The moth-eye effect - from fundamentals to commercial exploitation
Abstract
The historical developments of artificial "moth-eye" structures as anti-reflective surfaces are described. In theory, "moth-eye" structures are regarded as zero-order diffraction gratings as the relation of the grating period to the wavelength is such that only zero-order diffracted waves can propagate. The optical properties of the grating can be described by effective medium theories. It is shown that propagation of zero-order diffracted waves alone is very difficult to achieve for visible wavelengths in general due to limitations concerning the manufacturability on large areas. Therefore, nonideal anti-reflective moth-eye structures had to be optimized with respect to the grating periods depending on the grating type and of course on the specific application. The results of the optimization methods are presented. Then the manufacturing methods especially suited for the origination and replication on large areas are described in detail. Finally, the applications of "moth-eye" structures and developments beyond the mimicry of nature are presented.
