Beat the diffraction limit in 3D direct laser writing in photosensitive glass

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) femtosecond laser direct structuring in transparent materials is widely used for photonic applications. However, the structure size is limited by the optical diffraction. Here we report on a direct laser writing technique that produces subwavelength nanostructures independently of the experimental limiting factors. We demonstrate 3D nanostructures of arbitrary patterns with feature sizes down to 80 nm, less than one tenth of the laser processing wavelength. Its ease of implementation for novel nanostructuring, with its accompanying high precision will open new opportunities for the fabrication of nanostructures for plasmonic and photonic devices and for applications in metamaterials.

Optical Data Storage in Photosensitive Glasses and Spin State Transition Compounds

“…Since this is produced by a highly nonlinear interaction, the silver nanoclusters can be distributed in 3D inside the glass in an area that is smaller than the laser beam diameter (Sun et al, 2001). More details on the silver nanoclusters distribution in this glass can be found in (Bellec et al, 2009). The photo-induced silver nanoclusters have characteristic properties well adapted for the 3D optical data storage.…”

Формирование Наночастиц Щелочных Металлов В Щелочно-Силикатных Стеклах При Электронном Облучении И Термообработке

“…Стекла с наночастицами металлов находят при-менение в качестве цветных оптических фильтров, нелинейно-оптических сред [1][2][3][4][5] и сред для записи оп-тической информации [6][7][8]. В ряде работ теоретически показано [9][10], что прозрачные среды с наночастицами металлов могут обладать свойствами метаматериалов, и на их основе могут быть созданы суперлинзы [10][11][12].…”

Characterization of a silica-PVA hybrid for high density and stable silver dissolution

“…The host materials are often transparent dielectrics, which allow them to be used in optical applications. Common host materials include glasses [18,19] and polymers [20,21]. To activate the ions dissolved in an insulator and form a metal-insulator composite, the ions must first be reduced to atoms.…”

“…Ion concentrations were improved to ∼4 wt.% using high voltages to induce ionexchange, yet the ions were still confined to the surface of the sample [22]. Melt-quench techniques solved the problem of poor uniformity, and have demonstrated silver concentrations of ∼8 wt.% uniformly distributed in the glass [18]. However, fabricating these glasses requires very high processing temperatures, limiting the number of potential applications.…”