Increase in the resolution of the method of surface nanostructuring by femtosecond-laser impact through a layer of colloidal microparticles

Abstract

It is experimentally demonstrated that by converting a few percent of the fundamental frequency pulse energy into the second harmonic one can obtain surface structures using dielectric microspheres with the dimension of the order of the second harmonic wavelength. Structuring by means of the second harmonic solely requires a significantly greater energy density in the pulse than using bichromatic irradiation. It is impossible to obtain structures using only the fundamental frequency radiation pulses, because radiation at the fundamental frequency is not focused by the system of microspheres. Therefore, the use of bichromatic pulses allows an essential increase in the structure recording density. Theoretical calculations demonstrating the possibility of further improvement of the structure recording density by using non-spherical microlenses of a smaller size made of a material with a higher refractive index are presented.