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Formation of micro-optical structures by self-writing processes in photosensitive polymers

A local exposure of UV-sensitive polymers leads to a local curing. This corresponds to a saturable and irreversible nonlinear change of the refractive index, which evidently leads to a filamentation of the hardening polymer. This paper investigates the physical background of these effects and analyz...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics (2004) 2003-06, Vol.42 (18), p.3570-3579
Main Authors: Streppel, Ulrich, Dannberg, Peter, Wächter, Christoph, Bräuer, Andreas, Kowarschik, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A local exposure of UV-sensitive polymers leads to a local curing. This corresponds to a saturable and irreversible nonlinear change of the refractive index, which evidently leads to a filamentation of the hardening polymer. This paper investigates the physical background of these effects and analyzes how the different influencing factors could be used for a steered, partly self-written formation of micro-optical structures. The structure formation is simulated on the basis of an iterative beam propagation method with consideration of a set of process parameters, e.g., the photoinitiator concentration or the exposure intensity. It is shown theoretically as well as experimentally that a variation of material- and exposure-specific process parameters gives opportunities for a controlled structure formation. The experimental realization of a configuration by use of a beam shaper within a UV contact exposure process is presented by means of the preparation of high-aspect-ratio conic structures.
ISSN:1559-128X
DOI:10.1364/ao.42.003570