SBIR Phase I: Relief-Free Infrared Diffraction Optics Based on Semiconductor Materials

这项小型企业创新研究第一阶段研究项目将制造新一代无浮雕薄板半导体组件，包括工作在红外光谱区域的衍射光学和光子晶体，波长可达约10微米。一维或二维亚波长衍射栅结构的全息记录将使用已经演示的专利工艺来执行，该工艺显著改变了半导体材料的折射率。同样的工艺可以用于通过限定结构的几何形状的掩模来对投影在半导体表面上的各种复杂的相结构进行光学记录。采用物理全息方法来记录体相位全息图的可能性允许自动计算每个特定分量的所有特性，并补偿可能的缺陷。该技术将允许制造各种基于半导体材料的无浮雕亚波长衍射组件，包括光子晶体、衍射光栅、光谱滤光器、偏振分束器、延迟板、透镜、有效介质光学组件和减反射涂层。它还将允许制造工作在光谱的中红外(Mid-IR)和长波红外(LWIR)区域的亚波长衍射组件。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project will fabricate a new generation of relief-free thin-plate semiconductor components of diffraction optics and photonic crystals operating in the infrared spectral region up to wavelengths of about 10 micrometer. The holographic recording of the one-dimensional or two-dimensional sub-wavelength diffraction grating structures will be performed using an already demonstrated proprietary process, which dramatically changes the refractive index of the semiconductor material. The same process can be used for optical recording of various complicated phase structures projected on the semiconductor surface through a mask defining geometry of the structures. The possibility of employing the methods of physical holography for recording the volume phase holograms permit an automatic accounting for all particularities of each specific component with compensation of possible imperfections. The technology will permit fabrication of various relief-free sub-wavelength diffraction components based on semiconductor materials, including photonic crystals, diffraction gratings, spectral filters, polarizing beam splitters, retardation plates, lenses, effective medium optical components and anti-reflecting coatings. It will also allow manufacturing of sub-wavelength diffraction components operating in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) regions of the spectrum.