Photodeposition of optical elements from colloid solutions

In this work, a laser writing method of miniaturized optical elements directly by photodeposition (PD) of amorphous Selenium from Selenium hydrosols onto transparent polymethylmethacrylate substrates was investigated. The planar optical elements were obtained by direct, one step laser beam writing in a PD liquid phase cell. The pH of the photoactive hydrosol was about 1.4. The laser employed was an argon ion laser with a typical maximum power of about 60 mW at a wavelength of 488 nm. Various elements and patterns were produced for intended uses such as lenslets, linear gratings, cylindrical and circular profiled diffractive optical elements.