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Sub-diffraction limit laser ablation via multiple exposures using a digital micromirror device

Sub-diffraction limit laser ablation via multiple exposures using a digital micromirror device
Sub-diffraction limit laser ablation via multiple exposures using a digital micromirror device
We present the use of digital micromirror devices as variable illumination masks for pitch-splitting multiple exposures to laser machine the surfaces of materials. Ultrafast laser pulses of length 150 fs and 800 nm central wavelength were used for the sequential machining of contiguous patterns on the surface of samples in order to build up complex structures with sub-diffraction limit features. Machined patterns of tens to hundreds of micrometers in lateral dimensions with feature separations as low as 270 nm were produced in electroless nickel on an optical setup diffraction limited to 727 nm, showing a reduction factor below the Abbe diffraction limit of ~2.7×. This was compared to similar patterns in a photoresist optimized for two-photon absorption, which showed a reduction factor of only 2×, demonstrating that multiple exposures via ablation can produce a greater resolution enhancement than via two-photon polymerization.
0003-6935
6398-6404
Heath, Daniel
d53c269d-90d2-41e6-aa63-a03f8f014d21
Eason, Robert
e38684c3-d18c-41b9-a4aa-def67283b020
Mills, Benjamin
05f1886e-96ef-420f-b856-4115f4ab36d0
Feinäugle, Matthias
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Grant-Jacob, James
c5d144d8-3c43-4195-8e80-edd96bfda91b
Heath, Daniel
d53c269d-90d2-41e6-aa63-a03f8f014d21
Eason, Robert
e38684c3-d18c-41b9-a4aa-def67283b020
Mills, Benjamin
05f1886e-96ef-420f-b856-4115f4ab36d0
Feinäugle, Matthias
3b15dc5b-ff52-4232-9632-b1be238a750c
Grant-Jacob, James
c5d144d8-3c43-4195-8e80-edd96bfda91b

Heath, Daniel, Eason, Robert, Mills, Benjamin, Feinäugle, Matthias and Grant-Jacob, James (2017) Sub-diffraction limit laser ablation via multiple exposures using a digital micromirror device. Applied Optics, 6398-6404. (doi:10.1364/AO.56.006398).

Record type: Article

Abstract

We present the use of digital micromirror devices as variable illumination masks for pitch-splitting multiple exposures to laser machine the surfaces of materials. Ultrafast laser pulses of length 150 fs and 800 nm central wavelength were used for the sequential machining of contiguous patterns on the surface of samples in order to build up complex structures with sub-diffraction limit features. Machined patterns of tens to hundreds of micrometers in lateral dimensions with feature separations as low as 270 nm were produced in electroless nickel on an optical setup diffraction limited to 727 nm, showing a reduction factor below the Abbe diffraction limit of ~2.7×. This was compared to similar patterns in a photoresist optimized for two-photon absorption, which showed a reduction factor of only 2×, demonstrating that multiple exposures via ablation can produce a greater resolution enhancement than via two-photon polymerization.

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Accepted/In Press date: 7 July 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 1 August 2017

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 413647
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/413647
ISSN: 0003-6935
PURE UUID: c9a37ffc-8893-4960-811a-4ee514a62720
ORCID for Robert Eason: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9704-2204
ORCID for Benjamin Mills: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1784-1012
ORCID for James Grant-Jacob: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4270-4247

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Date deposited: 31 Aug 2017 16:31
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 05:41

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Contributors

Author: Daniel Heath
Author: Robert Eason ORCID iD
Author: Benjamin Mills ORCID iD
Author: Matthias Feinäugle
Author: James Grant-Jacob ORCID iD

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