• Jorge, Pedro
• Viegas, J.
• Flores, R.
• Ribeiro, Ar
• Janeiro, R.

Abstract

Focused ion beam (FIB) patterning of 3D topography on optical fiber tips for application in stand-alone, rugged and simplified setups for optical tweezers cell sorters, optical near-field lithography and optical beam profile engineering are reported. We demonstrate various configurations based on single-step FIB patterning, multiple-step FIB processing and hybrid approaches based on optical fiber pre- and post-FIB treatment with either etching, fusion splicing, photo-polymerization or electroplating steps for optical fiber texture, topography and composition engineering. Different conductive coatings for minimal charge accumulation and beam drift are studied with the relative merits compared. Furthermore optimal beam parameters for accurate pattern replication and positioning are also presented. Measured experimental field profiles are compared with numerical simulations of fabricated optical fiber tips for fabrication accuracy evaluation. Applications employing these engineered fiber tips in the field of optical tweezers, optical vortex generation, photolithography, photo-polymerization and beam forming are presented.

Topics

• simulation
• focused ion beam
• texture
• etching
• forming
• lithography