Transmittance enhancement of sapphires with antireflective subwavelength grating patterned UV polymer surface structures by soft lithography

Opt Express. 2013 Dec 2;21(24):29298-303. doi: 10.1364/OE.21.029298.

Abstract

We report the total and diffuse transmission enhancement of sapphires with the ultraviolet curable SU8 polymer surface structures consisting of conical subwavelength gratings (SWGs) at one- and both-side surfaces for different periods. The SWGs patterns on the silicon templates were transferred into the SU8 polymer film surface on sapphires by a simple and cost-effective soft lithography technique. For the fabricated samples, the surface morphologies, wetting behaviors, and optical characteristics were investigated. For theoretical optical analysis, a rigorous coupled-wave analysis method was used. At a period of 350 nm, the sample with SWGs on SU8 film/sapphire exhibited a hydrophobic surface and higher total transmittance compared to the bare sapphire over a wide wavelength of 450-1000 nm. As the period of SWGs was increased, the low total transmittance region of < 85% was shifted towards the longer wavelengths and became broader while the diffuse transmittance was increased (i.e., larger haze ratio). For the samples with SWGs at both-side surfaces, the total and diffuse transmittance spectra were further enhanced compared to the samples with SWGs at one-side surface. The theoretical optical calculation results showed a similar trend to the experimentally measured data.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption / radiation effects
  • Aluminum Oxide / chemistry*
  • Aluminum Oxide / radiation effects
  • Epoxy Compounds / chemistry*
  • Materials Testing
  • Molecular Imprinting / methods*
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Nanoparticles / radiation effects
  • Photography / methods*
  • Polymers / chemistry*
  • Refractometry / methods*
  • Surface Properties / radiation effects
  • Ultraviolet Rays

Substances

  • Epoxy Compounds
  • Polymers
  • SU-8 compound
  • Aluminum Oxide