Two-photon microfabrication of switchable diffractive optical devices

Stephen M. Kuebler; K. Mohanalingam; Joseph W. Perry

doi:10.1117/12.595871

8 October 2004 Two-photon microfabrication of switchable diffractive optical devices

Stephen M. Kuebler, K. Mohanalingam, Joseph W. Perry

Proceedings Volume 5662, Fifth International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.595871
Event: Fifth International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication, 2004, Nara, Japan

Abstract

Electrically switchable liquid-crystal-filled optical gratings were fabricated using two-photon three-dimensional microfabrication based on two-photon-induced polymerization (TPIP). A tightly-focused femtosecond pulsed laser beam was used to pattern polymeric grating fringes with a period of 5 μm on glass substrate coated with indium tin oxide (ITO) and a rubbed polyimide liquid-crystal alignment layer. Switchable diffractive devices were prepared by sandwiching a cyanobiphenyl nematic liquid-crystal mixture between a patterned and a blank ITO/alignment layer-coated substrate such that the liquid-crystal director was parallel to the grating fringes. Application of a voltage across the ITO electrodes rotates the director to normal to the substrate surface leading to near index matching of the liquid crystal and polymer fringes and a strong reduction in the diffraction efficiency. These switchable liquid-crystal diffractive devices exhibit a switching contrast ranging from 17 to 100 for the ± 1 diffraction orders for s-polarized light at 3 V_pp. This work demonstrates the utility of TPIP microlithography for producing active micro-optical devices.

Citation Download Citation

Stephen M. Kuebler, K. Mohanalingam, and Joseph W. Perry "Two-photon microfabrication of switchable diffractive optical devices", Proc. SPIE 5662, Fifth International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication, (8 October 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.595871

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