Surface plasmon interference on the surface of an aluminum-covered fiber core array for solgel fabrication of submicrometer gratings

摘要

An interesting method to fabricate submicrometer gratings (SMGs) utilizing the interference of surface plasmon waves (SPWs) is presented. The stationary wave field off the aluminum (Al) layer surface of an Al-covered UV fiber core, formed by the interference of the induced SPWs, has been employed as a submicrometer photolithography tool to inscribe SMGs on the surface of a self-processing hybrid HfO_(2)/SiO_(2) solgel film. Using atomic force microscopy, the period of the fabricated SMGs was measured as 105 nm. The intensity distribution of the stationary wave field was measured by a near-field scanning optical microscope and anastomosed with theoretical values calculated by using FDTD simulations.