AI Article Synopsis

  • A method for fabricating microstructures on optical fiber tips is introduced using a UV soft-imprint technique with ionic liquid-based optical resist, avoiding the need for harmful organic solvents.
  • The study investigates how the amount of propylene glycol and UV exposure affects the optical and mechanical properties of the imprinted structures.
  • The final product includes diffraction gratings and a grism component that enhances optical spectrum dispersion, emphasizing a simplified and environmentally friendly fabrication process through tailored molecular design.

Article Abstract

We present a method of microstructure fabrication on the tip of the optical fiber using a UV soft-imprint process of polymerizable ionic liquid-based optical resist. Ionic liquid with two UV-sensitive vinylbenzyl groups in the structure was diluted in non-hazardous propylene glycol (PG) to obtain liquid material for imprinting. No additional organic solvent was required. The impact of propylene glycol amount and exposure dose on optical and mechanical properties was investigated. The final procedure of the UV imprint on the optical fiber tip was developed, including the mold preparation, setup building, UV exposure and post-laser cure. As the IL-containing vinylbenzyl groups can also be polymerized by the radical rearrangement of double bonds through thermal heating, the influence of the addition of 1-2% BHT polymerization inhibitor was verified. As a result, we present the fabricated diffraction gratings and the optical fiber spectrometer component-grism (grating-prism), which allows obtaining a dispersion spectrum at the output of an optical in line with the optical fiber long axis, as the main component in an optical fiber spectrometer. The process is very simple due to the fact that its optimization already starts in the process of molecule design, which is part of the trend of sustainable technologies. The final material can be designed by the tailoring of the anion and/or cation molecule, which in turn can lead to a more efficient fabrication procedure and additional functionalities of the final structure.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9865067PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms24021370DOI Listing

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