In the Heart of Femtosecond Laser Induced Nanogratings: From Porous Nanoplanes to Form Birefringence

R. Desmarchelier, B. Poumellec, F. Brisset, S. Mazerat, M. Lancry

ICMMO, UMR CNRS-UPSud 8182, Université Paris Sud (in Université Paris Saclay), Orsay, France.

DOI: 10.4236/wjnse.2015.54014                

Abstract

It is demonstrated that the form birefringence related to the so-called nanogratings is quantitatively correlated to the porosity-filling factor of these nanostructures. We reveal that matters surrounding the nanopores exhibit significant refractive index decrease which is likely due to the fictive temperature increase and/or the presence of a significant amount of interstitial O₂. The control of the porosity was achieved by adjusting the laser pulse energy and the number of pulses/micron i.e. the overlapping rate. Applications can be numerous in fast material processing by the production of nanoporous matter, and photonics by changing the optical properties.

Keywords

Silica, Glasses, Nanoporous, Femtosecond Laser Processing, Birefringence, Nanogratings

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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