Length-scale dependence of surface relief gratings in azobenzene side-chain polymers

Abstract

Polarized irradiation of azobenzene side-chain polymers yields intriguing surface relief structures. Up to now, the physical mechanism of this process is unclear. We report on a study aimed at clarifying the intrinsic length scales of the substantial mass transport which evolves during laser irradiation. We vary the period of an incident intensity grating by more than an order of magnitude, and investigate the resulting relief amplitudes with atomic force microscopy.