Laser Machining and Optical

Elements Fabrication
NARAYANA RAJU GOTTUMUKKALA
Content
Introduction Objective State of the Art

Experiment Results Challenges

Conclusions

2
Laser Micromachining
• Sapphire (Al2O3) has a transmission range from 0.15 to
5.5 µm, Mohs hardness of 9.0, high melting point 2050°C
and high chemical inert properties.
• Fused silica has a high melting temperature (1715°C), a
surface hardness of 6.0 Mohs, spectral transmission
range of 180 nm to 2 µm. Chemically it is only attacked by
hydrofluoric and phosphoric acid (Isotropic etching).
• It is hard to micromachine sapphire without high
production costs.

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CONVENTIONAL FABRICATION OF
MICRO-OPTICAL ELEMENTS
•Conventional fabrication of Micro-
optical elements involve CMOS
technology process – photoresist,
polymers, lithography masks, several
etching steps and etching chemicals.
•Follows well established CMOS
technologies. Quality of fabricated
lenses are very good.
•But, high cost of fabrication, high
fabrication steps, process times (in
orders of hours) and use of toxic H. Zuo, D. Choi, X. Gai, B. Luther-Davies, and B. Zhang, "CMOS compatible fabrication of
micro, nano convex silicon lens arrays by conformal chemical vapor deposition," Opt. Express
chemicals etchants. 25, 3069-3076 (2017).

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 REFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTS
•As sensors are scaling down
in size, MLAs are also needed. Light

•Higher sensitivity for the

photodiode. Micro lens array

•Most laser are Gaussian Light shielding layer

beam, and many applications Photodiode
require flat beam profile.
MLA can generate flat beam Silicon substrate
profile.

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DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTS
•DOEs operate by optical diffraction and
interference.
•DOEs provide a planar alternative to
traditional refractive lenses.
•As devices are scaling down, the planar
elements have tremendous potential and
applications in optoelectronic devices.

Thor labs MLAs

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STUDIES ON SAPPHIRE WET/DRY
ETCHING
The laser ablation of sapphire by irradiating its
interface with water and solutions of CrO3,
KMnO4, and toluene (carbon based). Other studies Laser beam
have shown stainless steel in place of solution for
sapphire ablation.
The lasers used are nanosecond pulsed lasers. The
wavelengths selected are transparent for sapphire Sapphire
and high absorption for solution or solid material.
For direct laser ablation, picosecond and
femtosecond pulsed lasers are used. The visible
and IR wavelengths can be used. Two photon
absorptions process occurs with very short pulsed
lasers. Solution / solid material

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OBJECTIVES
•High sapphire etching rate.
•Fabrication of MLAs on fused silica and sapphire.
•Fabrication of DOE on sapphire.

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EXPERIMENTAL SETUP FOR MICRO-
LENSES

remelted region
CO2 Laser Beam Ablated region Picosecond Ablated region Picosecond CO2 Laser
Laser Beam Laser Beam Beam

Fused Silica Fused Silica Fused Silica Fused Silica

Plano-concave lens fabrication Plano-convex and cylindrical lens fabrication
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EXPERIMENTAL SETUP FOR MICRO-
PATTERNING OF SAPPHIRE
• Objective lens of NA = 0.28 was
used to reduce the laser beam
spot size to 4 µm.
• High precision stage was used
to pattern diffraction gratings.
• Galvo was used to pattern
photon sieve.

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SAPPHIRE MACHINING
A. B.

SEM images of sapphire machining at 80% power. (A) 100 mm/s XY scanning. (B) 100 µm x 100 µm Via.

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SAPPHIRE MACHINING

Y X

XY

SEM images of sapphire machining at 70% power. (A) 200 mm/s XY scanning. (B) 100 µm x 100 µm Via.

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SAPPHIRE MACHINING

Etch depth vs number of passes for 70% Surface roughness vs number of passes for
power, 200 mm/s wrt scan direction 70 % power, 200 mm/s wrt/ scan direction

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RESULTS FOR MICRO-LENS ARRAY
PROPERTIES

▪ P LANO C ONCAVE LENS FABRICATED USING CW CO 2 LASER

▪ P LANO C ONCAVE L ENS F ABRICATED USING PICOSECOND PULSED LASER

▪ C YLINDRICAL L ENS F ABRICATION USING PICOSECOND AND CW CO 2 L ASER

▪ P LANO C ONVEX L ENS F ABRICATED USING PICOSECOND AND CW CO 2 L ASER
 CONCAVE LENS – CW CO2 LASER
A B

500 µm 500 µm

SEM image of concave MLAs using CO2 laser. (A) Individual concave lenses. (B) Concave
lenses with random overlap. Laser power density: 43.6 kW/cm2.

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 CONCAVE LENS – CW CO2 LASER
A. C. Simulated beam profile of Gaussian
beam after passing through the CO2
fabricated concave MLA at various
distances from the lens (A) 5 mm, and
500µm 500µm (B) 10 mm. Experimentally measured
beam profile after passing through the
CO2 concave MLA at various distances
from the lens (C) 5 mm, and (D) 10 mm.
B.
D.

500µm 500µm

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CONCAVE LENS – CW CO2 LASER
• Lens diameter: 421.94 µm
• Lens height: 27.4 µm
• Focal length: 1796.7 µm
• Transmission efficiency: 90.8%
• Beam Divergence:
• X: 6.13º
• Y: 8.04º
• Fabrication time: 1 min

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CONCAVE LENS – PICOSECOND LASER
A B

20 µm 100 µm

SEM image of concave MLAs using picosecond laser. (A) Individual concave lens. (B)
Concave lenses with random overlap. Laser energy density: 4.66 J/cm2.

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 CONCAVE LENS – PICOSECOND LASER
Simulated beam profile of Gaussian beam
A. C.
after passing through the picosecond laser
fabricated concave MLA at various distances
from the lens (A) 5 mm, and (B) 10 mm.
500 µm
Experimentally measured beam profile after
500 µm
passing through the picosecond laser
fabricated concave MLA at various distances
D. from the lens (C) 5 mm, and (D) 10 mm.
B.

500 µm 500 µm

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CONCAVE LENS – PICOSECOND LASER
• Lens diameter: 55.94 µm
• Lens height: 6.14 µm
• Focal length: 145.64 µm
• Transmission efficiency: 85.2%
• Beam Divergence:
• X: 11.99º
• Y: 15.09º
• Fabrication time: 2 min

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CYLINDRICAL LENS – PICOSECOND
AND CO2 LASER
A B

100 µm 100 µm

SEM image of (A) picosecond laser micromachined line pattern. Laser energy
density: 4.66 J/cm2. (B) cylindrical lenses after CO2 laser melting. Laser power
density: 25.2 kW/cm2.

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 CYLINDRICAL LENS – PICOSECOND
AND CO2 LASER
Simulated beam profile of Gaussian beam
A. C. after passing through the cylindrical MLA at
various distances from the lens (A) 5 mm,
and (B) 10 mm. Experimentally measured
beam profile after passing through the
500 µm 500 µm cylindrical MLA at various distances from
the lens (C) 5 mm, and (D) 10 mm.

B. D.

500 µm 500 µm

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CYLINDRICAL LENS – PICOSECOND
AND CO2 LASER
• Lens diameter: 24.39 µm
• Lens height: 3.1 µm
• Focal length: 55.69 µm
• Transmission efficiency: 86.7%
• Beam Divergence:
• X: 5.55º
• Y: 11.33º
• Fabrication time: 4 min

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 CONVEX LENS – PICOSECOND AND
CO2 LASER
A B

100 µm 100 µm

SEM image of (A) picosecond laser micromachined perpendicular line pattern. Laser
energy density: 4.66 J/cm2. (B) convex lenses after CO2 laser melting. Laser power
density: 25.2 kW/cm2.

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CONVEX LENS – PICOSECOND AND
CO2 LASER
A. D. Simulated beam profile of Gaussian beam after
passing through the convex MLA at various
distances from the lens (A) 5 mm, (B) 10 mm,
500 µm 500 µm and (C) flat top beam profile after beam passes
through MLA and convex lens. Experimentally
B. E. measured beam profile after passing through
the convex MLA at various distances from the
lens (D) 5 mm, (E) 10 mm, (F) flat top beam
500 µm 500 µm profile after beam passes through MLA and
convex lens.
C. F.

1 mm
1 mm

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CONVEX LENS – PICOSECOND AND
CO2 LASER
• Lens diameter: 63.74 µm
• Lens height: 6.5 µm
• Focal length: 177.49 µm
• Transmission efficiency: 84.3%
• Beam Divergence:
• X: 13.35º
• Y: 15.56º
• Fabrication time: 4 min

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CONCLUSIONS FOR MICRO-LENS
ARRAY
▪Laser processing provides low cost, high through put and generate high quality
optical elements.
▪Successfully fabricated and simulated plano-concave, plano-convex and
cylindrical lens using picosecond pulsed laser and CW CO2 laser.
▪We also measured beam characteristics for micro-lens arrays at different
distances. We measured high light transmission efficiencies of > 84%.

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RESULTS FOR DIFFRACTIVE OPTICAL ELEMENTS
Nanosecond
Pulsed laser

Sapphire Sapphire

▪ D IFFRACTION GRATING ON TOP SURFACE

▪ D IFFRACTION GRATINGS ON BOT TOM SURFACE

▪ P HOTON SIEVE

Matthew N. Julian, David G. MacDonnell, and Mool C. Gupta, "Fabrication of photon sieves by laser ablation and optical properties,"
Opt. Express 25, 31528-31538 (2017)
DIFFRACTION PATTERNS ON TOP
SURFACE
A B

5 µm 50 µm

SEM image of diffraction grating pattern when laser beam was focused on the top
surface. Laser energy density: 254.65 J/cm2

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DIFFRACTION PATTERNS ON TOP
SURFACE
• Line width: 4.47 µm
• Line spacing: 6.38 µm
• Diffraction angles:
• Calculated: 3.12º
• Measured: 2.26º

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DIFFRACTION PATTERNS ON TOP
SURFACE

Diffraction grating beam profile for pattern fabrication on the top surface.

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DIFFRACTION PATTERNS ON BOTTOM
SURFACE
A B

5 µm 50 µm

SEM image of diffraction grating pattern when laser beam was focused on the bottom
surface. Laser energy density: 254.65 J/cm2

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DIFFRACTION PATTERNS ON BOTTOM
SURFACE
• Line width: 4.4 µm
• Line spacing: 5.26 µm
• Diffraction angles:
• Calculated: 3.7º
• Measured: 3.4º

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 DIFFRACTION PATTERNS ON BOTTOM
SURFACE

Diffraction grating beam profile for pattern fabrication on the bottom surface.

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PHOTON SIEVE

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 PHOTON SIEVE
A. B.
• The focal point was at 77 mm
from the photon sieve surface.
• FWHM of He-Ne laser: 425
• FWHM at focal point : 112
• Focusing efficiency: 24.5%
800 µm 800 µm

Experimentally measured beam profile (A)He-Ne laser beam

profile, (B) beam profile after passing through the photon
sieve, 77 mm from the photon sieve surface.

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CONCLUSION FOR DOE
▪Successfully fabricated diffraction gratings by nanosecond pulsed laser and
measured beam characteristics.
▪Designed and fabricated photon sieve for 632 nm wavelength with focusing
efficiency of 24.5%.

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FUTURE WORK
▪The micro-lens array efficiencies are slightly hindered by defects at the edges of
the lenses, could be further improved.
▪For DOE, higher NA objective lens can further reduce the line widths and
fabricate photonic devices.

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