Experimentally
obtained image of a Fresnel zone plate (left) for focusing light that is
fabricated with
plasmon-assisted etching. A two-dimensional array of pillar-supported
bowtie
nanoantennas [zoomed in image (right)] comprises this flat lens.
(January 27, 2016) Researchers
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a simplified
approach to fabricating flat, ultrathin optics. The new approach enables simple
etching without the use of acids or hazardous chemical etching agents.
“Our method brings us closer to making do-it-yourself optics
a reality by greatly simplifying the design iteration steps,” explained Kimani
Toussaint, an associate professor of mechanical science and engineering who led
the research published this week in Nature Communications. “The process
incorporates a nanostructured template that can be used to create many
different types of optical components without the need to go into a cleanroom
to make a new template each time a new optical component is needed.
“In recent years, the push to foster increased technological
innovation and basic scientific and engineering interest from the broadest
sectors of society has helped to accelerate the development of do-it-yourself
(DIY) components, particularly those related to low-cost microcontroller
boards,” Toussaint remarked. “Simplifying and reducing the steps between a
basic design and fabrication is the primary attraction of DIY kits, but
typically at the expense of quality. We present plasmon-assisted etching as an
approach to extend the DIY theme to optics with only a modest tradeoff in
quality, specifically, the table-top fabrication of planar optical components.”