In this session, Yannik M. Glauser, PhDย student at ETH Zurich, will explore how grayscale nanostructures, known as optical Fourier surfaces, are redefining how light is manipulated for advanced photonic applications.
Fabricated using thermal scanning probe lithography (t-SPL), these reflective surfaces enable precise control of light diffraction, overcoming the limitations of traditional โbinaryโ lithographic methods. Yannik will present how these structures are applied in fundamental diffraction experiments and cutting-edge technologies.
Key Topics Covered:
The fabrication of optical Fourier surfaces using t-SPL.
How these precisely patterned surfaces can improve fundamental diffractive experiments and photonic applications, such as holography.
How the general concept of diffraction from these grayscale nanostructures in free space can be applied to various platforms, such as integrated photonics and plasmonics.
This session is ideal for researchers and professionals working in photonics, nanotechnology, and optical materials engineering.

Controlling light is crucial for modern technologies, such as solar cells, biosensors, and optical communication. A common approach involves the fabrication of nanostructured surfaces with sub-wavelength feature sizes to manipulate light through diffraction. However, most common lithographic methods are restricted to โbinaryโ surface profiles with only two depth levels, limiting their optical performance. To overcome this design fabrication mismatch, thermal scanning-probe lithography was exhibited to fabricate grayscale diffractive surfaces in silver, known as optical Fourier surfaces.1 Here, we explore the possibility to use these reflective structures for fundamental diffraction experiments as well as photonic applications. Optical Fourier surfaces may provide new opportunities for fields, such as holography, augmented reality, and analog optical computing. Reference(s): (1) Lassaline, N.; Brechbรผhler, R.; Vonk, S. J. W.; Ridderbeek, K.; Spieser, M.; Bisig, S.; le Feber, B.; Rabouw, F. T.; Norris, D. J. Optical Fourier Surfaces. Nature 2020, 582, 506โ510.
Session Details:
Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Time: 3:30โ4:30 PM (CET)
The link to the webinar on MS Teams will be sent to you after registration.
About Yannik Glauser

Yannik M. Glauser received his Bachelorโs and Masterโs degree in Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zurich in 2019 and 2021, respectively. He currently works as a PhD student in the Optical Materials Engineering Laboratory at ETH Zurich, supervised by Prof. David J. Norris. His research focuses on the design, fabrication, and optical measurement of grayscale nanostructures that diffract light in a controlled way. These โwavyโ structures are commonly referred to as optical Fourier surfaces.
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