Depositing silicon dioxide (SiO2) over a square-patterned substrate could turn out to be an attractive route to making arrays of micro and nanosized lenses.
"There's no need for substrate etching and [the process] results in a high fill factor," said researchers.
Rather than conforming to the shape of the individual squares, the deposited SiO2 layer adopts an almost spherical profile that is suitable for optical applications.
The scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago, US, used e-beam lithography to pattern their sample, but point out that nano-imprint technologies could also be used to prepare the substrate.
