Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) are well established as light sources in integrated photonics or for communication purposes. We investigate the VCSELs for their utilization as highly sensitive topography sensor. The system is based on creating a coupled resonator configuration with the VCSEL as a central element. In this context, the back reflection of a sample surface affects the internal resonator conditions of the VCSEL resulting in a change of the emitted wavelength and operating current, respectively, if the operating voltage is kept constant. Hereby, the signal change is mainly affected by the sample’s reflectivity and the length of the coupled resonator which offers the potential for different types of applications. Our experimental findings show that a measurable and reproducible change of the operating current can be detected when moving the sample by a few nm in vertical direction. The first experiments required additional bulky objective lenses to focus the emitted beam on the sample surface. To avoid such optical elements in the setup we printed a customized lens on the emission window of the VCSEL using a two-photon polymerization systems to realize a stand-alone integrated sensor. We will present our recent experimental and simulation results, show first topography measurements and discuss both possible future application in precision metrology as well as how the capability of the coupled resonator to change the emission wavelength enables a sensing concept without expensive electronic devices by using a glass substrate pre-structured with selective laser etching
Selective laser etching (SLE) enables highly precise 3-dimensional structuring of glasses with a resolution of a few µm. The procedure requires two main process steps. First, the desired structure design created beforehand is transferred inside the glass by a fs-pulsed laser. Subsequently, the glass is placed in acid or a lye, respectively, to etch the modified area. Hereby, the required liquid for the post-processing step depends on the used glass type. In our work, we performed a detailed investigation of the structuring of fused silica with subsequent etching by KOH solution. We studied the influence of different writing parameters such as laser power, repetition rate, polarization, stage motion speed and hatching distance towards an optimized surface roughness which is crucial for optical applications. Hereby, we were able to reliably achieve surface roughness values of ~40 nm and realize first waveguiding structures. Additionally, we also structured the glass periodically with feature sizes of less than 1 µm. The process developed is not limited to the structuring of flat glass substrates. Also standard glass fibers were employed to realize free access to the fiber core and create integrated optical structures for sensing. We will present our latest results of structuring and etching different types of glasses and geometries achieved by varying the laser parameters with and without a subsequent tempering step. Various optical structures were created and characterized as well as their feasibility for utilization as optical sensors demonstrated.
Selective laser etching (SLE) enables highly precise 3-dimensional structuring of glasses with a resolution as low a few μm. Two main process steps are necessary for this technique. First, the previously created design is written inside the glass by using fs-laser radiation. Subsequently, the glass is placed in acid or a lye, to etch the laser-modified area. Hereby, the required substance for the post-processing step depends on the used glass. In our work, we investigated the structuring of fused silica with subsequent etching with KOH in detail. We studied the influence of different writing parameters such as laser power, repetition rate, polarization, stage movement speed and hatching distance towards an optimized surface roughness which is crucial for optical applications. The technology is not limited to the structuring of flat glass substrates, but applicable to fibers, waveguides or more complex 3D structures as well. Also hollow-core fibers have been processed to create an inlet and outlet for fluids and standard glass fibers were etched to realize free access to the fiber core, respectively. Especially the latter process enables a wide field of further applications if e.g. metal organic frameworks will be applied for sensing purposes or further optical structures printed on their surface by using twophoton polymerization processes.
Self-written waveguides (SWWs) are established as interconnection between different optical elements. They enable a rigid and easy-to-manufacture low-loss optical connection, which can be employed in many optical configurations. For the writing process, a UV-curable monomer is applied in between the two optical elements which need to be connected. If UV- or near-UV light is applied through on of the elements (i.e. fiber), the monomer starts to polymerize and increases the refractive index locally leading to a self-trapping of the beam. Subsequently, the surrounding resin can be cured with UV-flood exposure to create a rigid connection between the two components. In recent works we demonstrated that SWWs can also be used as sensing elements. Hereby, the behavior of the SWW during the heating process itself was used for measuring of changes of the temperature. Another approach is the combination of SWWs with Fe(II)triazol-complexes to detect different physical parameters such as electric and magnetic fields or temperature and humidity changes, respectively. We also investigated the implementation of thin-film filters for splitting of an SWW in multiple beams, enabling us to create a reference and sensing arm for versatily measurement applications.
We investigated a novel sensor concept based on a coupled resonator configuration and the employment of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) sources. Hereby, the back reflection of a sample which is placed next to the emission window of the semiconductor based laser source affects the internal resonator conditions of the VCSEL. If the operating voltage is kept constant, the internal interaction results in a change of the emitted wavelength and operating current, respectively. First experiments show a reproducible change of the operating current when the sample is moved in vertical direction by a few nm. This behavior was previously verified with a simulation based on ANSYS Lumerical by creating distributed Bragg reflection (DBR) stacks with different layers and quantifying the influence of the movable third resonator surface on the emission wavelength.
In this work, we demonstrate a fabrication strategy for micro- and nanooptical structures by integrating UV-nanoimprint lithography (NIL) towards two-photon polymerization (2PP) for cost-effective scalable production. Herein, 2PP was first employed to create the structures. These were then used as master molds for the subsequent UV-NIL process for high-throughput replication. With this fabrication strategy, various structures with dimensions from sub-micrometer to centimeter scales were produced and replicated. High-quality UV imprinting of the 2PP-produced master sample can be realized. The demonstrated fabrication strategy exhibits great potential for applications in scalable production of optical and optoelectronic devices or systems.
Self-written waveguides (SWWs) are established to connect different optical elements with each other. They enable a rigid and easy-to-manufacture low-loss optical connection, which can be employed in many optical configurations. To create an optical interconnect, a UV-curable monomer is applied in between two optical elements. If near-UV light is propagated through one end, the monomer starts to polymerize locally and self-traps the light beam due to the increasing refractive index. Subsequently, the surrounding resin can be cured using UV-flood exposure creating a rigid connection between the two components. In recent works, we demonstrated that this technique can be used to connect laser diodes with a polymer waveguide directly without using UV light exposure and that it is also possible to overcome alignment offsets with respect to the optical axis. Here, we investigated how these structures can additionally be used as integrated sensing elements. A detailed analysis of the thermal behavior of the SWWs was performed, which yields an increase of the optical transmission with increasing temperature. We also investigated the implementation of thin-film filters for splitting an SWW in multiple beams, which enables us to create a reference and a sensing arm for measurement applications or to use the filter for wavelength demultiplexing. We performed a detailed investigation of the thermal behaviour and implemented thin-film filters for more complex functional structures.
We present a simple gas sensor based on planar polymer optical waveguides with MOF (ZIF-8) coating for carbon dioxide detection and sensing. The optical waveguides were made of PMMA and fabricated by hot embossing replication. A thin MOF film was uniformly grown on the waveguide sample surface through a simple solution method, which is crucial for the envisioned production of MOF-based sensing devices on large scale. The experimental results show that the produced optical elements exhibit high sensitivity and selectivity of CO2 gas with rapid response time and excellent reversibility of adsorption and desorption of the gas molecules. The demonstrated planar polymeric sensing devices provide the potential to develop flexible onchip gas sensors in an inexpensive and reproducible way.
We report on a novel sensor concept based on a coupled resonator configuration and the employment of vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) sources. The back reflection of a sample surface next to the emission window of the laser source affects the internal resonator conditions of the VCSEL resulting in a change of the emitted wavelength and operating current, respectively, if the operating voltage is kept constant. The behavior of the VCSEL in this scenario was investigated for both the near and the far field which offers the potential for different types of measurement applications. First experimental results show a measurable and reproducible change of the operating current when moving the sample by as little as a few nm in vertical direction. This behavior was also verified with a simulation based on ANSYS Lumerical by creating distributed Bragg reflection (DBR) stacks with different layers and quantifying the influence of the movable third resonator surface on the emission wavelength. In the next steps, the new sensor system will be integrated into an inline production chain for additive optics manufacturing to supervise the manufacturing accuracy and realize a feedback loop for the correction of process imperfections.
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