Abstract

Excimer-laser microetching of a variety of materials is applied to the fabrication of surface-relief optical microstructures of arbitrary morphology, with particular emphasis on computer-generated holographic structures. High-definition, high-radiation-intensity selective laser ablative etching in conjunction with step-and-repeat (period) replication or raster (pixel) scanning is used. To support such developments, the characteristic etching properties of a wide range of solid materials, from metals to semiconductors and polymers, are studied. Optical-interconnect and generic object holograms are produced by means of this alternative one-step holographic information-recording method.

© 1996 Optical Society of America

Etching and printing of diffractive optical microstructures by a femtosecond excimer laser

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