Formation of ArF laser-induced self-assembled macrostructures on poly methyl methacrylate and CR-39 polymers

ArF excimer laser at λ = 193 nm induces the regular macrostructures on poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and CR-39 with the periodicity Λ under the proper UV doses. The periodic self-organizing pattern lucidly appears on the polymeric surface, creating the grooves parallel along with the direction of the focal line of the cylindrical lens. The spatial period Λ is enlarged in terms of the focal length f varying tens of microns, much larger than the laser wavelength (22–145 μm, Λ ≫ λ). The interspacing also alters in terms of the incident angle θ by the expression 1/ cos θ, however it remains nearly invariant against the laser fluence F ranging several hundreds of mJ/cm2. Finally, the crisscross macroripples are created by situating a couple of cylindrical lenses in the orthogonal configuration. The formation of the gridiron patterns on PMMA and CR-39 attests that the linear superposition holds accordingly.