Mass-producible microtags for security applications: calculated fabrication tolerances by rigorous coupled-wave analysis

Michael R. Descour; William C. Sweatt; Kevin D. Krenz

doi:10.1117/1.601961

1 April 1998 Mass-producible microtags for security applications: calculated fabrication tolerances by rigorous coupled-wave analysis

Michael R. Descour, William C. Sweatt, Kevin D. Krenz

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Optical Engineering, Vol. 37, Issue 4, (April 1998). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.601961

We develop a method for encoding phase and amplitude in microscopic computer-generated holograms (microtags) for security applications. An 8 x 8 cell phase-only and an 8 x 8 cell phase-and- amplitude microtag design are fabricated in photoresist using an extreme ultraviolet (13.4-nm) lithography (EUVL) tool. Each microtag measures 80x 160 xm and contains features 0.2 xm wide. Fraunhofer-zone diffraction patterns can be obtained from fabricated microtags without any intervening optics and compare very favorably with predicted diffraction patterns [Descour et al. (1996)]. We present the results of a rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) of microtags. Microtags are modeled as consisting of subwavelength gratings of a trapezoidal profile. Transverse-electric (TE) and TM readout polarizations are modeled. The analysis concerns the determination of optimal microtag-grating design parameter values and tolerances on those parameters. The parameters are grating wall-slope angle, grating duty cycle, grating depth, and metal coating thickness. Optimal microtag-grating parameter values result in maximum diffraction efficiency, which is calculated at 16% for microtag gratings in air and 12% for microtag gratings underneath a protective dielectric coating, within fabrication constraints. TM-polarized readout illumination is diffracted with higher efficiency than TE-polarized illumination by microtag gratings.

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Michael R. Descour, William C. Sweatt, and Kevin D. Krenz "Mass-producible microtags for security applications: calculated fabrication tolerances by rigorous coupled-wave analysis," Optical Engineering 37(4), (1 April 1998). https://doi.org/10.1117/1.601961

Published: 1 April 1998

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