Micropatterning of Foturan photosensitive glass following exposure to MeV proton beams

Abstract

A new proton lithography mechanism has been identified and investigated: the micropatterning of photosensitive etchable glass based on the crystallization of the glass after irradiation with MeV protons and heat treatment. The use of MeV protons results in a significantly reduced minimum feature size compared with reported results using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and the threshold dose for etching is very low (4000 protons µm−2), offering the potential for creating complex microstructures by direct writing using very short exposures. The depth of the structures is determined only by the range of the protons in the glass, which allows structures with different depths to be fabricated. This technique appears to be very valuable for the rapid fabrication of high aspect ratio microstructures such as fluid networks and micro-optical devices in a material with useful optical and mechanical properties.

Effect of X-ray irradiation on solarization and crystallization of photosensitive glasses containing Ce, Sb, Sn and Ag

“…Similar to other glass-ceramic systems, the more nucleation sites leads to more reduction of crystallization temperature and finer crystalline size. Therefore, to attain the above-mentioned condition, various energetic radiation such as UV [2,3,5], laser beam [6,7], x [8], c [4] and proton [9,10] radiations have been used for different photosensitive glasses until now. As indicated in the above-mentioned equations, the mechanism of silver clustering is well known; however, it seems that the role of irradiation beam on the extension of solarization, crystallization temperature and the microstructure for various glasses needs to be studied more.…”

Processing of photosensitive APEX™ glass structures with smooth and transparent sidewalls

“…These silver atoms agglomerate and form nanoclusters. The temperature is further increased to 560 • C and held for about 100 min; during this step the crystalline-phase lithiummetasilicate Li 2 SiO 3 is formed around the silver clusters [21,22], resulting in a yellow or brown-colored glass (figure 2(a)) in the substrate regions that were exposed due to the scattering of light from the metallic clusters formed, and with different physical properties, such as coefficient of thermal expansion and optical refractive index, from the original glass [6,14,23]. Figure 2 illustrates some of the challenges associated with the bake process.…”

Effect of Ce, Sb, and Sn on Solarization and Crystallization of an X‐Ray‐Irradiated Photosensitive Glass

“…Similar to other glass–ceramic systems, more nucleation sites lead to more reduction of crystallization temperature and a finer crystalline size. To attain the above‐mentioned condition, various energetic radiations such as UV, 2,3,5 laser beam, 6,7 X, 8 γ, 4 and proton 9,10 radiations have been used for different glasses until now. The mechanism of silver clustering is well known; however, it seems that the role of an irradiation beam in the extension of solarization, crystallization temperature, and the microstructure for various glasses needs to be studied more.…”