F/sub 2/-lasers: high-resolution micromachining system for shaping photonic components

Summary form only given. The F/sub 2/ laser defines the short-wavelength forefront of today's commercial laser systems. The 157 nm light supports high resolution patterning of /spl sim/100 nm features while a large 7.9 eV photon energy drives strong absorption mechanisms for processing our most difficult materials. The F/sub 2/ laser photons can access near-bandedge states in fused silica, germanosilicate, and other glasses to smoothly microsculpt surfaces and to imprint refractive index structures with /spl Delta/n>3 /spl times/10/sup -33,4/ for a broad range of new applications in photonics processing and trimming. Microfabrication also extends to weakly absorbing polymers like polyethylene, PMMA, and PTFE for potential, biomedical, electronic, and MEMS applications. This paper offers a progress report of the performance of this novel 157 nm processing system and examines the prospects for F/sub 2/ laser microfabrication of photonic components in the telecommunication and general optics manufacturing fields.