The continuously increasing interest in flexible and integrated photonics requires new strategies for device manufacturing on arbitrary complex surfaces and with smallest possible size, respectively. Terahertz (THz) technology can particularly benefit from this achievement to make compact systems for emission, detection and on-demand manipulation of THz radiation. Here, we present a novel fabrication method to realize conformable terahertz metasurfaces. The flexible and versatile character of polymeric nanomembranes is combined with direct laser writing via two-photon polymerization to develop free-standing ultra-thin quasi-perfect plasmonic absorbers with an unprecedentedly high level of conformability. Moreover, revealing new flexible dielectric materials presenting low absorption and permittivity in the THz range, this work paves the way for the realization of ultra-thin, conformable hybrid or all-dielectric devices to enhance and enlarge the application of THz technologies, and flexible photonics in general.
Micro‐nano‐fabrication on objects with complex surfaces is essential for the development of technologies in the growing fields of flexible electronics and photonics. Various strategies are devised to extend the fabrication from conventional planar substrates to curved ones, however, significant challenges still exist, especially in the framework of 3D printing and additive manufacturing. In this study, a novel technique is presented to realize 3D micro‐structures on arbitrary complex surfaces providing an extreme level of conformability. This method relies on the fabrication of micro‐structures via two‐photon polymerization on polymeric nano‐membranes that can be efficiently transferred to a specific target. Ultra‐thin polymeric films are exploited as the support to suspend and transfer the printed micro‐structures on the predefined surface. The nanofilm can finally be easily removed, apart from the region underneath the printed elements where it serves as a few tens of nanometers adhesive. The repeatability and feasibility of the proposed process are investigated and shown to provide large flexibility of choice on the printed structures, materials used, transfer procedures, and targeted substrate geometries. By integration with standard fabrication processes, the described technique offers a great potential for the development of next‐generation multidimensional/multi‐material micro‐nano‐technologies.
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