Photochemical 2D-structuring mid-infrared flexible plates made of silver halide polycrystals

By means of multistage hot pressing, we manufactured flexible polycrystalline silver halide plates with dimensions of up to 150 mm and a thickness of up to 100 ± 2 μm. Then, using laser radiation at the wavelengths corresponding to the short-wave absorption edge, we investigated the possibility of the plates' surface and bulk structure photochemical modification and its suitability for producing diffractive optical elements.