A pilot study on laser 3D printing of inorganic free-form micro-optics is experimentally validated. Ultrafast laser direct-write (LDW) nanolithography is employed for structuring hybrid organic-inorganic material SZ2080TM followed by high-temperature calcination post-processing. The combination allows the production of 3D architectures and the heat-treatment results in converting the material to inorganic substances. The produced miniature optical elements are characterized and their optical performance is demonstrated. Finally, the concept is validated for manufacturing compound optical components such as stacked lenses. This is an opening for new directions and applications of laser-made micro-optics under harsh conditions such as high intensity radiation, temperature, acidic environment, pressure variations, which include open space, astrophotonics, and remote sensing.
3D printed objects was first presented by Maruo in a technology-opening article in 1997, [2] where the use of this technology to fabricate micro-optics was also envisaged. The serial writing method of this technique offered flexibility for freeform fabrication, but was limited by its throughput. [3] It took some years for the technology to mature from proof-of-principle level to additive manufacturing as a tool for efficient and reliable fabrication in the modern lab. [4][5][6] Though the first micro-optical elements were demonstrated as early as 2006, [7] the major efforts and results only started to emerge in 2010, [8,9] together with the development of hybrid organic-inorganic materials, [10,11] and rapidly accelerated with the implementation of commercial 3D lithography systems. [12][13][14] By 2020, ultrafast laser 3D printing, also known as two-photon polymerization (TPP or 2PP), multiphoton lithography (MPL), [15][16][17] or simply laser direct writing (LDW), also in literature referenced as direct laser writing (DLW), [18] ) was already an established technique for routine fabrication of diverse micro-optical single elements, stacked components, and integrated devices. [19][20][21] The latest advances in the 3D printing of free-form micro-optics are enhanced by optical grade materials of high refractive index (n) polymers, [22] high-performance hybrids, [23] and optically active [24] or pure inorganic glasses. [25] Figure 1 shows the development of the technique in terms of published papers and citations, defining an "innovator stage" of the technology followed from 2015 by the "early adopters stage." Examples of micro-optical elements fabricated using MPL and the growth in the complexity of the structures that can be achieved by this technique are also shown in Figure 1.The advances in this scientific field attracted the attention of the related laser-assisted precision additive manufacturing industry. First, in 2007 Nanoscribe GmbH and in 2008 Workshop of Photonics established companies oriented toward commercialization of this technology aimed at general wide angle application fields. While in 2013, Multiphoton Optics GmbH and Femtika UAB were established and made micro-optics a significant part of their targeted applications. Finally, in 2017, Vanguard Photonics GmbH manufactured dedicated MPL equipment for micro-lenses and wire bond production. Other companies targeting more diverse applications have continued to emerge, such as UpNano established in 2018, and focusing mostly on biomedical applications yet also offering solutionsThe field of 3D micro-optics is rapidly expanding, and essential advances in femtosecond laser direct-write 3D multi-photon lithography (MPL, also known as two-photon or multi-photon polymerization) are being made. Micro-optics realized via MPL emerged a decade ago and the field has exploded during the last five years. Impressive findings have revealed its potential for beam shaping, advanced imaging, optical sensing, integrated photonic circuits, and much more. This is suppo...
Laser exposure defines voxel's dimensions as essential building blocks in direct write 3D nanolithography. However, the exposure conditions not only influence the size of the produced features but also their optical properties. This empowers the realization of an adjustable refractive index out of single material by varying the writing strategy while preserving laser 3D nanolithography's flexibility in geometry and high resolution. Here, the refractive index for the 450-1600 nm spectral range of the micro-optics out of SZ2080 hybrid polymer is systematically studied by applying ray and wave optics approaches followed by optical resolution analysis. It reveals the exact value of the laser-printed components instead of the determination assessed by other techniques measuring thin films or bulky volumes of the investigated substance. The studied micro-lenses are of below 100 μm in dimensions and a clear distinction in their performance on low and high exposure doses is found by analyzing it in all different approaches and validating using different lithography setups. Findings reveal the complexity of the refractive index of the 3D micro-optics which is influenced by the material density and morphology. A route for freedom in 3D printing shape and refractive index can be realized by the technological optimization of delicate exposure control in ultrafast laser nanolithography.
This paper describes polarimetric strategies based on measuring the light’s geometric phase, which results from the evolution of the polarisation state while traversing an optical system. The system in question is described by a homogeneous Jones matrix, which by definition, contains mutually perpendicular eigenpolarisations. Our leading theory links the system’s Jones matrix parameters (eigenvalues and eigenvectors) with the input polarisation state and the geometric phase. We demonstrate two interferometric techniques. The first one measures the geometric phase based on the relative lateral fringe displacement between the interference pattern of two mutually-orthogonal polarisation states. The second technique uses the visibility of the interference fringes to determine the eigenpolarisations of the system. We present proof-of-principle experiments for both techniques.
We report a family of solitons generated by Hermite-Gaussian beams that are supported in optical lattices, also described by Hermite-Gaussian functions in combination with a harmonic potential that is modelled by a (1+1)D nonlinear Schrödinger equation. We find that this kind of solitons is stable during propagation, provided they remain below a level of the power threshold. The pure local nonlinear system studied here can mimic, up to a certain extent, a strongly nonlocal medium, thus allowing generation of accessible solitons. These Hermite-Gaussian profiles constitute a kind of uncommon analytical solitons that allow the study of nonlinear wave behavior phenomena in a more tractable and closed form.
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