用激光动态光散射、透射电镜、X射线粉体衍射仪、紫外-可见光谱仪、原子力显微镜进行表征。结果表明：通过该方法制备的表面平整的低折射率MgF₂薄膜,在紫外区具有很好的增透性能,同时在紫外波长355 nm激光的辐照下（脉宽6 ns）,薄膜具有较高的抗激光损伤性能,激光损伤阈值达10.85 J·cm^-2。     

Fabrication of broadband anti-reflective sub-micron structures using polystyrene sphere lithography on a Si substrate

Anti-reflective coatings are widely used on the surfaces of solar cells to increase the efficiency of photoelectric conversion. Sub-wavelength structures have gradually replaced conventional anti-reflective (AR) thin films due to their broadband AR properties. This paper successfully fabricated structures with a variety of surface morphologies on Si substrate using polystyrene sphere lithography in conjunction with two-step inductive coupling plasma (ICP) and high density plasma (HDP) etching processes. We successfully fabricated various sub-micron structures with heights of 700 nm and above. Experimental results show that the sub-micron pyramidal structure has the best anti-reflection performance with the average reflectance effectively suppressed to below 1% across the spectral range of 300–1200 nm.     

Direct fabrication of periodic patterns with hierarchical sub-wavelength structures on poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) thin films using femtosecond laser interference patterning

A simple optical interference method for the fabrication of simply periodic and periodic with a substructure on poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) using femtosecond laser interference patterns is demonstrated. The femtosecond laser pulse was split by a diffractive beam splitter and overlapped with two lenses. Homogeneous periodic arrays could be fabricated even using a single laser pulse. In addition, multipulse irradiation resulted in reproducible sub-wavelength ripples oriented perpendicularly to the laser polarization with spatial period from 170 to 220 nm (around one-fourth of the laser wavelength). In addition, the observed size of the spatial period was not affected by the number of incident laser pulses or accumulated energy density. Using high energy pulses it was possible to completely remove the PEDOT:PSS layer without inducing damage to the underneath substrate.     

Vector fuzzy control iterative algorithm for the design of sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements for beam shaping

The vector fuzzy control iterative algorithm (VFCIA) is proposed for the design of phase-only sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements (SWDOEs) for beam shaping. The vector diffraction model put forward by Mansuripur is applied to relate the field distributions between the SWDOE plane and the output plane. Fuzzy control theory is used to decide the constraint method for each iterative process of the algorithm. We have designed a SWDOE that transforms a circular flat-top beam to a square irradiance pattern. Computer design results show that the SWDOE designed by the VFCIA can produce better results than the vector iterative algorithm (VIA). And the finite difference time-domain method (FDTD), a rigorous electromagnetic analysis technique, is used to analyze the designed SWDOE for further confirming the validity of the proposed method.     

An improved vector model for analyzing the diffraction field of sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements

An improved vector model to analyze the diffraction field of sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements is proposed. Based on the pioneer model put forward by Prof. M. Mansuripur, the Fresnel formula is further applied in our work to calculate the transmitted light field. A revised model is built, the updated vector diffraction formula is deduced and a computing example is given. Compared with Mansuripur's method, our method leads to results closer to those obtained by finite-difference time domain (FDTD), which is always considered as a more rigorous algorithm. Therefore, this paper provides the practical and fast algorithm for computing the diffraction light field of sub-wavelength diffractive optical elements.     

Understanding deviations in lithographic patterns near interfaces: Characterization of bottom anti-reflective coatings (BARC) and the BARC-resist interface

Interactions between a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) and a photoresist can critically impact lithographic patterns. For example, a lithographic pattern can shrink or spread near a BARC interface, a process called undercutting or footing respectively, due to incompatibility between the two materials. Experiments were conducted on two industrial BARC coatings in an effort to determine the impact of BARC surface chemistry on the footing and undercutting phenomena. The BARC coatings were characterized by near edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), contact angle measurements, and neutron and X-ray reflectivity. Contact angle measurement using a variety of fluids showed that the fluid contact angles were independent of the type of BARC coating or the BARC processing temperature. NEXAFS measurements showed that the surface chemistry of each BARC was also independent of the processing temperature. These results suggest that acid-base interactions at the BARC-resist interface are not the cause of the footing-undercutting phenomena encountered in lithographic patterns.     

Fabrication and characterization of zinc oxide anti-reflective coating on flexible thin film microcrystalline silicon solar cell

This paper studies the fabrication and characterization of 80 nm zinc oxide anti-reflective coating (ARC) on flexible 1.3 μm thin film microcrystalline silicon (μc-Si) solar cell. High resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) shows a c-axis oriented ZnO (0 0 2) peak (hexagonal crystal structure) at 34.3° with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 0.3936°. Atomic force microscope (AFM) measures high surface roughness root-mean-square (RMS) of the layer (50.76 nm) which suggests scattering of the incident light at the front surface of the solar cell. UV–vis spectrophotometer illustrates that ZnO ARC has optical transmittance of more than 80% in the visible and infra-red (IR) regions and corresponds to band gap (E_g) of 3.3 eV as derived from Tauc equation. Inclusion of ZnO ARC successfully suppresses surface reflectance from the cell to 2% (at 600 nm) due to refractive index grading between the Si and the ZnO besides quarter-wavelength (λ/4) destructive interference effect. The reduced reflectance and effective scattering effect of the incident light at the front side of the cell are believed to be the reasons why short-circuit current (I_sc) and efficiency (η) of the cell improve.     

亚波长金属线栅的设计、制备及偏振成像实验研究

针对红外偏振成像系统,运用等效介质理论,在氟化钙基底上设计了周期为200 nm,深度为100 nm的金属铝栅.模拟计算结果表明,设计的金属铝栅在中红外(3—5 μm)和远红外(8—12 μm)双波段范围内,以及±20°的视场范围内能够提供大于35dB的消光比.利用电子束曝光、反应离子束刻蚀、等离子去胶等工艺完成了金属铝栅的制作.将金属铝栅放在中波红外热像仪前,得到了目标轮廓清晰的偏振图像. 关键词： 亚波长衍射光栅 偏振成像 等效介质理论     

微球透镜对亚波长表面结构的显微成像研究

为了研究微球透镜对亚波长物体的成像特性,利用直径为3.4μm的二氧化硅微球透镜对刻录蓝光光碟的亚波长表面结构进行了显微成像实验,观察了不同排列方式和液体浸没深度下微球透镜的成像特性。实验结果表明:微球透镜在不同浸没深度下对亚波长表面结构具有放大作用,放大率为1.2~1.8倍,并且通过微球透镜的密排列,可以获得更大的视场;浸没液体深度增大时,图像的放大率减小,视场增大。基于时域有限差分的电场仿真表明,微球透镜可以将光场汇聚成半高全宽为260nm,纵向可持续几个微米的高强度光区域,引起强的背景散射,从而获得普通光学显微镜不能分辨的亚波长表面结构图像。     

A bias-tunable electron-spin filter based on a hybrid ferromagnetic-Schottky-metal and semiconductor nanostructure

Recently, an electron-spin filter was proposed by depositing two ferromagnetic stripes and a Schottky normal-metal stripe on top of a heterostructure [H.Z. Xu, Q.Q. Yan, Phys. Lett. A 372 (2008) 6216]. Here, we apply a bias to this device, and find that both magnitude and sign of the electron-spin polarization are sensitive to the applied bias, which can result in a bias-tunable spin filter.     

纳米结构超疏水表面冷凝现象的三维格子玻尔兹曼方法模拟

采用三维多相流格子玻尔兹曼方法 (lattice Boltzmann method, LBM),对纳米结构超疏水表面液滴的冷凝行为进行模拟研究.通过Laplace定律和光滑表面的本征接触角理论对三维LBM模型进行定量验证.模拟分析了超疏水表面纳米阵列的几何尺寸和润湿性的局部不均匀性对冷凝液滴形核位置和最终润湿状态的影响规律.结果表明,较高的纳米阵列使液滴在纳米结构间隙的上部侧面和底部优先形核长大,通过采用上下不均匀的间隙可避免液滴在底部形核长大,而在上部侧面形核的冷凝液滴在生长过程中向上运动,其润湿状态由Wenzel态转变为Cassie态;较低的纳米阵列使液滴在纳米结构底部优先形核长大,液滴的最终润湿状态为Wenzel态;润湿性不均匀的纳米结构表面使液滴在阵列顶端亲水位置处优先形核长大,成为Cassie态.冷凝液滴在不同几何尺寸的纳米结构表面上的最终润湿状态的模拟结果与文献报道的实验结果符合良好.通过模拟还发现,冷凝液滴在生长过程中的运动行为与液滴统计平均作用力的变化有关.本文的LBM模拟再现了三维空间中液滴的形核、长大和润湿状态转变等物理现象.     

基于空气孔的光子晶体亚波长成像的特性研究

负折射率材料因为其奇异的特性成为广泛研究的对象,尤其是光子晶体平板的完美成像.本文采用空气孔在硅介质中周期性排列构成六角结构的光子晶体结构,用平面波展开法及FDTD方法,研究了该光子晶体的亚波长成像能力还研究了入射波长以及温度漂移对该光子晶体平面亚波长成像的影响.     

Influence of slit width on the electromagnetic transmission of a periodic metallic grating

The light transmittance of a periodic metallic grating with varied slit widths has been investigated. The transmission peaks move to the shorter wavelength direction with an increase in the width of slits while keeping the other parameters unchanged. It was demonstrated that the slit width affects the spectral transmittance of the metal grating significantly. It was also found that the effective refractive index and cavity modes in slits are responsible for this phenomenon. Cavity modes play an important role in extraordinary transmission of the sub-wavelength aperture grating. When a complete resonant mode forms in the slits, a high transmission will appear. A wider slit results in a smaller efficient refractive index and thus affects the cavity mode in the slits. These two elements cause the transmission peaks to move to the shorter wavelength direction with widening of slits. The results obtained here may provide a useful guide to design metallic slit grating devices.     

MBE fabrication of self-assembled Si and metal nanostructures on Si surfaces

Two types of fairly regular distributions of Si nanostructures, of interest as templates to grow spatially controlled ensembles of metal (Co, Fe, Ag, etc.) nanostructures, are presented in this paper. Both of them are achieved by self-assembling processes during Si homoepitaxy. One corresponds to films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Si(0 0 1)-2 × 1 surfaces with low (<1°) miscut angles. In this case, arrays of 3D Si-islands displaying well defined pyramid-like shapes can be obtained, as evidenced by Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) and Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy (STEM). Such arrays exhibit strong similarities with those reported for Ge and SiGe islands on Si(0 0 1), and may thus serve as a simpler route to produce ordered distributions of metallic nanodots. On the other hand, on Si(1 1 1)-7 × 7 vicinal substrates misoriented 4° toward the direction, step rearrangement during homoepitaxy permits to produce nanopatterned surfaces, the building-blocks of which are triangular (1 1 1) platforms, with lateral dimensions of hundreds of nanometers, bound by step bunches about 30 nm high. Furthermore, different Ag deposition experiments support this spontaneous patterning on Si(1 1 1) as a promising approach to achieve regular distributions of metallic nanocrystals with an overall homogeneity in sizes, shapes and spacing.     

Advances in the FDTD design and modeling of nano- and bio-photonics applications

In this paper we focus on the discussion of two recent unique applications of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation method to the design and modeling of advanced nano- and bio-photonic problems. The approach that is adopted here focuses on the potential of the FDTD methodology to address newly emerging problems and not so much on its mathematical formulation. We will first discuss the application of a traditional formulation of the FDTD approach to the modeling of sub-wavelength photonics structures. Next, a modified total/scattered field FDTD approach will be applied to the modeling of biophotonics applications including optical phase contrast microscope (OPCM) imaging of cells containing gold nanoparticles (NPs) as well as its potential application as a modality for in vivo flow cytometry configurations. The conclusion provides a justification for the selection of the two specific examples and summarizes some of the insights that could open the opportunity for the application of the FDTD approach in new research areas.     

Rapid fabrication of superhydrophobic surfaces on copper substrates by electrochemical machining

Hierarchical micrometer-nanometer-scale binary rough structures were fabricated on copper substrates by electrochemical machining in a neutral NaCl electrolyte. The rough structures are composed of the micrometer scale potato-like structures and the nanometer scale cube-like structures. After modified by the fluoroalkylsilane, the copper surfaces reached superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 164.3° and a water tilting angle less than 9°. This method has a high processing efficiency which can take just 3 s to fabricate the roughness required by the superhydrophobic surface. The effect of the processing time on wettability of the copper surfaces was investigated in this paper. The possible mechanism of the formation of the hierarchical roughness was also proposed, and the wettability of the copper surfaces was discussed on the basis of the Cassie-Baxter theory.