1.

GRATING MANUFACTURING PROCESS

The process applied for the manufacturing of the grating structure is a standard process which is used for many years. ZEISS has been manufacturing monolithic diffraction gratings for applications in the EUV, UV, VIS and NIR. This paper discusses monolithic gratings that are directly etched into a transparent material, in this case fused silica, and contain no organic residues or resists. In general holographic gratings can be produced into plane, curved (convex, concave or free-form shape) substrates [1-7] and prism substrates.

Concerning the final element is a spherical or aspherical grating, the manufacturing process starts with the prism substrate manufacturing. The surface which is supposed for the grating structure will be coated with a photoresist layer. ZEISS has established a homogeneous and reliable process for curved substrates, which enables the lithography on such substrates. The next process step is the holography. The holography will be done either by using a bi-directional opposing wave-approach [6] or using the symmetric approach (see. Fig. 1 left side) depending on the final grating structure. The bi-directional opposing wave-approach [65] results into an already blazed resist-grating structure and is highly adapted to the substrate curvature and grating parameters. The final process of etching the grating into the substrate is done by a proportional transfer ion beam etching process.

The complete process of manufacturing a monolithic grating is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1:

Complete in-house manufacturing process of master gratings

The method used Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis (RCWA) [8] that is known as well suited technique to simulate spectra or diffraction responses. The approximation of simulated efficiencies and polarization properties will be aligned with already manufactured grating profiles to achieve high conformity between theoretical simulation and manufactured profiles while analyzing their efficiency and polarization sensitivity.

Ray Tracing based simulations are used to simulate and optimize the holographic recording setup with its individual optical elements at their positions together with tolerancing calculations. The design of the exposure optics is adapted to achieve highest imaging quality with respect to blaze profile, line straightness and groove density variation.

In Fig. 2 left side the symmetric holographic exposure setup is shown for generating symmetric grating profiles, like sinusoidal, lamellar or binary. The Fig. 2 right side shows the opposing wave approach for generating blazed gratings already in the photoresist.

Fig. 2:

left side - the symmetric holographic exposure setup, right side - the opposing wave approach using a converging and diverging wave transmitting the grating substrate

The exposed photoresist will be developed and in the second step etched with ion beam etching processes.

The results for low aberration monolithic gratings were achieved using this process and manufacturing of the grating substrates with ZEISS-inhouse manufacuturing euqipment. The grating structure is directly etched into the grating substrate, in this case fused silica.

2.

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

The description of the manufacturing process characterizes the capabilities for designing and manufacturing of monolithic gratings with different surface profiles. In this chapter the experimental results will be discussed of an already manufactured modified grating profile with a period of 1000 l/mm and depth of 1.6μm on a plane substrate.

2.1

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS - EFFICIENCY ENHANCEMENT

The efficiency of the -1^st diffraction order (application order) was measured using a monochromator setup. The efficiency measurements were done in the wavelength range between 700nm and 1000nm. In Fig. 3 the results of the measurement of incident TE- and TM-polarized light are shown.

Fig. 3:

Efficiency measurement of the -1st diffracted order in transmission for TE- and TM-polarized incident light was using a monochromator setup AOI 20°.

The comparison of simulations with the experimental results shows that the simulated values are in a good accordance to the experimental results. A transmission of around 80% to 90% without Fresnel-reflection on the back surface was measured.

2.2

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS – POLARIZATION SENSITIVITY ENHANCEMENT

Beside the simulations of the polarization sensitivity, the efficiency measurement of the -1st diffraction order (application order) for TE- and TM-polarized incident light was used to calculate the measured polarization sensitivity. The polarization sensitivity is defined as the equation (T(s)-T(p))/ (T(s)+T(p))

In Fig. 4 the measured polarization sensitivity is shown.

Fig. 4:

Polarization sensitivity of the -1st diffracted order in transmission using TE- and TM-polarized incident light. The angle of incidence was 20°.

The experimental results are demonstrating that the modified lamellar grating structure lowers the polarization sensitivity below 5% for wavelengths smaller than 900nm and 10% for wavelengths between 900nm and 1000nm without any efficiency decrease. The comparison with the simulations shows equivalent values.

The principle of lowering the polarization sensitivity adapting the grating was shown and leads to a significant effect up to 10% lowering result.

2.3

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS – LOW ABBERATION GRATING

Besides the grating performance parameters like efficiency and polarization sensitivity the imaging performance of a grating is essential to provided high-sophisticated spectrometers.

During the complete manufacturing process of a grating the wavefront aberrations were measured. Processes are established to provide grating substrates with lowest wavefront aberrations. The holographic process is also optimized in order to minimize the wavefront aberration.

Recent results show that holographic gratings can be produced with aberrations below 10nm rms. Such wavefront aberrations can be achieved also on plane and on curved substrates as well.

In this paper we report on the wavefront measurement of a grating monolithically structured on a plane substrate. The wavefront was measured in an auto-collimation setup of an interferometer using the illumination wavelength of 633nm. The measurement was done in transmission at the application order.

Fig. 5:

Wavefront measurement of a plane grating in transmission. An rms value of 7nm was measured

3.

CONCLUSION

The paper presents an advanced manufacturing approach starting with the substrate manufacturing and the holographically recording in combination with ion beam plasma etching. This approach leads into an enhancement of the efficiency of a spectrometric grating in combination with lowering the polarization sensitivity.

Besides the parameters of the grating performance of the microstructure like efficiency and polarization sensitivity the imagining properties of those gratings are essential to provide lowest aberration images in the detector plane.

It was shown the actual approach of manufacturing gratings yields low aberrations with wavefront distortions below 7nm rms measured at 633nm at the application order. The values were measured in transmission which includes also the properties if the substrates together with the grating.

The efficiency with values between 70% and 80% show a high transmission in the investigated wavelength range between 700nm and 1000nm together with polarization sensitivities below 5% between 700nm and 900nm.

In conclusion the present results enable an improvement of instrumental performance towards throughput and the radiometric response.