Method for Producing High Aspect Ratio Fan-Shaped Optics

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This patent discloses a new method for fabricating fan-shaped optical components with high aspect ratio features, such as diffraction gratings used in X-ray imaging systems. The process uses plasma etching in conjunction with conductive electric field modulators placed around the substrate to control the angle of the etched features. This allows the creation of precise, fan-shaped structures where each element is oriented at a specific slant angle that gradually changes across the substrate, matching the cone-shaped emission of X-ray sources. The method is compatible with conventional plasma etching machines and standard metallization techniques, producing optical gratings that fit the geometry of X-ray beams without needing to physically bend or deform components.

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• Manufacturing high-performance diffraction gratings for grating-based X-ray imaging and interferometry systems, such as those used in medical diagnostics, materials science, and non-destructive industrial testing.
• Production of customized X-ray optics for laboratory and clinical imaging devices to increase imaging field-of-view and quality.
• Fabrication of slanted Fresnel zone plates or other fan-shaped micro- and nanostructured optics for advanced X-ray microscopy and spectroscopy.
• Production of optical gratings filled with high-Z or scintillating materials for specialized X-ray and neutron detection applications.
• Manufacture of slanted, high-aspect ratio microstructures in silicon or other substrates for photonic crystals, display technologies, or specialized photonic components.

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• Enables precise, reproducible fabrication of optical components with complex, variable slant angles across the substrate, providing optimal alignment with divergent (cone) X-ray beams.
• Avoids the need to physically bend fragile high-aspect ratio gratings, reducing risk of damage and simplifying device assembly.
• Compatible with standard plasma etching tools and established metallization processes, lowering production costs and increasing accessibility.
• Greatly improves imaging field-of-view, uniformity, and image quality in X-ray interferometry systems, especially at the edge of the field.
• Allows for scalable, efficient production of advanced X-ray optics, supporting higher spatial resolution and sensitivity in imaging.
• Reduces metal contamination and defects compared to Faraday cage-based oblique etching and other prior methods.
• Flexible design—fan-shaped structures can be produced in both 1D and 2D versions, enabling a wide range of optical component geometries.
• Broad compatibility with various materials and substrates, enabling customization for different application needs.

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Patent Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for the fabrication of fan-shaped optical components on a substrate (400), such as those diffraction optics used in X-ray imaging systems. The method uses conductive electric field modulators (301, 302) placed in the peripheral area of the patterned surface on the substrate (400) and plasma etching. The method allows to create an optical component having high aspect ratio elements such as recess structures (401 to 409) with a fan-shape orientation in the substrate (400), wherein each element is inclined by a respective slant angle with respect to the perpendicular to the substrate (400), wherein the said slant angle gradually varies from element to element as a function of the element location on the substrate (400). The method is compatible with conventional plasma etching machines to realize recess structures in the substrate (400) and electroplating techniques to further metallize the slanted recess structures (401 to 409). Fan-shaped gratings in Si substrate with Au filling demonstrated the improved field of view of a grating-based X-ray interferometry set-up, solving among other the problem of bending the optical component in order to efficiently match the cone-beam emission of the light source, such as an X-ray tube.