Optical Systems
Research Accomplishments - Interferometric Nanolithography
Interference Pattern Formation from an Array of Coherent Laser Beams
In our research [1], we challenge the diffraction limit by using a multiple-beam interference pattern from an array of coherent light beams. Our investigations show that (i) the interference from multiple coherent laser beams results in a very sharp and narrow fringe lines (dots) and the feature size significantly smaller than l/4 can be achieved at certain conditions of the beam; (ii) the peak intensity of lines (dots) Ipeak resulted from multiple-beam interference has an N-square dependence to the power of each individual laser, i.e., IpeakµN2P0 where N is the number of beams and P0 is the power each laser and such N-square effect greatly reduces the power requirement of the light source; and (3) by electrically controlling the optical phase of each laser, it is very convenient to produce high-density and complicated one- or two-dimensional patterns.
- Y. Liu, J. Barhen, Y. Braiman, and J. X. Zhong, "Interference Pattern Formation from an Array of Coherent Laser Beams", submitted for publication (2002).
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