Surface plasticizing of chalcogenide glasses: a route for direct nanoimprint with multifunctional antireflective and highly hydrophobic structures

Abstract

Chalcogenide glasses are attractive materials for optical applications. However, these applications often require pattering of the surface with functional micro-/ nanostructures, which is challenging by traditional microfabrication. Here, we present a novel, robust, and scalable approach for the direct patterning of chalcogenide glasses, based on soft imprinting of a solvent-plasticized glass layer formed on the glass surface. We established a methodology for surfaces plasticizing, through tuning of its glass transition temperature by process conditions, without compromising on the chemical composition, structure, and optical properties of the plasticized layer. This control over the glass transition temperature allowed to imprint the surface of chalcogenide glass with features sized down to 20 nm, and achieve an unprecedented combination of full pattern transfer and complete maintenance of the shape of the imprinted substrate. We demonstrated two applications of our patterning approach: a diffraction grating, and a multifunctional pattern with both antireflective and highly hydrophobic water-repellent functionalities – a combination that has never been demonstrated for chalcogenide glasses. This work opens a new route for the nanofabrication of optical devices based on chalcogenide glasses and paves the way to numerous future applications for these important optical materials.

Highly Effective Index-Matching Antireflective Structures for Polymer Optics

“…Finally, besides the antireflective effect, the imprinted nanostructures are also supposed to be water-repellent. 34 This water-repellence is also inspired by nature and is often called the "lotus leaf effect". 35 Such an effect is beneficial for optical surfaces since it prevents continuous contamination that originates from ongoing condensation and evaporation of water.…”

“…Finally, besides the antireflective effect, the imprinted nanostructures are also supposed to be water-repellent . This water-repellence is also inspired by nature and is often called the “lotus leaf effect” .…”

Optical and chemical properties of As–Se and As–S–Se solution processed thin films prepared via As50Se50 source solution modification

“…19 The As 50 Se 50 glass is well-known for its photoinduced phenomena in thermally deposited thin films. 20 The solution-processed thin films have already been prepared from As 50 Se 50 , 21 As 40 Se 60 , 12,22 As 33 Se 67 , 23 and As 30 Se 70 11 as well as several compositions of the As-S-Se glass system. 23,24 Our work presents a comparative study of nine As-Se and As-S-Se compositions prepared from a single solvent (ethylenediamine), using the same mass concentration of a target glass composition by modifying the source solution of the As 50 Se 50 chalcogenide glass by elemental sulfur and selenium.…”