Double sided solvent-imprint lithography (DSSIL) on glassy thermoplastic luminescent surfaces using a soft stamp

• Novel 2D diffractive PS structures were fabricated using MSSIL
• Both sides of a luminescent PS substrate were imprinted using DSSIL
• A DSSIL PS surface exhibited a 5% and a 4 fold increase in transmission and scattering efficiencies

DSSIL was used in combination with inexpensive injection molded glassy polystyrene surfaces doped with an organic light emitting polymer to generate a series of planar light emitting diffractive optical elements. 2D diffractive structures with lateral and vertical features ranging from 1 to 0.5 μm and 30–125 nm were fabricated on glassy polystyrene surfaces using soft 1D PDMS gratings via multi step solvent imprint lithography (MSSIL). The scattering and transmission efficiencies of DSSIL PS surfaces and MSSIL PS surfaces were measured. Illumination (531 nm laser) of the DSSIL imprinted surface exhibited a 5% and a 4 fold increase in normal transmission and scattering efficiencies compared to PS surfaces imprinted on one side alone. The angular emission and distribution of patterned PS surfaces doped with a light emitting polymer were studied as well as the characteristics of the substrate and the effect of solvent polarity on luminescence quenching. The results show that MSSIL and DSSIL are facile, inexpensive techniques highly suitable for the routine fabrication of novel symmetric and asymmetric diffractive structures in an interdisciplinary laboratory.

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