Temporal femtosecond pulse shaping dependence of laser-induced periodic surface structures in fused silica

The dependence of periodic structures and ablated areas on temporal pulse shaping is studied upon irradiation of fused silica by femtosecond laser triple-pulse trains. Three types of periodic structures can be obtained by using pulse trains with designed pulse delays, in which the three-dimensional nanopillar arrays with similar to 100-150 nm diameters and similar to 200 nm heights are first fabricated in one step. These nanopillars arise from the break of the ridges of ripples in the upper portion, which is caused by the split of orthogonal ripples in the bottom part. The localized transient electron dynamics and corresponding material properties are considered for the morphological observations. (C) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC.