Active and adaptive optical methods for rapid fabrication of 3D photonic structures
Salter P., Simmonds R., Booth MJ.
We outline recent research into the application of adaptive optical techniques to the laser fabrication of threedimensional structures with sub-micrometer precision. Aberration correction can be implemented using deformable mirrors or liquid crystal spatial light modulators (LCSLMs). The correction ensures that the quality of the laser focus is maintained when focussing at depth into a material with high refractive index. Flexible parallel fabrication methods have been implemented using a LCSLM through both holographic beam shaping and an addressable microlens array. Applications have been shown in a range of high index materials, including diamond, lithium niobate and glasses. © 2012 SPIE.