Fabrication of periodic photonic microstructures by the interference of ultrashort pulse laser beams

Abstract

Abstract: The fabrication of periodic photonic microstructures by the interference of ultrashort pulse laser beams has found applications in several fields. This interference can produce a periodically modulated light intensity distribution with a period of the same order as the laser wavelength. A periodically modulated microstructure can be obtained if the periodically modulated light intensity distribution is transferred to a photoreactive material. The interference of two beams creates a onedimensional periodic pattern. In principle, by increasing the number of beams, 2D and 3D periodic patterns can be obtained. This technique (with its unique advantages of being maskless and photoresist-free, with inner encoding for transparent materials and single step processing) has opened up the possibility of fabrication of periodic functional microstructures in a large variety of materials. This chapter discusses the fabrication of periodic photonic microstructures by multi-beam interfered femtosecond laser pulses, and also looks at their applications for photonic devices.