Holographic Recording and Hierarchical Surface Patterning on Periodic Submicrometer Pillar Arrays of Azo Molecular Glass via Polarized Light Irradiation

Abstract

AbstractPeriodic submiocrometer pillar arrays are fabricated from a photoresponsive azo molecular glass (IA‐Chol) by soft‐lithographic hot embossing with elastomeric poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) modes. Through deformation of each submicrometer‐sized pillar in response to the local amplitude and polarization of the superimposed electric waves, optical holograms are recorded on the IA‐Chol pillar arrays. When the interference pattern is formed by two polarized beams with opposite‐circular polarizations, the recorded patterns mainly reflect the polarization state variations with spatial phase difference of the interfering waves. When two plane waves with the same linear polarizations are superimposed, where the polarization direction is almost the same as the writing beams, the intensity variation of the superimposed electric waves is recorded by the pillar arrays changing spatially with the phase variations. Various ordered surface patterns with distinct hierarchical configurations are successfully developed by the intensity and polarization modulations of the interfering waves. This approach not only allows to directly visualize the intensity and polarization of the coherent light captured by the holograms, but also provides a powerful platform to fabricate various complex surface patterns. The submicrometer pillar arrays can also be used to record polarization hologram and the images are reconstructed by reference light in diffracted spots.