Graduate Student, Materials Science and Engineering

Office:
3714 Beckman Institute

Telephone: 217-244-2460
E-mail: jwrinne@uiuc.edu

 

Genetic Algorithms for Design of Interference Lithography Experiments

Holographic lithography (HL) is a promising route to the fabrication of periodic microstructured materials. This approach employs the intensity distribution generated by interfering beams of a laser to produce optically structured materials. A fundamental challenge to this work is determining the relationship between a desired periodic microstructure and the various beam parameters that will yield that microstructure, i.e. polarization, amplitude, and phase. The focus of my work is to use computational search algorithms, like genetic algorithms and hill-climbing, to design the holographic beam parameters so that a given periodic microstructure can be obtained.

Recently, this computationally-based design approach was used to design a holographically definable micro-structure that approximates the rod-connected diamond structure (Fig. 1).1 The diamond-like holographic structure shown in Fig. 1(b) possesses a photonic band gap of 28% when replicated with silicon and could potentially be used as a platform for novel optoelectronic applications that interface with existing silicon-based technologies. We are currently in the process of producing this structure in our lab.

 

References

[1] J. W. Rinne and P. Wiltzius, "Design of holographic structures using genetic algorithms," Opt.      Express 14, 9909-9916 (2006).

This paper referenced above was published in Optics Express and is made available as an electronic reprint with the permission of OSA. Systematic or multiple reproduction or distribution to multiple locations via electronic or other means is prohibited and is subject to penalties under law.

People

• Prof. Pierre Wiltzius
• Dr. Masao Miyake
• Dr. Joe Geddes
• Robert Barry
• Andrew Brzezinski
• Christy Chen
• Sidhartha Gupta
• Vinayak Ramanan
• James Rinne