Applied Surface Science, Vol.255, No.24, 9750-9753, 2009
Microlens arrays of high-refractive-index glass fabricated by femtosecond laser lithography
Microlens arrays of high-refractive-index glass GeO2-SiO2 were fabricated by femtosecond laser lithography assisted micromachining. GeO2-SiO2 thin glass films, which were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, have a refractive index of 1.4902 and exhibit high transparency at wavelengths longer than 320 nm. Using a femtosecond laser, three-dimensional patterns were written inside resists on GeO2-SiO2 films, and then the patterns were transferred to the underlying films by CHF3 and O-2 plasma treatments. This combined process enabled us to obtain uniform microlens structures with a diameter of 38 mu m. The heights of the transferred lenses were approximately one-quarter the height of the resist patterns, due to differences in the plasma etching rates between GeO2-SiO2 and the resist. The lens surfaces were smooth. When 632.8-nm-wavelength He-Ne laser light was normally coupled to the lenses, focal spots with a diameter of 3.0 mm were uniformly observed. The combined process was effective in fabricating three-dimensional surfaces of inorganic optical materials. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.