Modeling The Fabrication Of Nano-Optical Structures

Over the last two decades, considerable research has been devoted to micro-optic and now nano-optical structures. Fabrication methods have become sufficiently mature to realize most concepts, but due to physics inherent in the process, geometry is distorted. Edges are rounded, sidewalks are sloped, surfaces are rough, and etching or deposition not uniform. Deviations from perfect geometry can dramatically affect optical behavior. In order to address the impact of the non-perfect nature of fabrication, numerical methods for modeling fabrication is discussed and quantified for various examples. As an example, comprehensive modeling of near-field nano-patterning is described. Numerical and experimental results are presented of three-dimensional photonic crystals fabricated in a contact mask aligner using a standard UV lamp as the source