A method, system, and micro / nano structure fabrication method

Abstract

This invention provides a method, system, and micro / nano structure fabrication method. It utilizes an ultrafast laser to directly write micro / nano structures onto a workpiece fixed on a processing stage, thereby forming a micro / nano structure on the surface of the semi-finished product, resulting in a semi-finished product. At this stage, the semi-finished product surface has a boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and a rough structure. Ion beam polishing, a physical polishing method using physical bombardment, polishes the surface of the semi-finished product, eliminating the boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and rough structure without creating new material layers. This invention combines ultrafast laser and ion beam polishing technologies. Ultrafast lasers conveniently fabricate fine micro / nano structures on the surface of the workpiece, while ion beam polishing ensures a smooth and flat surface on the finished product. This avoids the technical problems of existing technologies that use chemical etching, which can lead to altered layers that change the geometric characteristics of the micro / nano structure and affect structural accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of micro-nano structure fabrication technology, specifically relating to a micro-nano structure fabrication method, system, and micro-nano structure. Background Technology

[0002] Micro- and nanostructures refer to structures with dimensions ranging from micrometers to nanometers. Due to their unique physical and chemical properties, these structures have shown great application potential in fields such as new energy materials, nanoelectronics, and biomedical engineering.

[0003] Laser micro-nano fabrication is a special ultra-precision processing technology that can easily process fine micro-nano structures on the surface of materials. With its advantages of high precision, high efficiency and large area, laser micro-nano fabrication technology has received widespread attention in the field.

[0004] During the laser processing of micro and nanostructures, a large amount of material sputtering and rough structures are generated due to the surface ablation effect. At the same time, when using laser direct writing of micro and nanostructures, it will inevitably affect the material in adjacent areas, resulting in boundary modification layer problems. These problems seriously hinder the application of lasers in micro and nanostructure processing.

[0005] In existing technologies, chemical etching using hydrofluoric acid and other methods is generally employed to eliminate boundary modification layers, sputtered materials, and rough structures. Although chemical etching can eliminate boundary modification layers, sputtered materials, and rough structures to a certain extent, it inevitably generates altered layers during the chemical etching process, thereby changing the geometric characteristics of micro and nanostructures and still having an adverse effect on the use of micro and nanostructures. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the technical problem in the prior art that after laser processing of micro / nano structures, chemical etching is used to remove boundary modification layers, sputtered materials, and rough structures, which can lead to the formation of altered layers and thus change the geometric characteristics of the micro / nano structures, thus still having an adverse effect on their use, this invention provides a micro / nano structure processing method, system, and micro / nano structure.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for fabricating micro / nano structures, the method comprising:

[0009] S1: Determine the laser parameters of the required ultrafast laser based on the processing requirements of micro / nano structures;

[0010] S2: Fix the workpiece to be processed, adjust the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser to focus the ultrafast laser on the surface of the workpiece; perform micro-nano structure processing on the surface of the workpiece using the ultrafast laser to obtain a semi-finished product;

[0011] S3: The surface of the semi-finished product is polished by ion beam to obtain a finished product with micro-nano structure.

[0012] Optionally, step S1 specifically includes determining the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser based on the target parameters of the micro / nano structure to be processed, wherein the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser include the light field intensity distribution and time-domain parameters of the ultrafast laser.

[0013] Optionally, step S3 specifically includes:

[0014] S3.1: Obtain the morphological and chemical characteristics of the surface of the semi-finished product;

[0015] S3.2: Based on the morphological characteristics, chemical characteristics, and target parameters of the micro / nano structure of the semi-finished product surface, obtain polishing parameters, and adjust the ion beam parameters according to the polishing parameters;

[0016] S3.3: Ion beam polishing is performed on the surface of the semi-finished product to obtain a finished product with micro-nano structures.

[0017] Optionally, in step S3.1, the obtained morphological features of the semi-finished product surface include: the two-dimensional morphology, three-dimensional morphology, and boundary modification layer information of the semi-finished product surface.

[0018] The chemical characteristics of the obtained semi-finished product surface include: the degree of material modification caused by ultrafast laser processing of micro-nano structures on the surface of the workpiece;

[0019] The polishing parameters include: material removal thickness, material removal efficiency, and removal rate.

[0020] Optionally, the ion beam parameters adjusted in step S3.2 include ion beam irradiation time, ion beam current magnitude, and ion beam incident angle.

[0021] Optionally, in step S3.2, when adjusting the ion beam parameters, the ion beam irradiation time is proportional to the material removal thickness; the ion beam current is proportional to the material removal efficiency; and the ion beam incident angle is proportional to the removal rate.

[0022] Optionally, step S2 specifically includes:

[0023] S2.1: Fix and install the workpiece to be processed;

[0024] S2.2: Adjust the ultrafast laser parameters according to the required ultrafast laser parameters; and use the laser shaping module to adjust the ultrafast laser beam in the ultrafast laser optical path so that the ultrafast laser is focused on the surface of the workpiece.

[0025] S2.3: Micro-nano structure processing is performed on the surface of the workpiece using ultrafast lasers to obtain a semi-finished product.

[0026] Optionally, in step S3, argon is used as the polishing gas when ion beam polishing the semi-finished product.

[0027] Secondly, the present invention also provides a micro / nano structure fabrication system for any of the micro / nano structure fabrication methods described above, comprising:

[0028] Lasers, processing tables, and ion polishers;

[0029] The laser is movably positioned above the processing table;

[0030] The processing table is used to fix the workpiece to be processed.

[0031] The laser is used to output ultrafast laser to perform micro-nano structure processing on the surface of the workpiece, making the workpiece a semi-finished product.

[0032] The ion polisher is used to polish the semi-finished product with ion beam to obtain the finished product with micro-nano structure.

[0033] Thirdly, the present invention also provides a micro / nano structure, which is generated based on any of the micro / nano structure fabrication methods described above.

[0034] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0035] This invention provides a method for fabricating micro / nano structures. It utilizes an ultrafast laser to directly write micro / nano structures onto a workpiece fixed on a processing stage, thereby forming a micro / nano structure on the surface of the semi-finished product. The semi-finished product surface initially contains a boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and a rough structure. Ion beam polishing, a physical polishing method using physical bombardment, removes the boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and rough structure from the semi-finished product surface without creating new material layers. This invention combines ultrafast laser and ion beam polishing technologies. Ultrafast lasers conveniently fabricate fine micro / nano structures on the workpiece surface, while ion beam polishing ensures a smooth and flat surface on the finished product. This avoids the technical problems of existing technologies that use chemical etching, which can lead to altered layers that change the geometric characteristics of the micro / nano structure and affect structural accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the micro / nano structure fabrication method in this invention;

[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the fabrication process of the micro / nano structure in this invention;

[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the semi-finished product in this invention;

[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the finished product obtained after ion beam polishing in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0040] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention or its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0041] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0042] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0043] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. The directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0044] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0045] This invention provides a method for fabricating micro-nano structures. The following will describe the micro-nano structure fabrication method provided by this invention with reference to embodiments.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a micro / nano structure fabrication method according to the present invention, which includes:

[0048] S1: Determine the laser parameters of the required ultrafast laser based on the processing requirements of micro / nano structures;

[0049] S2: Fix the workpiece to be processed, adjust the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser to focus the ultrafast laser on the surface of the workpiece; perform micro-nano structure processing on the surface of the workpiece using the ultrafast laser to obtain a semi-finished product;

[0050] S3: The surface of the semi-finished product is polished by ion beam to obtain a finished product with micro-nano structure.

[0051] This embodiment provides a method for fabricating micro / nano structures. Ultrafast lasers are used to directly write micro / nano structures onto a workpiece fixed on a processing stage, forming a micro / nano structure on the surface of the semi-finished product. The semi-finished product surface currently has a boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and a rough structure. Ion beam polishing, a physical polishing method using physical bombardment, is then applied to polish the surface of the semi-finished product, eliminating the boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and rough structure without creating new material layers. This invention combines ultrafast laser and ion beam polishing technologies. Ultrafast lasers conveniently fabricate fine micro / nano structures on the surface of the workpiece, while ion beam polishing ensures a smooth and flat surface on the finished product. This avoids the technical problems of existing technologies that use chemical etching, which can lead to altered layers, changing the geometric characteristics of the micro / nano structure and affecting structural accuracy.

[0052] Optionally, step S1 in this invention specifically includes determining the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser based on the target parameters of the micro / nano structure to be processed, wherein the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser include the light field intensity distribution and time-domain parameters of the ultrafast laser.

[0053] Optionally, step S3 specifically includes:

[0054] S3.1: Obtain the morphological and chemical characteristics of the surface of the semi-finished product;

[0055] S3.2: Based on the morphological and chemical characteristics of the semi-finished product surface and the target parameters of the micro / nano structure, obtain the polishing parameters, and adjust the ion beam parameters according to the polishing parameters;

[0056] S3.3: Ion beam polishing is performed on the surface of the semi-finished product to obtain a finished product with micro-nano structures.

[0057] In this embodiment, after obtaining the morphological and chemical characteristics of the semi-finished product surface, the morphological and chemical characteristics of the semi-finished product surface are compared with the target parameters of the micro-nano structure to determine the polishing parameters of the ion beam polishing treatment. The ion beam parameters are adjusted according to the polishing parameters so that the micro-nano structure of the polished product meets the target parameters, thus ensuring the structural accuracy of the micro-nano structure.

[0058] Optionally, in step S3.1 of the present invention, the obtained morphological features of the semi-finished product surface include: two-dimensional morphology, three-dimensional morphology and boundary modification layer information of the semi-finished product surface;

[0059] The chemical characteristics of the obtained semi-finished product surface include: the degree of material modification caused by ultrafast laser processing of micro-nano structures on the surface of the workpiece;

[0060] The polishing parameters include: material removal thickness, material removal efficiency, and removal rate.

[0061] Furthermore, the two-dimensional morphology of the semi-finished product surface can be obtained using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy; the three-dimensional morphology can be obtained using atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy; the boundary modification layer information can be obtained using scanning electron microscopy, ion imaging testing, or spectral analysis; the chemical characteristics of the obtained semi-finished product surface can be obtained using spectral analysis; based on the obtained two-dimensional morphology, three-dimensional morphology, and boundary modification layer information of the semi-finished product surface, combined with the target parameters of the micro / nano structure, the material removal thickness, material removal efficiency, and removal rate in the polishing parameters are adjusted.

[0062] Optionally, the ion beam polishing parameters adjusted in step S3.2 of the present invention include ion beam irradiation time, ion beam current magnitude, and ion beam incident angle.

[0063] Optionally, in step S3.2 of the present invention, when adjusting the ion beam parameters, the ion beam irradiation time is proportional to the material removal thickness; the ion beam current is proportional to the material removal efficiency; and the ion beam incident angle is proportional to the removal rate.

[0064] In this embodiment, based on the relationship between polishing parameters and ion beam parameters, namely, the ion beam irradiation time is proportional to the material removal thickness; the ion beam current is proportional to the material removal efficiency; and the ion beam incident angle is proportional to the removal rate, the ion beam parameters are adjusted so that after ion beam polishing of the semi-finished product, the actual parameters of the micro-nano structure can reach the target parameter standard.

[0065] Furthermore, by adjusting the parameters of the ion beam, the ion beam can be used to adjust the micro- and nano-structures during the polishing process.

[0066] For example, if a Wiener structure point array is obtained after processing with an ultrafast laser single pulse, and it is needed to be used as a 130-degree microlens array, it can be obtained by ion beam polishing with an ion beam current of 7 keV, an ion beam incident angle of 5 degrees, and an ion beam irradiation time of 50 min.

[0067] Furthermore, in practical applications, staff can also obtain the ion beam parameters required for ion beam polishing through experimental polishing tests.

[0068] Optionally, step S2 of the present invention specifically includes:

[0069] S2.1: Fix and install the workpiece to be processed;

[0070] S2.2: Adjust the ultrafast laser parameters according to the required ultrafast laser parameters; and use the laser shaping module to adjust the ultrafast laser beam in the ultrafast laser optical path so that the ultrafast laser is focused on the surface of the workpiece.

[0071] S2.3: Micro-nano structure processing is performed on the surface of the workpiece using ultrafast lasers to obtain a semi-finished product.

[0072] In this embodiment, ultrafast lasers are used to process micro-nano structures on the workpiece, offering advantages such as high precision, high efficiency, and large area. The invention also utilizes a laser shaping module to adjust the laser beam, focusing the ultrafast laser onto the surface of the workpiece.

[0073] Furthermore, the ultrafast laser in this embodiment is a single-pulse ultrafast laser.

[0074] Optionally, argon is used as the polishing gas when ion beam polishing the semi-finished product in this invention.

[0075] In this embodiment, when performing ion beam polishing on the semi-finished product, the semi-finished product is placed in the vacuum chamber of the ion polisher. Argon gas is injected into the vacuum chamber, and discharge is generated through electrodes, decomposing it into argon ions. These ions serve as the ion source, and after being accelerated and focused by an optical grating system, they form an ion beam with a Gaussian distribution. This ion beam interacts with the surface of the semi-finished product, causing sputtering phenomena and ejecting surface atoms, thereby removing the boundary modification layer, sputtered material, and rough structure problems generated after ultrafast laser processing.

[0076] In this embodiment, the combination of ultrafast laser selective processing and ion beam polishing can achieve high-quality processing with fewer defects on the surface of micro-nano structures, which can meet the optical design requirements of anti-reflection, hydrophobicity, metasurface, etc., and has positive significance in the application field of micro-nano structures.

[0077] Example 2

[0078] Secondly, the present invention also provides a micro / nano structure fabrication system for any of the micro / nano structure fabrication methods in Example 1, comprising:

[0079] Lasers, processing tables, and ion polishers;

[0080] The laser is mounted above the processing table.

[0081] The processing table is used to fix and mount the workpiece to be processed;

[0082] A laser is used to output ultrafast laser light to perform micro- and nano-structure processing on the surface of the workpiece, making the workpiece a semi-finished product.

[0083] Ion polishing equipment is used to polish semi-finished products with ion beams to obtain finished products with micro-nano structures.

[0084] In this embodiment, a micro / nano structure fabrication system is provided. It should be noted that the micro / nano structure fabrication system in this embodiment corresponds to the micro / nano structure fabrication method in Embodiment 1, and its usage and beneficial effects are the same, so they will not be described again here. The micro / nano structure fabrication system provided in this embodiment avoids the technical problem in the prior art where chemical etching leads to the formation of a modified layer, which alters the geometric characteristics of the micro / nano structure and affects the structural accuracy.

[0085] Furthermore, the processing stage can be a three-dimensional displacement platform, enabling micron-scale movement in the X, Y, and Z axes to precisely move the workpiece, facilitating the processing of micro and nano structures using ultrafast lasers.

[0086] Furthermore, the ion polisher can be specifically selected as a Leica ion polisher, which uses a high-current-density argon triple ion beam to polish the laser-processed sample.

[0087] Example 3

[0088] Thirdly, the present invention also provides a micro / nano structure, which is generated according to any of the micro / nano structure fabrication methods provided in Example 1.

[0089] The above-described micro / nano structure fabrication method can be referred to in Example 1, but for the sake of brevity, it will not be described in detail in this example. The specific styles and structures of micro / nano structures are also well known to those skilled in the art, and will not be elaborated on here.

[0090] The micro-nano structures provided by this invention are fabricated using the micro-nano structure processing method of this invention, thus avoiding the formation of altered layers by chemical etching. This results in higher precision for the micro-nano structures, meeting the technical requirements in this field and having positive significance for the development and application of micro-nano structures.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating micro / nano structures, characterized in that, The micro / nano structure fabrication method includes: S1: Determine the laser parameters of the required ultrafast laser based on the processing requirements of micro / nano structures; S2: Fix the workpiece to be processed, adjust the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser to focus the ultrafast laser on the surface of the workpiece; perform micro-nano structure processing on the surface of the workpiece using the ultrafast laser to obtain a semi-finished product; S3: Using argon gas as the polishing gas, the surface of the semi-finished product is subjected to ion beam polishing to obtain a finished product with micro-nano structures. Step S3 specifically includes: S3.1: Obtain the morphological and chemical characteristics of the surface of the semi-finished product; In step S3.1, the obtained morphological features of the semi-finished product surface include: two-dimensional morphology, three-dimensional morphology, and boundary modification layer information of the semi-finished product surface; the obtained chemical features of the semi-finished product surface include: the degree of material modification when ultrafast laser performs micro-nano structure processing on the surface of the workpiece; the polishing parameters include: material removal thickness, material removal efficiency, and removal rate. S3.2: Based on the morphological characteristics, chemical characteristics, and target parameters of the micro / nano structure of the semi-finished product surface, obtain polishing parameters, and adjust the ion beam parameters according to the polishing parameters; S3.3: Ion beam polishing is performed on the surface of the semi-finished product to obtain a finished product with micro-nano structures.

2. The micro / nano structure fabrication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S1 specifically includes determining the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser based on the target parameters of the micro / nano structure to be processed, wherein the laser parameters of the ultrafast laser include the light field intensity distribution and time-domain parameters of the ultrafast laser.

3. The micro / nano structure fabrication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ion beam parameters adjusted in step S3.2 include ion beam irradiation time, ion beam current, and ion beam incident angle.

4. The micro / nano structure fabrication method according to claim 3, characterized in that, In step S3.2, when adjusting the ion beam parameters, the ion beam irradiation time is proportional to the material removal thickness; the ion beam current is proportional to the material removal efficiency; and the ion beam incident angle is proportional to the removal rate.

5. The micro / nano structure fabrication method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S2 specifically includes: S2.1: Fix and install the workpiece to be processed; S2.2: Adjust the ultrafast laser parameters according to the required ultrafast laser parameters; and use the laser shaping module to adjust the ultrafast laser beam in the ultrafast laser optical path so that the ultrafast laser is focused on the surface of the workpiece. S2.3: Micro-nano structure processing is performed on the surface of the workpiece using ultrafast lasers to obtain a semi-finished product.

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