Broadband mid-IR antireflective Reuleaux-triangle-shaped hole array on germanium

A gradient-index Reuleaux-triangle-shaped hole array was fabricated on germanium (Ge) by nanoimprint lithography and inductively coupled plasma processing as a broadband mid-infrared (IR) antireflective surface. The interaction between the {111} planes of cubic crystalline Ge and a circular mold successfully produced an orderly and periodically distributed Reuleaux-triangle-shaped hole array. As a result, the average transmittance increased 15.67% over the waveband at 3-12 μm and remained stable at the incidence angle of up to 60°. The vertices of the Reuleaux triangle showed local enhancement of the electric field intensities due to interference of the incident and reflected radiation fields. It was also found that nonuniform hole depths acted to modulate the transmittance over the 3-12 μm waveband.