Bioinspired antireflective subwavelength nanostructures induced by femtosecond laser for high transparency glass.

• Bioinspired from Cicada wing exhibiting high transparency at wide viewing angles. • Antireflective subwavelength nanostructures (ASS) fabricated by femtosecond laser. • ASS designed for high transmittance by rigorous coupled wave analysis. • Broadband antireflective arrays with hydrophobicity for high transparency glass. In nature, the Cicada wing exhibiting a high transparency at wide viewing angles can be bioinspired for the formation of broadband antireflective subwavelength nanostructures (ASS), which can significantly improve the transmittance of optical devices. In this study, a femtosecond laser micro-machining is developed to fabricate a biomimic nanostructure array on optical glass for antireflection. The underlying mechanism for the transmittance enhancement and geometry design of the artificial structure is thoroughly explored by applying a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method both in the visible and the near-infrared band. In addition, the height, diameter, and period of the ASS experimentally induced by the femtosecond laser are adjusted by controlling the laser-processing parameters of pulse energy and scanning velocity. Accordingly, the proposed bioinspired nanostructures featuring a wide-angle omnidirectional antireflection in the visible band, as well as hydrophobicity properties, are anticipated to be widely used in glass displays applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]