Wave interactions in buckling: Self-organization of a metal surface on a structured polymer layer

We report on self-organized metal surface patterns that result when a thin bilayer of a metal on a periodically corrugated polymer layer is annealed. A theoretical basis is provided for the self-organization that is verified by experiment. The wave number of the surface pattern is determined by a square law relationship involving the corrugation wave number and the intrinsic wave number of the bilayer. The phase shift between the wave on the ridge and that on the groove is related to an uncertainty in the corrugation wave number. Free energy minimization dictates connectivity of the two waves and fidelity of the metal surface pattern. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.