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Optical bottle beams can be used to trap atoms and small low-index particles. We introduce a figure of merit (FoM) for optical bottle beams, specifically in the context of optical traps, and use it to compare optical bottle-beam traps obtained by three different methods. Using this FoM and an optimization algorithm, we identified the optical bottle-beam traps based on a Gaussian beam illuminating a metasurface that are superior in terms of power efficiency than existing approaches. We numerically demonstrate a silicon metasurface for creating an optical bottle-beam trap.

We designed a nanoscale light extractor (NLE) for the efficient outcoupling and beaming of broadband light emitted by shallow, negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond. The NLE consists of a patterned silicon layer on diamond and requires no etching of the diamond surface. Our design process is based on adjoint optimization using broadband time-domain simulations and yields structures that are inherently robust to positioning and fabrication errors. Our NLE functions like a transmission antenna for the NV center, enhancing the optical power extracted from an NV center positioned 10 nm below the diamond surface by a factor of more than 35, and beaming the light into a ±30° cone in the far field. This approach to light extraction can be readily adapted to other solid-state color centers.

LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) and DLP (Digital Light Processing) are mature non‐emissive display technologies. Both conventional LCoS and DLP use global illumination so that the whole display panel is illuminated regardless of the content. Therefore,it has challenges of high power consumption, low contrast ratio and so on. In this paper, we proposed a zonal illuminated LCoS and DLP systems, which greatly improve the contrast ratio and reduce the gray box artifacts. In addition, it saves >3x power consumption for typical sparse AR content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanoimprint lithography presents unique opportunities for advanced magnetic storage media with ordered bit arrangements such as bit patterned media or heated dot magnetic recording. Providing sub-10 nm resolution and full disk imprinting capability, UV-nanoimprint lithography based on rigid quartz templates bears the entitlement for patterned recording media manufacturing with high throughput at low cost. However, a key challenge is the fabrication of the high-resolution template that can transfer the desired pattern onto the disk with high fidelity and low line edge roughness. In this article, we present fabrication routes and overcome challenges to the fabrication of quartz templates suitable for self-alignment and guiding purposes to be used for template replication toward full disk imprints. Guiding patterns down to 40 nm pitch are prepared using a rotary electron beam lithography tool. We compare three different process approaches to fabricate an etching mask for patterning the quartz. Two methods target chromium patterning, one with traditional lift-off and another by dry etching, both using an e-beam resist mask. The third approach is based on the development of a carbon-based Tri-layer hard mask. The template pattern profile is optimized for imprint-suitable sidewall angles using dry etching in a CF4/O2 chemistry. The templates were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy to evaluate the quality of the transferred pattern as well as line edge roughness. Our results show that the Tri-layer process using carbon resulted in the lowest line edge roughness of ≈0.65 nm at the imprinted disk level. In addition, we show that Tri-layer masking allowed for the use of conventional ZEP e-beam resist and fast writing speeds, while gaining high selectivity during quartz patterning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical limiters are nonlinear devices that feature decreasing transmittance with increasing incident optical intensity, and thus can protect sensitive components from high‐intensity illumination. The ideal optical limiter reflects rather than absorbs light in its active ("limiting") state, minimizing risk of damage to the limiter itself. Previous efforts to realize reflective (rather than absorbing) limiters were based on embedding nonlinear layers into relatively thick multilayer photonic structures, resulting in substantial fabrication complexity, reduced speed and, in some instances, limited working bandwidth. In this paper, these tradeoffs are overcome by using the insulator‐to‐metal transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide (VO2) to achieve intensity‐dependent modulation of resonant transmission through aperture antennas. Due to the large change of optical properties across the IMT, low‐quality‐factor resonators are sufficient to achieve high on–off ratios in the transmittance of the limiter. As a result, our ultrathin reflective limiter (thickness ≈1/100 of the free‐space wavelength) is broadband in terms of operating wavelength (>2 µm at 10 µm) and angle of incidence (up to ≈50° away from the normal). Our analysis of the experimental results via opto‐thermal simulations provides insight into limiter performance and is a useful guidance for further engineering efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We demonstrate a passive down-conversion imaging system that converts broadband ultraviolet light to narrow-band green light while preserving the directionality of rays, and thus enabling direct down-conversion imaging. At the same time our system has high transparency in the visible, enabling superimposed visible and ultraviolet imaging. The frequency conversion is performed by a subwavelength-thickness transparent downconverter based on highly efficient CsPbBr3 nanocrystals incorporated into the focal plane of a simple telescope or relay-lens geometry. The resulting imaging performance of this down-conversion system approaches the diffraction limit. This demonstration sets the stage for the incorporation of other high-efficiency perovskite nanocrystal materials to enable passive multi-frequency conversion imaging systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We designed a nanoscale light extractor (NLE) for the efficient outcoupling and beaming of broadband light emitted by shallow, negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in bulk diamond. The NLE consists of a patterned silicon layer on diamond and requires no etching of the diamond surface. Our design process is based on adjoint optimization using broadband time-domain simulations and yields structures that are inherently robust to positioning and fabrication errors. Our NLE functions like a transmission antenna for the NV center, enhancing the optical power extracted from an NV center positioned 10 nm below the diamond surface by a factor of more than 35, and beaming the light into a ±30° cone in the far field. This approach to light extraction can be readily adapted to other solid-state color centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal emission is the radiation of electromagnetic waves from hot objects. The promise of thermal‐emission engineering for applications in energy harvesting, radiative cooling, and thermal camouflage has recently led to renewed research interest in this topic. However, accurate and precise measurements of thermal emission in a laboratory setting can be challenging in part due to the presence of background emission from the surrounding environment and the measurement instrument itself. This problem is especially acute for thermal emitters that have unconventional temperature dependence, operate at low temperatures, or are out of equilibrium. In this paper, general procedures are described, recommended, and demonstrated for thermal‐emission measurements that can accommodate such unconventional thermal emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using spectroscopic ellipsometry and rigorous coupled wave analysis, we studied the spin-coated resist coverage on 72.6 nm pitch line-and-space patterns of various depths (from ∼20 to ∼130 nm). Within the margin of measurement error, we find the tested nano-patterns have no apparent effect on the spin-coated resist thickness. The result suggests that, during the spinning, the resist ceased to flow at a critical thickness much larger than the pattern depth, and the resist thinning afterwards was dominated by solvent evaporation. The methods and results demonstrated in this work can improve the characterization and process control in a number of applications where spin coating on high-density nano-scale topographies is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chromium and its oxides are valuable as functional materials and plasma-etching hard masks in micro- and nanofabrication. While the continuous decrease in feature sizes opens new opportunities for applications of patterned chromium, the demands placed on the patterning process require a new level of mechanistic understanding. In this work, we investigate plasma etching with chlorine/oxygen chemistry using temperature and oxygen concentration as a means to controllably pattern chromium at the nanometer level. Building on our previous studies on blanket film chromium etching, we look here at patterned trenches 15–100 nm wide in 20 and 10 nm thick chromium films. We vary oxygen concentrations from 1.5% to 81% at substrate temperatures of +20 and −50 °C, respectively. Feature and trench profiles are evaluated from high-resolution cross-sectional SEM images. The ternary chromium etch product shows very different profiles as oxygen, temperature, and feature size are varied. We find the highest anisotropy at −50 °C and 50% oxygen concentration. Etch results suggest that the redeposition of nonvolatile intermediate reaction compounds enhances anisotropy at low temperature, whereas re-emission of reactive species causes undercut at the higher etching temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As demonstrated by Mikhail A. Kats and co-workers in article number 2100001, these devices have broadband transmittance for low-intensity illumination and high reflectance when the incident intensity increases, and thus help protect sensitive detectors from high-power illumination. The cover illustrates reflective optical limiters that incorporate phase-transition vanadium dioxide into arrays of metallic aperture antennas. The reflective high-intensity state minimizes absorption, and thus increases the damage threshold of the device. [Extracted from the article]

We demonstrate a smooth and low loss silver (Ag) optical superlens capable of resolving features at 1/12th of the illumination wavelength with high fidelity. This is made possible by utilizing state-of-the-art nanoimprint technology and intermediate wetting layer of germanium (Ge) for the growth of flat silver films with surface roughness at subnanometer scales. Our measurement of the resolved lines of 30 nm half-pitch shows a full-width at half-maximum better than 37 nm, in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. The development of this unique optical superlens leads promise to parallel imaging and nanofabrication in a single snapshot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical modulation of the effective refractive properties of a “fishnet” metamaterial with a Ag/Si/Ag heterostructure is demonstrated in the near-IR range and the associated fast dynamics of negative refractive index is studied by pump-probe method. Photoexcitation of the amorphous Si layer at visible wavelength and corresponding modification of its optical parameters is found to be responsible for the observed modulation of negative refractive index in near-IR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metamaterial comprising an ordered array of four metallic L-shaped components designed to operate in the mid-IR frequency regime has been fabricated and characterized. The fourfold rotational symmetry of the unit cell should suppress the undesirable bianisotropy observed for split-ring resonators. Nanoimprint lithography was used to demonstrate scalability for mass production. A dipole plasmon resonance with a negative permittivity and a magnetic resonance with a negative permeability were observed at wavelengths of 3.7 and 5.25 μm, respectively, in agreement with theoretical predictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have developed an approach to fabricate large area 50 nm period gratings (22 nm linewidth) with low cost. The method used a fabrication cycle twice, each combining nanoimprint lithography with a spatial frequency doubling based on electroless plating, lift-off, and reactive ion etching. Hence by frequency doubling twice, we started with a 200 nm period grating mold and finished with a 50 nm period grating with a uniform area of 3 cm2—the largest achieved today. This method is scalable for the fabrication of even smaller period gratings over a large area, and is a viable low-cost technique for making nanoimprint lithography molds for high-throughput fabrication of 50 nm period grating or grid devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We made uniform arrays of nanometer scale structures using nanoimprint lithography over large areas (100 mm wafers). The nanofluidic channels were further narrowed and sealed by techniques that are based on nonuniform deposition. The resulting sealed channels have a cross section as small as 10 nm by 50 nm, of great importance for confining biological molecules into ultrasmall spaces. These techniques can be valuable fabrication tools for Nanoelectromechanical Systems and Micro/ Nano Total Analysis Systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors have applied spectroscopic ellipsometry optical critical dimension (SE-OCD) measurement to grating templates and imprinted resist patterns with a pitch of 72.6 nm, corresponding to a track density of 350 ktpi (kilotracks per inch) for discreet track recording media. Their experiments indicate that SE-OCD is sensitive in detecting topography features in template profiles. The measurement of imprinted resist pattern is complicated by parameter correlation. Comparison of SE-OCD reported template and imprinted resist profiles can be used to study imprint pattern fidelity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reflective polarizer consisting of two layers of 190 nm period metal gratings was fabricated using nanoimprint lithography. Measurements with a He-Ne laser (wavelength=632.8 nm) showed that at normal incidence, this polarizer reflects light polarized perpendicular to the grating lines (transverse magnetic polarization) with a reflectance of 54%, but strongly absorbs parallel-polarized light (transverse electric polarization) with a reflectance of only 0.25%. The enhanced polarization extinction ratio of over 200 at this wavelength is possibly related to the resonance between the two layers of metal gratings. This polarizer is thin, compact, and is suited for integrated optical systems. © 2000 American Institute of Physics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalization of diamond surfaces with TEMPO and other surface paramagnetic species represents one approach to the implementation of novel chemical detection schemes that make use of shallow quantum color defects such as silicon-vacancy (SiV) and nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers. Yet, prior approaches to quantum-based chemical sensing have been hampered by the absence of high-quality surface functionalization schemes for linking radicals to diamond surfaces. Here, we demonstrate a highly controlled approach to the functionalization of diamond surfaces with carboxylic acid groups via all-carbon tethers of different lengths, followed by covalent chemistry to yield high-quality, TEMPO-modified surfaces. Our studies yield estimated surface densities of 4-amino-TEMPO of approximately 1.4 molecules nm -2 on nanodiamond (varying with molecular linker length) and 3.3 molecules nm -2 on planar diamond. These values are higher than those reported previously using other functionalization methods. The ζ-potential of nanodiamonds was used to track reaction progress and elucidate the regioselectivity of the reaction between ethenyl and carboxylate groups and surface radicals.

We present a low-cost overlay alignment metrology solution for nanoimprint lithography that uses optical microscopy, displacement-sensing algorithms, and specially-designed imprint molds that include shallow alignment marks that are visible to the optical system but do not pattern the wafer. This innovation reduces measurement distances to near zero, the optimal distance for displacement-sensing algorithms, and allows for alignment marks to occupy the same piece of wafer real estate without interfering in any way, thus saving silicon area. Additionally, the method we present does not require the comparison of alignment marks between the wafer and the mold, thus removing process variations as a variable. We fabricate the shallow-mark molds, show that the shallow alignment marks indeed do not leave a mark on the wafer, and, implementing our nDSE (nanoscale displacement sensing and estimation) techniques, we demonstrate nanoscale alignment to a precision of 35 nm, 1-sigma. Given sufficient engineering refinement, we would fully anticipate achieving alignment errors down to the 1 nm range using these methods.

We introduce the concept of wafer bowing to affect nanoimprinting. This approach allows a design that can fit the key imprinting mechanism into a compact module, which we have constructed and demonstrated with an overlay and resolution of <0.5 microm and <10 nm, respectively. In the short term, this wafer bowing approach makes nanoimprint lithography much more accessible to a broad range of researchers. More importantly, this approach eliminates machine movement other than wafer bowing and shortens the mechanical path; these will enable the achievement of excellent patterning and overlay at a much lower cost. In the long term, wafer bowing is extensible to step-and-repeat printing for volume manufacturing.

High density metal cross bars at 17 nm half-pitch were fabricated by nanoimprint lithography. Utilizing the superlattice nanowire pattern transfer technique, a 300-layer GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice was employed to produce an array of 150 Si nanowires (15 nm wide at 34 nm pitch) as an imprinting mold. A successful reproduction of the Si nanowire pattern was demonstrated. Furthermore, a cross-bar platinum nanowire array with a cell density of approximately 100 Gbit/cm(2) was fabricated by two consecutive imprinting processes.

The successful design of nanofluidic devices for the manipulation of biopolymers requires an understanding of how the predictions of soft condensed matter physics scale with device dimensions. Here we present measurements of DNA extended in nanochannels and show that below a critical width roughly twice the persistence length there is a crossover in the polymer physics.