Replication of fly eyes by the conformal-evaporated-film-by-rotation technique.

We replicated a biological template, namely the eye of a fruit fly, at the micro- and nanoscales by implementing the conformal-evaporated-film-by-rotation (CEFR) technique, which allows the replication of even curved biotemplates. Chalcogenide glasses were used for replication due to their infrared optical properties, combined with good chemical and mechanical durability. Microscopy, together with optical characterization in the visible and near-infrared ranges, indicates high-fidelity replication of the original biotemplate. The CEFR technique could be useful for the development of highly efficient, biomimetic optical devices.