Femtosecond laser eraser for controllable removing periodic microstructures on Fe-based metallic glass surfaces

Using two beams of femtosecond laser pulses linearly polarized in different directions, we demonstrate a new phenomenon of eliminating the periodic subwavelength surface structures recorded on Fe-based metallic glass. It is found that such femtosecond laser erasing process can be efficiently controlled by varying the temporal delay between two laser beams while maintaining the amorphous properties of the sample surface. The underlying mechanisms are substantially attributed to the transient enhancement of the surface mobility of the sample by two laser-matter interactions. These investigations may be helpful in high precision manipulation of the material surface for rewritable applications. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement.