Direct laser writing of microoptical structures using a Ge-containing hybrid material

We present our investigations into the direct laser writing of a novel germanium-containing hybrid sol–gel photosensitive material for optical applications at micro scale. We employ this material in the fabrication of photonic micro-structures, such as aspheric lenses and prisms; these are well-shaped and provided good optical performance. The material exhibits good transparency and structurability, and three-dimensional structures with sub-100 nm resolution are achieved. We demonstrate the suitability of the direct laser writing method for the rapid production of custom shaped microoptical components. Since germanium glasses are widely used in fiber optics, the combination of direct laser writing with this specially designed, functional material opens an interesting way in fabricating structures for controlling light flow.