Digital inverse patterning solutions for fabrication of high-fidelity microstructures in spatial light modulator (SLM)-based projection lithography.

Digital mask projection lithography (DMPL) technology is gaining significant attention due to its characteristics of free-mask, flexibility, and low cost. However, when dealing with target layouts featuring sizes smaller than the wavelength scale, accurately producing resist patterns that closely match the target layout using conventional methods to design the modulation coefficients of digital masks produced by spatial light modulators (SLM) becomes challenging. Here, we present digital inversion lithography technology (DILT), which offers what we believe to be a novel approach to reverse engineer the modulation coefficients of digital masks. In the case of binary amplitude modulation, DILT achieves a remarkable reduction in pattern errors (PE), reaching the original 0.26. At the same time, in the case of the gray amplitude modulation, the PE can be reduced to the original 0.05, which greatly improves the high-fidelity transfer of the target layout. This significant improvement enhances the accuracy of target design transfer. By leveraging the capabilities of DILT, DMPL can now attain higher precision and reliability, paving the way for more advanced applications in the field of micro-nano device manufacturing.

Optical proximity correction of hot-spot patterns with subwavelength size in DMD maskless projection lithography.

When the critical dimension (CD) of resist patterns nears the resolution limit of the digital micromirror device (DMD) maskless projection lithography (DMD-MPL), significant distortion can emerge in the silicon wafer due to the optical proximity effect (OPE). The significant distortion (breakpoints, line-end scaling, corner rounding, etc.) between resist patterns and target patterns results in reduced lithographic quality. To address this issue, we have proposed a pixel-based optical proximity correction (PB-OPC) method used for the hot-spot patterns with subwavelength sizes specifically designed for DMD-MPL. Employing an end-to-end learning neural network, the PB-OPC algorithm is both straightforward and efficient. A well-trained U-net framework facilitates the mapping from unoptimized masks to optimized masks. Experimental exposure trials have demonstrated that this method not only corrects OPC in general patterns but also effectively rectifies hot-spot patterns. The pattern error (PE) value can be reduced by about 30% in the design layouts. We believe this approach holds the potential to enhance the resolution and fidelity of resist patterns in DMD maskless lithography.

Generating an M2 × N2 spot array with a dual-period hybrid Dammann grating fabricated using maskless projection lithography.

The Dammann grating (DG), which redistributes a collimated laser beam into a spot array with a uniform intensity, is a widely adopted approach for profile measurement. Conventional DGs for dense spot projection are binary phase gratings with precisely designed groove structures, which suffer from low efficiency, poor uniformity, and a hard-to-fabricate fine feature size when utilized for a large field of view (FOV). Here, we propose a new, to the best of our knowledge, hybrid DG architecture consisting of two different grating periods which effectively generates an engineering M2 × N2 spot array with a non-complex structural design. As a proof-of-concept, a dual-period hybrid DG with a two-scale grating period ratio of 11.88 µm/95.04 µm (∼1/8) is designed and fabricated as a means to generate a dense 72 × 72 diffraction spot array with a FOV of 17° × 17°. In addition, the DG exhibits superior performance, with a high efficiency (>60%) and a low non-uniformity (<18%) at a wavelength of 532 nm. This kind of hybrid DG constructed from photoresist patterns with a minimum feature size of ∼1.2 µm can be perfectly fabricated by maskless projection lithography for large-scale and low-cost production. The proposed dual-period hybrid DG can pave the way for depth-perception-related applications such as face unlocking and motion sensing.

Efficient 4.95 µm-8.5 µm dual-band grating coupler with crosstalk suppression capability.

In many integrated optics systems, grating couplers are a key component of interfacing the external light source with in-plane photonic devices. Grating couplers with dual-band capability are often desired for expanding the operation spectrum of photonic systems. Here, we propose and theoretically investigate, for the first time, a 4.95 µm-8.5 µm dual-band grating coupler on a Ge-on-SOI platform. In addition to conventional structures, Bragg gratings are introduced to two wavelength division directions for crosstalk suppression. With this design, the simulated coupling efficiencies have respectively reached 59.93% and 46.38% for the 4.95 µm and 8.5 µm bands. This mid-infrared dual-band grating coupler may be useful for defense and environmental monitoring applications.

Maximizing energy utilization in DMD-based projection lithography.

In digital micromirror device (DMD)-based projection photolithography, the throughput largely depends on the effectiveness of the laser energy utilization, which is directly correlated to the diffraction efficiency of DMD. Here, to optimize the DMD diffraction efficiency and thus the laser energy utilization, we calculate the diffraction efficiencies Ediffraction of DMD with various pitch sizes at wavelengths ranging from 200 nm to 800 nm, using the two-dimensional blazed grating diffraction theory. Specifically, the light incident angle is optimized for 343 nm laser and 7.56 µm pitch-size DMD, and the maximum single-order diffraction efficiency Ediffraction is increased from 40% to 96%. Experimentally, we use the effective energy utilization ηeff = Ediffraction,(m,n)/Σ[Ediffraction,(m,n)] at the entrance pupil plane of the objective to verify the effectiveness of the optimized illumination angle in a lithography illumination system with parallel beams of two wavelengths (343 nm and 515 nm). The ηeff of a "blaze" order at a 34° angle of incidence can be optimized up to 88%. The experimental results are consistent with the tendency of the calculated results, indicating that this optimization model can be used to improve the energy utilization of projection lithography with the arbitrarily designable wavelengths and the DMD's pitch size.

Label-free neural networks-based inverse lithography technology.

Neural network-based inverse lithography technology (NNILT) has been used to improve the computational efficiency of large-scale mask optimization for advanced photolithography. NNILT is now mostly based on labels, and its performance is affected by the quality of labels. It is difficult for NNILT to achieve high performance and extrapolation ability for mask optimization without using labels. Here, we propose a label-free NNILT (LF-NNILT), which is implemented completely without labels and greatly improves the printability of the target layouts and the manufacturability of the synthesized masks compared to the traditional ILT. More importantly, the optimization speed of LF-NNILT is two orders of magnitude faster than the traditional ILT. Furthermore, LF-NNILT is simpler to implement and can achieve better solvers to support the development of advanced lithography.

Consistent pattern printing of the gap structure in femtosecond laser DMD projection lithography.

Maskless lithography technologies have been developed and played an important role in the fabrication of functional micronano devices for microelectronics, biochips and photonics. Optical projection lithography based on digital micromirror device (DMD) is an efficient maskless lithography technology that can rapidly fabricate complex structures. The precise modulation of gap width by DMD maskless optical projection lithography (MOPL) using femtosecond laser becomes important for achieving micronano structures. Herein, we have investigated the relationship between the structure morphology and the light intensity distribution at the image plane by multi-slit diffraction model and Abbe imaging principle, and optimized the gap width more accurately by modulating exposure energy. The aperture diameter of the objective lens has a substantial effect on the pattern consistency. The continuously adjustable structural gap widths of 2144 nm, 2158 nm and 1703 nm corresponding to 6, 12, 24 pixels are obtained by varying the exposure energy in the home-built MOPL system. However, the ideal gap structure cannot be obtained only by adjusting the exposure energy when the gap width is small, such as 1 or 2 pixels. Furthermore, we have proposed an alternative way to achieve fine gap structures through the structural decomposition design and precise control of exposure energy in different regions without changing the MOPL optical system. This study would provide a promising protocol for fabricating gap microstructures with controllable configuration using MOPL technique.

λ/12 Super Resolution Achieved in Maskless Optical Projection Nanolithography for Efficient Cross-Scale Patterning.

The emerging demand for device miniaturization and integration prompts the patterning technique of micronano-cross-scale structures as an urgent desire. Lithography, as a sufficient patterning technique, has been playing an important role in achieving functional micronanoscale structures for decades. As a promising alternative, we have proposed and demonstrated the maskless optical projection nanolithography (MLOP-NL) technique for efficient cross-scale patterning. A minimum feature size of 32 nm, which is λ/12 super resolution breaking the optical diffraction limit, has been achieved by a single exposure. Furthermore, multiscale two-dimensional micronano-hybrid structures with the size over hundreds of micrometers and the precision at tens of nanometers have been fabricated by simply controlling the exposure conditions. The proposed MLOP-NL technique provides a powerful tool for achieving cross-scale patterning with both large-scale and precise configuration with high efficiency, which can be potentially used in the fabrication of multiscale integrated microsystems.

Femtosecond laser trapping nanoprinting of silver micro/nanostructures.

In this paper, silver micro/nanostructures composed of sintered nanoparticles were printed by capturing silver nanoparticles in water with 800 nm femtosecond laser trapping. Relationships of laser power, scanning speed, nanoparticle concentration, and the width and morphology of fabricated silver wire were systematically investigated. It is found that low scanning speed and high nanoparticle concentration favor the printing of silver wire with good morphology. A silver wire with width of 305 nm was printed. Electrical resistivities of printed wires are about 24 times that of bulk silver. Silver grid structures and dot arrays were printed by using this technology. Several three-dimensional silver cuboid structures were also printed. This work provides a protocol for printing of three-dimensional metallic micro/nanostructures using laser trapping. These printed structures have great application prospects in metamaterials, flexible electronics, and SERS.

Low threshold photonic crystal laser based on a Rhodamine dye doped high gain polymer.

We demonstrate low threshold lasing oscillation in a photonic crystal (PhC) laser by using tert-butyl Rhodamine B (t-Bu-RhB) doped gain media. Lactonic t-Bu-RhB is synthesized to improve doping concentration in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) films, and then isomerized to the zwitterion form to achieve highly fluorescent gain medium. The t-Bu-RhB doped PMMA film is sandwiched by a pair of polystyrene colloidal crystals to construct a PhC resonating cavity. Single-mode laser oscillation at 592 nm is observed when the PhC resonating cavity is pumped by a Nd:YAG laser. The lasing threshold is 0.12 MW cm(-2) utilizing 6.9 wt% t-Bu-RhB doped PMMA films, which is only 1/60 of that with 3 wt% t-Bu-RhB doped PMMA films. The concentration-dependent lasing action is attributed to different gain factors of the t-Bu-RhB doped PMMA films. Furthermore, a spatially and spectrally coherent laser beam from the PhC resonating cavity is verified by exploring the far-field image and angular dependence of the lasing emission. The approach provides a facile and efficient strategy to reduce the lasing threshold for fabricating low threshold PhC lasers.

Carboxylated Nanodiamond: Aggregation Properties in Aqueous Dispersion System and Application in Living Cell Fluorescence Imaging.

Nanodiamond, which has a lattice defect, the energy band gap and good biocompatibility, is an ideal inorganic fluorescent imaging material for cells. However, the nanodiamond aggregation is not exactly suitable for cells' endocytosis if the size is too small or too big. Therefore, it has a profound meaning to modify the surface of nanodiamond and control the dispersion of nanodiamond aggregate. In this study, the surface of the detonated nanodiamond is modified into carboxylated nanodiamond by using the method of mixed acid oxidation. Then, the nanodiamond aggregates' dispersion in water is regulated by adjusting the pH, which is first discussed as a factor influencing the size of nanodiamond aggregation. This process further induces the corresponding change of the electrostatic force between nanoparticles, improves its applicability in the field of living cell fluorescence imaging.

Transition of lasing modes in polymeric opal photonic crystal resonating cavity.

We demonstrate the transition of lasing modes in the resonating cavity constructed by polystyrene opal photonic crystals and 7 wt. % tert-butyl Rhodamine B doped polymer film. Both single mode and multiple mode lasing emission are observed from the resonating cavity. The lasing threshold is determined to be 0.81 µJ/pulse for single mode lasing emission and 2.25 µJ/pulse for multiple mode lasing emission. The single mode lasing emission is attributed to photonic lasing resulting from the photonic bandgap effect of the opal photonic crystals, while the multiple mode lasing emission is assigned to random lasing due to the defects in the photonic crystals. The result would benefit the development of low threshold polymeric solid state photonic crystal lasers.

Two-photon polymerization microfabrication of hydrogels: an advanced 3D printing technology for tissue engineering and drug delivery.

3D printing technology has attracted much attention due to its high potential in scientific and industrial applications. As an outstanding 3D printing technology, two-photon polymerization (TPP) microfabrication has been applied in the fields of micro/nanophotonics, micro-electromechanical systems, microfluidics, biomedical implants and microdevices. In particular, TPP microfabrication is very useful in tissue engineering and drug delivery due to its powerful fabrication capability for precise microstructures with high spatial resolution on both the microscopic and the nanometric scale. The design and fabrication of 3D hydrogels widely used in tissue engineering and drug delivery has been an important research area of TPP microfabrication. The resolution is a key parameter for 3D hydrogels to simulate the native 3D environment in which the cells reside and the drug is controlled to release with optimal temporal and spatial distribution in vitro and in vivo. The resolution of 3D hydrogels largely depends on the efficiency of TPP initiators. In this paper, we will review the widely used photoresists, the development of TPP photoinitiators, the strategies for improving the resolution and the microfabrication of 3D hydrogels.

Steering electromagnetic beams with conical curvature singularities.

We describe how the transformation-optics technique can be used to design an effective medium mimicking the conical curvature singularity. Anholonomic coordinate transformation gives rise to linear topological defects that break the rotational symmetry. The bending and splitting of the optical beams are found analytically and numerically, depending on the incident direction and the topological charge. Beyond their practical applications to omnidirectional beam steering for photonics, our findings set forth an attractive realm to simulate the relevant physical phenomena in the optical laboratory.

Two-photon induced photopolymerization using photoinitiator with an intramolecular radical quenching moiety for nanolithography.

We have investigated the photoinitiating properties of the photoinitiator 3,6-bis[2-(4-nitrophenyl)-ethynyl]-9-(4-methoxy-benzyl)-carbazole (BNMBC), which has an intramolecular radical quenching group "p-methoxybenzyl," in the substrate lines fabrication of two-photon induced photopolymerization (TPIP). Another photoinitiator 3,6-bis[2-(4-nitrophenyl)-ethynyl]-9-benzyl-carbazole (BNBC) with similar chemical structure but not radical quenching group was studied for comparison. Their photopolymerization properties were studied with resins in which BNBC and BNMBC were used as photoinitiators with a molar ratio of 0.02%, respectively. The linewidth of polymer lines fabricated by TPIP of the photoresist that contained BNMBC could be decreased to 65% of those using BNBC. Besides, we introduced a radical quencher, phenyl methyl ether (PhOCH3), to BNBC and further studied the photopolymerization properties by using BNBC, BNBC/PhOCH3 and BNMBC as photoinitiators with a molar ratio of 0.1%. The results further indicated that BNMBC was effective to confine the radical diffusion in polymerization due to the radical quenching effect of moiety. This intramolecular radical quenching moiety exhibited more effective confining effect of radical diffusion compared to the intermolecular radical quencher PhOCH3. Furthermore, arbitrary complex three-dimensional (3D) microstructure was achieved using the photoresist with photoinitiator BNMBC. The approach could open up broad prospect for improving the resolution in TPIP.

Asymmetric fishnet metamaterials with strong optical activity.

We investigate the optical properties of mono- and double-layer asymmetric fishnet metamaterials with orientated elliptical holes, which exhibit exotic spectral and polarization rotating characteristics in the visible spectral range. Our results show that nontrivial orientations of the holes with respect to the reciprocal lattice vectors of the periodic lattice in both systems produce strong polarization rotation as well as additional enhanced optical transmission peaks. Analysis of the electromagnetic field distribution shows the unusual effect is produced by the spinning localized surface plasmon resonances due to the asymmetric geometry. High sensitivity of the hybridized mode on the dielectric spacing, the aspect ratio of the holes and the embedding media in double-layer structure is also observed. The dependence of spectral and polarization response on the orientation of the holes and the embedding media is useful for design of chiral metamaterials at optical frequencies and tailoring the polarization behavior of the metallic nano-structures.

Gold nanoparticles prepared by glycinate ionic liquid assisted multi-photon photoreduction.

We have successfully prepared gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with flower-like and spherical morphology through multi-photon photoreduction (MPR) of an aqueous solution of HAuCl(4) and (2-hydroxyethyl) trimethylammonium glycinate ([HETMA][Gly]) ionic liquid (IL) through the use of a femtosecond laser. The results of (1)H NMR and UV-Vis absorption indicated that AuNPs were produced from the photoreduction of the [Gly]-Au(iii) complex. Spherical AuNPs of about 2.5 nm were obtained on the solution when irradiated for 2 h, then aggregated into flower-like AuNPs of several tens of nanometers assisted by the IL with an increase in the irradiation time. Furthermore, precipitates of spherical AuNPs with the size of around 15 nm were formed after being irradiated for 6 h. The mechanisms of the MPR reaction and controlled growth of AuNPs have also been discussed.

Hierarchical CdSe-gold hybrid nanocrystals: synthesis and optical properties.

The synthesis of hybrid nanostructures with controlled size, shape, composition and morphology has attracted increasing attention due to the fundamental and applicable interest. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis and optical properties of hierarchical CdSe-Au hybrid nanostructures with zinc blende (ZB) CdSe nanocrystals (NCs). For 3.5 nm ZB CdSe NCs, one Au cluster was deposited on each CdSe NC. Nevertheless, several Au clusters were selectively deposited on the apexes of 5 nm and 8 nm ZB CdSe NCs, resulting from the different reactivity of crystal facets. Furthermore, hierarchical CdSe-Au nanostructures with complex morphology were organized with the isolated CdSe-Au hybrid NCs by the coalescence of Au domains on the CdSe-Au hybrid NCs. UV-Vis spectra revealed a red tail upon the deposition of Au clusters. The chemical joint of Au on CdSe NCs was further confirmed by fluorescence quenching. The optical limiting performance of CdSe-Au hybrid NCs dispersed in toluene was investigated at 532 nm using a Nd:YAG laser with the pulse width of 8 ns.

C2v symmetrical two-photon polymerization initiators with anthracene core: synthesis, optical and initiating properties.

A series of C(2v) symmetrical two-photon absorption compounds with anthracene core, 2,7-bis[2-(4-substituted phenyl)-vinyl]-9,10-dipentyloxyanthracenes designated as I, II and III (the substituted groups at the 4-position of phenyl of I, II and III were dimethylamino, methyl and cyano, respectively) were designed and synthesized as initiators in two-photon induced polymerization (TPIP). The anthracene ring was modified by linking vinylphenyl groups to the 2,7-position to extend conjugation system length and two pentyloxy groups to the 9,10-position to serve as electronic donors. Two-photon absorption cross section of I was around 300 GM, which was much larger than the 10 GM of II and 29 GM of III at 800 nm. I of 0.18% molar ratio in resin composed of methacrylic acid and dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate exhibited a dramatically low threshold of 0.64 mW compared with commercial photoinitiator benzil at a scanning speed 10 µm s(-1). Moreover, the threshold of photoinitiator I was only increased to 2.53 mW at a scanning speed of 1000 µm s(-1). The dependency of threshold on the concentration and exposure time was in accordance with theoretical calculation. Finally, a reasonable mechanism of the two-photon initiating process was proposed. This study provides good prospects for developing low threshold photoinitiator in TPIP.

λ/30 inorganic features achieved by multi-photon 3D lithography.

It's critically important to construct arbitrary inorganic features with high resolution. As an inorganic photoresist, hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) has been patterned by irradiation sources with short wavelength, such as EUV and electron beam. However, the fabrication of three- dimensional nanoscale HSQ features utilizing infrared light sources is still challenging. Here, we demonstrate femtosecond laser direct writing (FsLDW) of HSQ through multi-photon absorption process. 26 nm feature size is achieved by using 780 nm fs laser, indicating super-diffraction limit photolithography of λ/30 for HSQ. HSQ microstructures by FsLDW possess nanoscale resolution, smooth surface, and thermal stability up to 600 °C. Furthermore, we perform FsLDW of HSQ to construct structural colour and Fresnel lens with desirable optical properties, thermal and chemical resistance. This study demonstrates that inorganic features can be flexibly achieved by FsLDW of HSQ, which would be prospective for fabricating micro-nano devices requiring nanoscale resolution, thermal and chemical resistance.