STED Direct Laser Writing of 45 nm Width Nanowire

Controlled fabrication of 45 nm width nanowire using simulated emission depletion (STED) direct laser writing with a rod-shape effective focus spot is presented. In conventional STED direct laser writing, normally a donut-shaped depletion focus is used, and the minimum linewidth is restricted to 55 nm. In this work, we push this limit to sub-50 nm dimension with a rod-shape effective focus spot, which is the combination of a Gaussian excitation focus and twin-oval depletion focus. Effects of photoinitiator type, excitation laser power, and depletion laser power on the width of the nanowire are explored, respectively. Single nanowire with 45 nm width is obtained, which is λ/18 of excitation wavelength and the minimum linewidth in pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) photoresist. Our result accelerates the progress of achievable linewidth reduction in STED direct laser writing.

Study of the Reverse Saturate Absorption in Copper Phthalocyanine Solution

The nonlinear absorption (NLA) properties of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) acetone solution were investigated by femtosecond open-aperture (OA) Z-scan technique. The reverse saturable absorption (RSA) was observed, and it was found that the RSA effect was origin from three-photon absorption. Moreover, the influences of concentration and excitation laser power on the NLA of CuPc solution are studied. Results show that the RSA effect increases with the increase of sample concentration and excitation laser power. It indicates that the CuPc could be a promising candidate for optical limiting material.

Dependence of the Raman Spectrum of Silicon Nanowires on the Wire Environment

ABSTRACTThe large surface to volume ratio in nanometer sized wire structures cause a strong dependence of the optical Raman mode on the thermal conductivity of a surrounding medium. On the basis of optical measurements on silicon nanowires as a function of excitation laser power we explain the very large red-shifted Raman spectra observed already for moderate laser powers. This thermal effect is enhanced by a silicon oxide sheath, rendering a reduced thermal contact of the wires to the substrate. The intrinsic redshift due to spatial confinement in silicon nanowires is found to be smaller than 2 cm−1.