New theoretical model of the evolution of blazed gratings in the ion beam etching process

Blazed gratings play a key role in advanced fields such as metaverse, AR and VR, etc. A good triangular cross section morphology is critical for its performance and applications. To investigate how triangular blazed gratings are evolved from rectangular masks, blazed gratings were fabricated by ion beam etching process. A new theoretical model called six-surface intermediate (SSI) model is proposed to explain the morphological evolution from rectangular homogeneous masks to triangular blazed gratings. The actual morphologies of blazed gratings with different process parameters were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. These observations confirm the correctness of the new model. Our research is of important guiding significance for the fabrication of blazed gratings with controllable morphology.

Automated summary

This study investigates the evolution process of triangular blazed gratings from rectangular masks using ion beam etching. A new theoretical model, called the six-surface intermediate (SSI) model, is proposed to explain this morphological evolution. The actual morphologies of blazed gratings with different process parameters are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, confirming the correctness of the new model. This research has important guiding significance for the fabrication of blazed gratings with controllable morphology.