Direct sub-micron microstructuring on cylinder using TiO2 sol-gel process and radial phase mask based lithography

Design and fabrication of a high efficiency phase mask have been performed for printing submicron period gratings along 8 mm diameter glass cylinders. In this article, the authors present the radial phase mask specially designed and manufactured for a cylindrical surface micro-structuring under UV photolithography. Its period is sub-micron (480 nm < ΛPM < 720 nm). The authors describe then the phase mask based UV lithography set-up using the interference between the transmitted beams of +1 and -1 orders generated by the phase mask. Preliminary results of printed gratings on a cylinder are described on a sol-gel TiO2 thin film layer, enabling direct photo patterning on functionalized layer. The feasibility of a grating printed with a period of Λcylin = 960 nm on an 8 mm diameter cylinder with this dedicated mask has been demonstrated.