Pixelated Holographic Printing of Light-Reconfigurable Diffractive Optical Elements on Azobenzene Materials

In contrast to the advances in miniaturization of electronic components, optical components are often still very bulky. Control over material properties such as topography and refractive index is the key element for miniaturized optics, the fourth-generation optics.[l] We show that surface patterning of photo chromic materials using a digital holographic microscope (DHM) with integrated laser interference system provides a path to rapid fabrication of diffractive optical elements (DOEs).[2] The light-induced mass-migration of molecules, such as azobenzene, enables the inscription of topographies in a one-step photolithographic process, which poses a challenge to existing microfabrication methods. This method also enables real-time observation of surface modifications, thus the study and control of the material and inscribed patterns.