Broadband and wide-angle antireflective subwavelength microstructures on zinc sulfide fabricated by femtosecond laser parallel multi-beam

High-Transmission Biomimetics Structural Surfaces Produced via Ultrafast Laser Manufacturing

Inspired by periodically aligned micro/nanostructures on biological surfaces, researchers have been fabricating biomimetic structures with superior performance. As a promising and versatile tool, an ultrafast laser combined with other forms of processing technology has been utilized to manufacture functional structures, e.g., the biomimetic subwavelength structures to restrain the surface Fresnel reflectance. In this review paper, we interpret the biomimetic mechanism of antireflective subwavelength structures (ARSSs) for high-transmission windows. Recent advances in the fabrication of ARSSs with an ultrafast laser are summarized and introduced. The limitations and challenges of laser processing technology are discussed, and the future prospects for advancement are outlined, too.

Broadband Antireflective Hybrid Micro/Nanostructure on Zinc Sulfide Fabricated by Optimal Bessel Femtosecond Laser

Enhancing the infrared window transmittance of zinc sulfide (ZnS) is important to improve the performance of infrared detector systems. In this work, a new hybrid micro/nanostructure was fabricated by an optimal Bessel femtosecond laser on ZnS substrate. The surface morphologies and profiles of ASS ablated by a 20× microscope objective Bessel beam are described, indicating that the nanoripples on the micropore were formed by the SPP interference and the SPP scattering in a particular direction. Further, the maximum average transmittance of ASS increased by 9.7% and 12.3% in the wavelength ranges of 5~12 μm and 8~12 μm, respectively. Finally, the antireflective mechanism of the hybrid micro/nanostructure is explored using the novel electromagnetic field model based on the FDTD method, and we attribute the stable antireflective performance of ASS in broadband to the interface effective dielectric effect and LLFE.

Antireflection microstructures fabricated on the surface of a LiGaSe2 nonlinear crystal

LiGaSe₂ is a propitious material for nonlinear parametric conversion in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) range. Its refractive index of n = 2.25 in the 2-12 µm wavelength range results in significant losses due to Fresnel reflection. However, the conventional method of increasing the transmittance with antireflection coatings (ARCs) significantly reduces the damage threshold of the material. Fabrication of the antireflection microstructures (ARMs) is an alternative approach for increasing the surface transmittance. In this work, ARMs were fabricated on the surface of a LiGaSe₂ crystal using a single-pulse femtosecond laser ablation method. An average transmittance of 97.2% in the 2-8 µm spectral range and the maximum transmittance of 98.6% at 4.1 µm were achieved.

Subwavelength Quasi-Periodic Array for Infrared Antireflection

Infrared antireflection of a zinc sulfide (ZnS) surface is important to improve performance of infrared detector systems. In this paper, double-pulse femtosecond laser micro-machining is proposed to fabricate a subwavelength quasi-periodic array (SQA) on ZnS substrate for infrared antireflection. The SQA consisting of approximately 30 million holes within a 2 × 2 cm² area is uniformly formed in a short time. The double-pulse beam can effectively suppress the surface plasma shielding effect, resulting in obtaining a larger array depth. Further, the SQA depth is tunable by changing pulse energy and pulse delay, and can be used to readily regulate the infrared transmittance spectra as well as hydrophobicity. Additionally, the optical field intensity distributions of the SQA simulated by the rigorous coupled-wave analysis method indicate the modulation effect by the array depth. Finally, the infrared imaging quality captured through an infrared window embedded SQA is evaluated by a self-built infrared detection system.

Thermally Reconfigurable Hologram Fabricated by Spatially Modulated Femtosecond Pulses on a Heat-Shrinkable Shape Memory Polymer for Holographic Multiplexing

Optical security involving the use of light to achieve distinctive vision effects has become a widely used approach for anticounterfeiting. Holographic multiplexing has attracted considerable interest in multiplexing security due to its high degree of freedom for manipulating the optical parameters of incident laser beams. However, the complex and time-consuming fabrication process of metasurface-based holograms and the sophisticated nature of holographic imaging systems have hindered the practical application of holographic multiplexing in anticounterfeiting. Combining holography with shape memory polymers to construct reconfigurable holograms provides a simple and efficient way for holographic multiplexing. This paper proposes a reconfigurable four-level amplitude hologram fabricated on a heat-shrinkable shape memory polymer using spatially modulated femtosecond laser pulses. Simply by triggering the shape recovery of the polymer through heating, the amplitude modulation of light by the hologram is reconfigured through the shrinking of processed microcrater pixels with three diameters, which enables variation to be achieved in reconstructed holographic images. Examples of holographic multiplexing and data encryption are used to validate the proposed method. The proposed economic and simple approach for holographic multiplexing provides an integrated and single-material solution to packaging and optical security, which has extensive potential in anticounterfeiting and optical encryption.

Fabrication of an Anti-Reflective Microstructure on ZnS by Femtosecond Laser Bessel Beams

As an important mid-infrared to far-infrared optical window, ZnS is extremely important to improve spectral transmission performance, especially in the military field. However, on account of the Fresnel reflection at the interface between the air and the high-strength substrate, surface optical loss occurs in the ZnS optical window. In this study, the concave antireflective sub-wavelength structures (ASS) on ZnS have been experimentally investigated to obtain high transmittance in the far-infrared spectral range from 6 μm to 10 μm. We proposed a simple method to fabricate microhole array ASS by femtosecond Bessel beam, which further increased the depth of the microholes and suppressed the thermal effects effectively, including the crack and recast layer of the microhole. The influence of different Gaussian and Bessel beam parameters on the microhole morphology were explored, and three ASS structures with different periods were prepared by the optimized Bessel parameters. Ultimately, the average transmittance of the sample with the ASS microhole array period of 2.6 μm increased by 4.1% in the 6 μm to 10 μm waveband, and the transmittance was increased by 5.7% at wavelength of 7.2 μm.

Enhanced light extraction of light-emitting diodes with micro patterns by femtosecond laser micromachining for visible light communication

A significant enhancement of light extraction of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with micro patterns has been experimentally investigated. The micro patterns on the surface of a polymer layer are fabricated by a femtosecond laser Bessel beam for obtaining microhole arrays with large depth, resulting in the reduction of photon loss by total internal reflection (TIR) at the surface of the LED. The light output power of the LED is apparently increased by introducing the array patterns without influencing its current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. Moreover, the electroluminescence spectra of a multi-color LED and its angular radiation profiles with orthogonal and hexagonal patterns also have been explored. In addition, the optical field distributions of the micro patterns simulated by the finite difference time domain method have expressed the modulation effect of the array depth. Finally, the patterned LED as a transmitter is embedded in the visible light communication system for evaluating the transmission signal quality.

Broad-Band Ultra-Low-Reflectivity Multiscale Micro-Nano Structures by the Combination of Femtosecond Laser Ablation and In Situ Deposition

Functional surfaces with broad-band ultralow optical reflection have many potential applications in areas like national defense and energy conversion. For efficient, high-quality manufacturing of material surfaces with antireflection features, a novel machining method for multiscale micro-nano structures is proposed. This method can enable the collaborative manufacturing of both microstructures via laser ablation and micro-nano structures with high porosity via in situ deposition, and it can simplify the fabrication process of multiscale micro-nano structures. As a result, substantially improved antireflection properties of the treated material surface can be realized by optimizing light trapping of the microstructures and enhancing the effective medium effect for the micro-nano structures with high porosity. In ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared regions, average reflectances, as low as 2.21 and 3.33%, are achieved for Si and Cu surfaces, respectively. Furthermore, the antireflection effect of the treated surface can also be extended to the mid-infrared wavelength range, where the average reflectances for the Si and Cu surfaces decrease to 5.28 and 5.18%, respectively. This novel collaborative manufacturing method is both simple and adaptable for different materials, which opens new doors for the preparation of broad-band ultra-low-reflectivity materials.

Creating a three-dimensional surface with antireflective properties by using femtosecond-laser Bessel-beam-assisted thermal oxidation

Metal surfaces with low reflectance have received considerable attention for their great optical, electrical, and thermal properties. However, the difficulty in achieving low reflectance on curved metal surfaces has hindered their practical applications. We propose a rapid and flexible method for processing a three-dimensional surface with antireflective properties. A Bessel beam created using an axicon is employed to generate ripple structures on the curved surface, thereby assisting subsequent thermal oxidation. Ripple structures coated with oxide semiconductor nanowires are then processed on a Cu substrate, thus further reducing reflectance. Antireflective properties with a minimum reflectance of less than 0.015 at a wavelength of 500-1200 nm could be achieved by using this method. This presented approach reduces dimensionality in laser processing, subsequently improving processing efficiency, and provides a foundation for the practical application of metal antireflective surfaces.