Ultra-long focal depth annular lithography for fabricating micro ring-shaped metasurface unit cells on highly curved substrates
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 23-Nov-2025 18:11 ET (23-Nov-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)
Recently, Professor Lu Zhengang's team at Harbin Institute of Technology proposed a non-microscope objective lithography method that utilizes the spherical convex lens aberration, enabling laser beams converged layer-by-layer axially. This technique can modulate collimated hollow beams into finer annular spots, directly generating annular patterns on curved substrates through a single laser pulse. The lithography device based on this method demonstrates superior performance. It achieves significantly finer line width and broader diameter adjustment ranges comparing to conventional annular lithography techniques. Moreover, compared to traditional laser direct-writing methods, it offers an extended depth of field and working distance and reduces hardware requirements while providing greater spatial redundancy for substrate positioning. This approach combines cost-effectiveness, high efficiency, and high performance. It is not only applicable to manufacturing ring-shaped metal mesh gratings and metasurface unit cells on curved substrates but also holds promise for providing viable solutions in various laser processing applications.
The research, titled “Ultra-Long Focal Depth Annular Lithography for Fabricating Micro Ring-Shaped Metasurface Unit Cells on Highly Curved Substrates”, was published in the top-tier optical journal Light: Advanced Manufacturing.
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