ETH Team Leads Way to More Precise Diffraction Gratings

For decades, scientists have tried to improve the design and production of diffraction gratings, one of the oldest and most important technologies for controlling light. An ETH Zürich team, working with colleagues at Utrecht University and Heidelberg Instruments Nano, has found a way to achieve more efficient diffraction gratings. To make their gratings, the researchers produced wavy surfaces with nanometer precision. Diffraction gratings use the principle of interference to deflect light of different wavelengths in precisely determined directions. When a lightwave hits a grooved surface, it is divided into many smaller waves, each emanating from an individual groove. When these waves leave the surface, they can either add...