A broadband transparent and flexible silver (Ag) mesh is presented experimentally for the first time for both efficient electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding in the X band and high-quality free-space optical (FSO) communication. High transmission is achieved in a broad wavelength range of 0.4-2.0 µm. The transmittance of the Ag mesh relative to the substrate is around 92% and the sheet resistance is as low as 7.12 Ω/sq. The Ag mesh/polyethylene (PE) achieves a high average EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of 28.8 dB in the X band with an overall transmittance of 80.9% at 550 nm. High-quality FSO communication with small power penalty is attributed to the high optical transmittance and the low haze at 1550 nm, superior to those of the Ag NW networks. With a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coating, the average EMI SE is still up to 26.2 dB and the overall transmittance is increased to 84.5% at 550 nm due to antireflection. The FSO communication does not change much due to the nearly unchanged optical property at 1550 nm. Both the EMI shielding performance and the FSO communication function maintain after 2-hour chemical corrosions as well as after 1000 bending cycles and twisting. Our PDMS/Ag mesh/PE sandwiched film can be self-cleaned, suitable for outdoor applications.

No abstract

By using a focused unit-order vortex beam generated by a spiral phase plate, it is possible to acquire ∼100 nm structures in direct-writing photolithography. This novel method is simple and inexpensive and can quickly fabricate nanometer-size dams or trenches that may have applications in nanoscale waveguides or micro- and nanofluidics. To overcome the defect of a small exposure dose tolerance in this method, which may lead to poor quality of the direct-writing lines, an alternative solution using a fractional-order vortex beam is proposed.

In this paper, a novel direct writing technique using submicron-diameter fibers is presented. The submicron-diameter fiber probe serves as a tightly confined point source and it adopts micro touch mode in the process of writing. The energy distribution of direct writing model is analyzed by Three-Dimension Finite-Difference Time-Domain method. Experiments demonstrate that submicron-diameter fiber direct writing has some advantages: simple process, 350-nm-resolution (lower than 442-nm-wavelength), large writing area, and controllable width of lines. In addition, by altering writing direction of lines, complex submicron patterns can be fabricated.

This paper presents an autofocusing system for laser direct writing on non-planar surfaces, including focus error signal detection and focusing control. The focus error signal detection is based on modified confocal techniques, which features easy implementation, independence of the tilt angles of non-planar surfaces, and excellent suppression of common-mode noise or variable system factors. We also present a macro/micro dual-drive mechanism and its synchronous operation for focusing control on non-planar surfaces. Finally, a performance evaluation of the autofocusing system is presented. The uniform line width of 2.1 μm for a pattern on a convex spherical substrate with a curvature radius of 100 mm shows the autofocusing system performs well.