Abstract
We report on a self-organized process initiated on a potassium-tungsten-tellurite glass surface under repetitive femtosecond laser irradiation in a regime where cumulative effects lead to a localized melting. Specifically, we show that self-organized periodic patterns consisting of parallel nanoplanes perpendicular to the laser polarization are forming and extending beyond the zone under direct laser exposure. Examination of the modified regions revealed a phase change from a glassy tellurium-oxide to a crystalline tellurium. In addition, we observe that this self-organization process, associated with elemental redistribution and deoxygenation, is triggered by the optical-field strength. We suggest that early self-organized nanostructures formed by a local-field enhancement is subsequently reinforced by a metallization event in an open-air atmosphere.
Highlights
Over the past decades, increasing research activities investigating the formation of periodic patterns on various surfaces exposed to intense picosecond and femtosecond laser beams were conducted
At 1 MHz [Figs. 1(a)–1(g)], in the thermal cumulative regime, self-organized nanostructures, consisting of parallel planes oriented perpendicular to the laser electrical field orientation, significantly wider than the focal area of the laser beam formed at the tellurite glass surface are observed
We reported on a complex mechanism of self-organization induced by femtosecond lasers at the surface of potassiumtungsten tellurite glass
Summary
Over the past decades, increasing research activities investigating the formation of periodic patterns on various surfaces exposed to intense picosecond and femtosecond laser beams were conducted. Gratinglike patterns have been observed at the surfaces of various types of materials, such as metals, semiconductors, and dielectrics [1], suggesting the existence of generic mechanisms causing their formations Due to their spatial micron to submicron periodicities, these nanostructures offer efficient means for controlling surface properties. Among various TeO2-based glasses, K2O-WO3-TeO2 has a wide glass-forming region, and its properties have been studied well [23,24,25,26] In this particular case, we demonstrate a self-organization phenomenon driven by local-field enhancement and controlled by the electric field that spans beyond the focal volume, and that leads to the formation of thin metallic surface accompanied by selforganized nanoplanes embedded in a dielectric matrix
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