Microscopic Optical Components Made With A Rubber Stamp

Researchers at Lucent Technologies' Bell Labs have developed a technique for stamping sub-micron features on glass and other materials using a rubber stamp. The process involves making reusable rubber stamps with extremely small features, at times only a few hundred nanometers across. The stamps are made by pouring liquid rubber onto a prototype device made of patterned silicon. The rubber solidifies and is peeled away from the silicon, creaging a perfect reproduction of the microscopic silicon relief pattern. The technique is intended to be a cheaper alternative to conventional lithography and has the flexibility to print on curved surfaces, such as the outside of an optical fibre.