Laser-induced formation of holograms for generation of plasmons

Abstract

Methods of fabrication of precisely adjusted surface structures are indispensable to development of new technologies. Different surface structuring techniques resulting in solitary nanobumps, random surface structures and laser induced periodic surface structures were in focus in the past. Here we consider a physical model and numerical simulation allowing understanding a high field plasmonics formation process of a smooth periodic perturbation of surface on a metal film with a period equal to the surface plasmon-polariton wavelength at a frequency of laser wave. Such surface structure is a hologram produced by thermomechanical response to interference between an incident laser wave, a reflected laser wave, and an electromagnetic field in the running plasmon-polariton wave. The following laser irradiation of the manufactured hologram generates a new plasmon-polariton wave identical to that used for formation of the hologram.