Growth of regular micro-pillar arrays on steel by polarization-controlled laser interference patterning

Three-beam laser interference patterning, with the ability to control the polarization of each beam, is used to produce crater and pillar like periodic structures on steel surfaces. The experiments are performed using parallel and radial polarization vector orientations of the interfering beams. In case of parallel vector orientation, common intensity profiles consisting of intensity peaks distributed in triangle lattice geometry are formed. By changing the polarization to the radial set, the intensity distribution of the interference pattern could be inverted while the geometry also has a triangle lattice shape. The equations describing both intensity profiles are derived from the basic interference equation and the modeled interference intensity profiles are compared with measured intensity profiles. Two different types of structures containing periodically distributed craters and pillars are produced using these polarization sets. Using a detailed analysis of the scanning electron microscope images and confocal data, the mechanisms responsible of the formation of the pillar- and crater-like geometries are introduced.