Abstract
Focused ion beam (FIB) systems based on high brightness plasma ion sources are becoming largely diffuse in material and semiconductor research, thanks to the higher current densities and milling rates provided by noble gas ions (e.g., Xe) compared with traditional liquid metal Ga FIBs. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of a rapid, direct milling of microlenses in glass substrates using high current Xe plasma FIB. We present quantitative analyses of roughness and profile of microlenses with diameters up to 230-µm and focal distances between 7 mm and 1.4 mm. We characterized the performance of the lenses by mapping the transmitted intensity through the lenses, by forming an image of a resolution object by scanning the focused spot and collecting the transmitted intensity, and in full-field imaging experiments. The results indicate the applicability of plasma focused ion beam systems for direct writing in glass of high-quality micro-optical elements with diffraction-limited focusing.
Highlights
Miniaturized lenses and optical elements enable numerous applications, among them micro-optics, photonics, digital displays and imaging systems
Focused ion beam (FIB) systems based on high brightness plasma ion sources are becoming largely diffuse in material and semiconductor research, thanks to the higher current densities and milling rates provided by noble gas ions (e.g., Xe) compared with traditional liquid metal Ga FIBs
We demonstrate the feasibility of a rapid, direct milling of microlenses in glass substrates using high current Xe plasma FIB
Summary
Miniaturized lenses (microlenses, μ-lenses) and optical elements enable numerous applications, among them micro-optics, photonics, digital displays and imaging systems. Focused ion beam (FIB) milling is a direct write technique that has been successfully applied for fabrication of a variety of optical elements [10,11] of complex shape in challenging substrates (e.g., the tip of an optical fiber [12,13]). We verify the feasibility of milling various refractive microlenses with large diameters (50-250 μm) with parabolic profile directly in glass using a relatively low-resolution, but high-speed P-FIB with high current Xe focused beams (>60 nA). Such large microlenses are currently not straightforward to fabricate using a Ga-FIB. We fabricate a series of microlenses with diameters >200 μm, characterize their profiles and demonstrate diffraction-limited optical performance demonstrating the feasibility of rapid microlens direct writing with high-current focused Xe beams
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
