Robert R. McLeod

Two-Color Single-Photon Photoinitiation and Photoinhibition for Subdiffraction Photolithography

Subwavelength Patterning Microscopists have recently achieved fluorescence imaging at subwavelength resolution by focusing one beam of light in a halo around another beam, thereby quenching the glow of fluorescent dyes in all but the very center of the illuminated spot. Three studies have now adapted this approach to photolithography (see the Perspective by Perry). Andrew et al. (p. 917, published online 9 April) coated a photo-resist with molecules that, upon absorbing the ultraviolet etching beam, isomerized to a transparent layer but returned to the initially opaque form upon absorption of visible light. Applying an interference pattern with ultraviolet peaks superimposed on visible nodes restricted etching to narrow regions in the center of these nodes, yielding lines of subwavelength width. Scott et al. (p. 913, published online 9 April) used a central beam to activate polymerization initiators, while using a halo-shaped surrounding beam to trigger inhibitors that would halt polymerization. Li et al. (p. 910, published online 9 April) found that use of a different initiator molecule allowed both beams to share the same wavelength (800 nanometers), with a relatively weak quenching beam lagging a highly intense initiating beam slightly in time. Both the latter techniques produced three-dimensional features honed to subwavelength dimensions. Polymerization activated by a beam of light was halted by inhibitors generated by a surrounding halo of a different color. Controlling and reducing the developed region initiated by photoexposure is one of the fundamental goals of optical lithography. Here, we demonstrate a two-color irradiation scheme whereby initiating species are generated by single-photon absorption at one wavelength while inhibiting species are generated by single-photon absorption at a second, independent wavelength. Co-irradiation at the second wavelength thus reduces the polymerization rate, delaying gelation of the material and facilitating enhanced spatial control over the polymerization. Appropriate overlapping of the two beams produces structures with both feature sizes and monomer conversions otherwise unobtainable with use of single- or two-photon absorption photopolymerization. Additionally, the generated inhibiting species rapidly recombine when irradiation with the second wavelength ceases, allowing for fast sequential exposures not limited by memory effects in the material and thus enabling fabrication of complex two- or three-dimensional structures.

Microholographic multilayer optical disk data storage

Micrometer-sized reflection holograms can be written into a rapidly rotating homogeneous photopolymer disk at the focus of a high-numerical-aperture beam and its retroreflection to implement high-capacity multilayer digital data storage. This retroreflection is generated by an optical system with positive unity magnification to ensure passive alignment of the counterpropagating beam. Analysis reveals that the storage capacity and transfer rate of this bit-based holographic storage system compare favorably with traditional page-based systems but at a fraction of the system complexity and cost. The analysis is experimentally validated at 532 nm by writing and reading 12 layers of microholograms in a 125-microm photopolymer disk continuously rotating at 3600 rpm. The experimental results predict a capacity limit of 140 Gbytes in a millimeter-thick disk or over 1 Tbyte with the wavelength and numerical aperture of Blu-Ray.

Three-dimensional direct-write lithography into photopolymer.

We demonstrate a three-dimensional direct-write lithography system capable of writing deeply buried, localized index structures into diffusion-mediated photopolymer. The system is similar to that used for femtosecond writing in glass, but has a number of advantages including greater flexibility in the writing media and the ability to use low power, inexpensive, continuous-wave lasers. This system writes index structures both parallel and perpendicular to the writing beam in different types of photopolymers, providing control over the feature size and shape. We demonstrate that this system can be used to create single-mode waveguides that are deeply embedded in the photopolymer medium.

Nonlocal photopolymerization kinetics including multiple termination mechanisms and dark reactions. Part II. Experimental validation

In the first of this series of papers [J. Opt. Soc. Am. B26, 1736 (2009)], a new kinetic model, which includes most of the major photochemical and nonlocal photopolymerization driven diffusion effects, was proposed. Predictions made using the model were presented, and the numerical convergence of these simulations were examined when retaining higher-concentration harmonics. The validity and generality of the model is examined by applying it to fit experimental data for two different types of photopolymer material appearing in the literature. The first of these photopolymer materials involves an acrylamide monomer in a polyvinylalcohol matrix. The second is a more complex photopolymer in an epoxy resin matrix. Using the new model, key material parameters are extracted by numerically fitting experimentally obtained diffraction efficiency growth curves. The growth curves used include data captured both during exposure and post-exposure, allowing examination and analysis of “dark reactions.”

Correction of sampling errors due to laser tuning rate fluctuations in swept-wavelength interferometry

The frequency-sampling method is widely used to accommodate nonlinear laser tuning in swept-wavelength interferometric techniques such as optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR) and swept-wavelength optical coherence tomography (OCT). In this paper we analyze the frequency-sampling method and identify two sources of sampling errors. One source of error is the limit of an underlying approximation for long interferometer path mismatches and fast laser tuning rates. A second source of error is transmission delays in data acquisition hardware. We show that the measurement system can be configured such that the two error sources cancel to second order. We present experimental verification of sampling error correction using a general swept-wavelength interferometer with a significantly nonlinear laser sweep.

Asymmetric spatial soliton dragging

A new low-latency, cascadable optical logic gate with gain, high contrast, and three-terminal input-output isolation is introduced. The interaction between two orthogonally polarized spatial solitons brought into coincidence at the boundary of a saturating nonlinear medium and propagating in different directions results in the phase-insensitive spatial dragging of a strong pump soliton by a weaker signal. As a result, the strong pump is transmitted through an aperture when the weak signal is not present, and it is dragged to the side by more than a beam width and blocked in the presence of the weak signal, thus implementing an inverter with gain. A multi-input, logically complete NOR gate also can be implemented in a cascaded system.

Arbitrary GRIN component fabrication in optically driven diffusive photopolymers

We introduce a maskless lithography tool and optically-initiated diffusive photopolymer that enable arbitrary two-dimensional gradient index (GRIN) polymer lens profiles. The lithography tool uses a pulse-width modulated deformable mirror device (DMD) to control the 8-bit gray-scale intensity pattern on the material. The custom polymer responds with a self-developing refractive index profile that is non-linear with optical dose. We show that this nonlinear material response can be corrected with pre-compensation of the intensity pattern to yield high fidelity, optically induced index profiles. The process is demonstrated with quadratic, millimeter aperture GRIN lenses, Zernike polynomials and GRIN Fresnel lenses.

Material figures of merit for spatial soliton interactions in the presence of absorption

The effects of linear and two-photon absorption on bright spatial soliton propagation are studied. A spatial soliton switch that achieves gain through the novel mechanism of colliding, dragging, or trapping of two fundamental solitons of different widths is proposed. Figures of merit for use in evaluating the suitability of absorbing nonlinear media for soliton switching applications are presented. The main effect of linear absorption is to limit the propagation distance, which places an upper bound on the width of the soliton in order to fit sufficient characteristic soliton propagation lengths within the device. The optical limiting nature of two-photon absorption places an upper bound on the gain that an interaction can achieve. The combined effects of linear and two-photon absorption are to reduce the gain upper bound imposed by two-photon absorption alone with the addition of the soliton width constraint. A maximized gain upper bound is determined solely by material parameters and is compared among three promising nonlinear materials. It is shown numerically that the spatial soliton dragging interaction requires shorter propagation distances and achieves greater gain than the collision interaction and that both are tolerant to the presence of absorption and can provide, with high contrast, gains of three or greater using measured material parameters. These results warrant pursuing the implementation of spatial soliton-based logic gates.

Monolithic integration of optical waveguide and fluidic channel structures in a thiol-ene/methacrylate photopolymer

We present a thiol-ene/methacrylate-based photopolymer capable of creating coplanar physical features (e.g. micro-fluidic channels) and optical index features (e.g. waveguides) using standard mask-based lithography techniques. This new photopolymer consists of two monomer species that polymerize at different rates. By selectively exposing different areas of a device for various amounts of time, we can select the state of the polymer (i.e. liquid, rubbery, or glassy) to create fluid channels or optical index structures such as waveguides. Using only three exposure steps and two masks, we demonstrate an integrated refractometer with a 90° channel-waveguide crossing to illustrate the fabrication process and the ability to create lithographically aligned waveguides across a gap.

Phase-sensitive swept-source interferometry for absolute ranging with application to measurements of group refractive index and thickness

Interferometric range measurements using a wavelength-tunable source form the basis of several measurement techniques, including optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT), and frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidar. We present a phase-sensitive and self-referenced approach to swept-source interferometry that yields absolute range measurements with axial precision three orders of magnitude better than the transform-limited axial resolution of the system. As an example application, we implement the proposed method for a simultaneous measurement of group refractive index and thickness of an optical glass sample.