@phdthesis{Yadavalli2014,
  author    = {Yadavalli, Nataraja Sekhar},
  title     = {Advances in experimental methods to probe surface relief grating formation mechanism in photosensitive materials},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-71213},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {When azobenzene-modified photosensitive polymer films are irradiated with light interference patterns, topographic variations in the film develop that follow the electric field vector distribution resulting in the formation of surface relief grating (SRG). The exact correspondence of the electric field vector orientation in interference pattern in relation to the presence of local topographic minima or maxima of SRG is in general difficult to determine. In my thesis, we have established a systematic procedure to accomplish the correlation between different interference patterns and the topography of SRG. For this, we devise a new setup combining an atomic force microscope and a two-beam interferometer (IIAFM). With this set-up, it is possible to track the topography change in-situ, while at the same time changing polarization and phase of the impinging interference pattern. To validate our results, we have compared two photosensitive materials named in short as PAZO and trimer. This is the first time that an absolute correspondence between the local distribution of electric field vectors of interference pattern and the local topography of the relief grating could be established exhaustively. In addition, using our IIAFM we found that for a certain polarization combination of two orthogonally polarized interfering beams namely SP (↕, ↔) interference pattern, the topography forms SRG with only half the period of the interference patterns. Exploiting this phenomenon we are able to fabricate surface relief structures below diffraction limit with characteristic features measuring only 140 nm, by using far field optics with a wavelength of 491 nm. We have also probed for the stresses induced during the polymer mass transport by placing an ultra-thin gold film on top (5-30 nm). During irradiation, the metal film not only deforms along with the SRG formation, but ruptures in regular and complex manner. The morphology of the cracks differs strongly depending on the electric field distribution in the interference pattern even when the magnitude and the kinetic of the strain are kept constant. This implies a complex local distribution of the opto-mechanical stress along the topography grating. The neutron reflectivity measurements of the metal/polymer interface indicate the penetration of metal layer within the polymer resulting in the formation of bonding layer that confirms the transduction of light induced stresses in the polymer layer to a metal film.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Doering2011,
  author    = {D{\"o}ring, Sebastian},
  title     = {Oberfl{\"a}chengitter in azobenzenhaltigen Schichten f{\"u}r organische DFB-Laser},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-59211},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2011},
  abstract  = {Ein neuentwickeltes azobenzenhaltiges Material, das auf einem supramolekularen Konzept basiert, wird bez{\"u}glich seiner Strukturbildung w{\"a}hrend einer holografischen Belichtung bei 488 nm untersucht. Im Mittelpunkt stehen dabei eindimensionale, sinusf{\"o}rmige Reliefs mit Periodizit{\"a}ten kleiner 500 nm. Es wird gezeigt, wie der Grad der Vernetzung der photosensitiven Schicht die Strukturbildung in diesem Gr{\"o}ßenbereich beeinflusst. Zur Maximierung der Strukturtiefe werden gezielt Prozessparameter der Belichtung sowie Materialparameter variiert. Unter Standardbedingungen und moderaten Belichtungsintensit{\"a}ten von ca. 200 mW/cm² bilden sich innerhalb weniger Minuten bei einer Periode von 400 nm Strukturtiefen von bis zu 80nm aus. Durch die Beeinflussung von Materialparametern, wie Oberfl{\"a}chenspannung und Viskosit{\"a}t, wird die maximale Strukturtiefe auf 160nm verdoppelt. Durch Mehrfachbelichtungen wird auch die Bildung von zweidimensionalen Gittern untersucht. Die Originalstrukturen werden in einem Abformverfahren kopiert und in Schichten von unter UV-Licht aush{\"a}rtenden Polymeren {\"u}bertragen. Durch das Abformen kommt es zu einer geringf{\"u}gigen Verschlechterung der Oberfl{\"a}chenqualit{\"a}t sowie Abnahme der Strukturtiefe. Dieser Verlust wird durch eine Verringerung der Prozesstemperatur verringert. Mithilfe kopierter Oberfl{\"a}chengitter werden organische Distributed Feedback-(DFB)-Laser zweiter Ordnung hergestellt, um den Einfluss von Gitterparametern auf die Emissionseigenschaften dieser Laser zu untersuchen. Dazu erfolgt zun{\"a}chst die Charakterisierung der optischen Verst{\"a}rkungseigenschaften ausgew{\"a}hlter organischer Emittermaterialien mittels der Variablen Strichl{\"a}ngenmethode. Das mit dem Laserfarbstoff Pyrromthen567 (PM567) dotierte Polystyrol (PS) zeigt dabei trotz konzentrationsbedingter geringer Absorption eine vergleichsweise geringe Gewinnschwelle von 50µJ/cm² bei ca. 575 nm. Das aktive Gast-Wirt-System der konjugierten Polymere MEH-PPV und F8BT* weist eine hohe Absorption und eine kleine Gewinnschwelle von 2,5 µJ/cm² bei 630 nm auf. Dieses Verhalten spiegelt sich auch in den Emissionseigenschaften der damit hergestellten DFB-Laser wieder. Die Dicke der aktiven Schichten liegen im Bereich hunderter Nanometer und wird so eingestellt, dass sich nur die transversalen Grundmoden im Wellenleiter ausbreiten k{\"o}nnen. Die Gitterperiode sind so gew{\"a}hlt, dass ein Lichtmode im Verst{\"a}rkungsbereich des Emittermaterials liegt. Die Emissionslinien der Laser sind mit FWHM-Werten von bis zu 0,3 nm spektral sehr schmalbandig und weisen auf eine sehr gute Gitterqualit{\"a}t hin. Die Untersuchungen liefern minimale Laserschwellen und maximale differentielle Effizienzen von 4,0µJ/cm² und 8,4\% f{\"u}r MEH-PPV in F8BT* (bei ca. 640nm) sowie 80 µJ/cm² und 0,9\% f{\"u}r PM567 in PS (bei ca. 575 nm). Die Vergr{\"o}ßerung der Strukturtiefe von 40nm auf 80nm in mit MEH-PPV dotierten F8BT*-Lasern zu einem deutlichen Anstieg der ausgekoppelten Energie sowie der differentiellen Effizienz und einem geringen Absinken der Laserschwelle. Dies ist ein Resultat der erh{\"o}hten Kopplung von Lasermode und Gitter. Die Emission von DFB-Lasern mit zweidimensionalen Oberfl{\"a}chengittern zeigen eine Verringerung der Divergenz aber kein Einfluss auf die Laserschwelle. Abschließend erfolgt eine Vermessung der Photostabilit{\"a}t von DFB-Lasern unter verschiedenen Bedingungen. Das Einbringen eines konjugierten Polymers in eine aktive Matrix sowie der Betrieb in einer Stickstoffatmosph{\"a}re f{\"u}hren dabei zu einer Erh{\"o}hung der Lebensdauer auf {\"u}ber eine Million Pulse. Durch die Kombination von Oberfl{\"a}chengittern in PDMS-Filmen mit elektroaktiven Substraten wird eine elektrisch steuerbare Deformation des Beugungsgitters erreicht und auf einen DFB-Laser {\"u}bertragen. Die spannungsinduzierte Verformung wird zun{\"a}chst in Beugungsexperimenten charakterisiert und ein optimaler Arbeitspunkt bestimmt. Mit den beiden Elastomeren SEBS12 und VHB4910 werden in den Gittern maximale Perioden{\"a}nderungen von 1,3\% bzw. 3,4\% bei einer Steuerspannung von 2 kV erreicht. Der Unterschied resultiert aus den verschiedenen Elastizit{\"a}tsmoduln der Materialien. {\"U}bertragen auf DFB-Laser resultiert eine Variation der Gitterperiode senkrecht zu den Gitterlinien in einer kontinuierlichen Verschiebung der Emissionswellenl{\"a}nge. Mit einem Spannungssignal von 3,25 kV wird die schmalbandige Emission eines elastischen DFB-Lasers kontinuierlich um fast 50nm von 604 nm zu 557 nm hin verschoben. Aus dem Deformationsverhalten sowohl der reinen Beugungsgitter als auch der Laser werden R{\"u}ckschl{\"u}sse auf die Elastizit{\"a}t der verwendeten Materialien gezogen und erlauben Verbesserungen der Bauteile.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Grenzer2007,
  author    = {Grenzer, Marina},
  title     = {Photoinduced material transport in amorphous azobenzene polymer films},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-15771},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2007},
  abstract  = {The role played by azobenzene polymers in the modern photonic, electronic and opto-mechanical applications cannot be underestimated. These polymers are successfully used to produce alignment layers for liquid crystalline fluorescent polymers in the display and semiconductor technology, to build waveguides and waveguide couplers, as data storage media and as labels in quality product protection. A very hot topic in modern research are light-driven artificial muscles based on azobenzene elastomers. The incorporation of azobenzene chromophores into polymer systems via covalent bonding or even by blending gives rise to a number of unusual effects under visible (VIS) and ultraviolet light irradiation. The most amazing effect is the inscription of surface relief gratings (SRGs) onto thin azobenzene polymer films. At least seven models have been proposed to explain the origin of the inscribing force but none of them describes satisfactorily the light induced material transport on the molecular level. In most models, to explain the mass transport over micrometer distances during irradiation at room temperature, it is necessary to assume a considerable degree of photoinduced softening, at least comparable with that at the glass transition. Contrary to this assumption, we have gathered a convincing evidence that there is no considerable softening of the azobenzene layers under illumination. Presently we can surely say that light induced softening is a very weak accompanying effect rather than a necessary condition for the formation of SRGs. This means that the inscribing force should be above the yield point of the azobenzene polymer. Hence, an appropriate approach to describe the formation and relaxation of SRGs is a viscoplastic theory. It was used to reproduce pulse-like inscription of SRGs as measured by VIS light scattering. At longer inscription times the VIS scattering pattern exhibits some peculiarities which can be explained by the appearance of a density grating that will be shown to arise due to the final compressibility of the polymer film. As a logical consequence of the aforementioned research, a thermodynamic theory explaining the light-induced deformation of free standing films and the formation of SRGs is proposed. The basic idea of this theory is that under homogeneous illumination an initially isotropic sample should stretch itself along the polarization direction to compensate the entropy decrease produced by the photoinduced reorientation of azobenzene chromophores. Finally, some ideas about further development of this controversial topic will be discussed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Jelken2020,
  author    = {Jelken, Joachim},
  title     = {Surface relief and bulk birefringence gratings in photo-sensitive polymer films},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-48398},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-483988},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xiv, 194, lxxxi},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {This thesis is focused on a better understanding of the formation mechanism of bulk birefringence gratings (BBG) and a surface relief gratings (SRG) in photo-sensitive polymer films. A new set-up is developed enabling the in situ investigation how the polymer film is being structured during irradiation with modulated light. The new aspect of the equipment is that it combines several techniques such as a diffraction efficiency (DE) set-up, an atomic force microscope (AFM) and an optical set-up for controlled illumination of the sample. This enables the simultaneous acquiring and differentiation of both gratings (BBG and SRG), while changing the irradiation conditions in desired way. The dissertation is based on five publications. The first publication (I) is focused on the description of the set-up and interpretation of the measured data. A fine structure within the 1st-order diffraction spot is observed, which is a result of the inhomogeneity of the inscribed gratings. In the second publication (II) the interplay of BBG and SRG in the DE is discussed. It has been found, that, dependent on the polarization of a weak probe beam, the diffraction components of the SRG and BBG either interfere constructively or destructively in the DE, altering the appearance of the intensity distribution within the diffracted spot. The third (III) and fourth (IV) publications describe the light-induced reconfiguration of surface structures. Special attention is payed to conditions influencing the erasure of topography and bulk gratings. This can be achieved via thermal treatment or illumination of the polymer film. Using the translation of the interference pattern (IP) in a controlled way, the optical erase speed is significantly increased. Additionally, a dynamic reconfigurable surface is generated, which could move surface attached objects by the continuous translation of the interference pattern during irradiation of the polymer films. The fifth publication (V) deals with the understanding of polymer deformation under irradiation with SP-IP, which is the only IP generating a half-period topography grating (compared to the period of the IP) on the photo-sensitive polymer film. This mechanism is used, e.g. to generate a SRG below the diffraction limit of light. It also represents an easy way of changing the period of the surface grating just by a small change in polarization angle of the interfering beams without adjusting the optical pass of the two beams. Additionally, complex surface gratings formed in mixed polarization- and intensity interference patterns are shown. I J. Jelken, C. Henkel and S. Santer, Applied Physics B, 125 (2019), 218 II J. Jelken, C. Henkel and S. Santer, Appl. Phys. Lett., 116 (2020), 051601 III J. Jelken and S. Santer, RSC Advances, 9 (2019), 20295 IV J. Jelken, M. Brinkjans, C. Henkel and S. Santer, SPIE Proceedings, 11367 (2020), 1136710 V J. Jelken, C. Henkel and S. Santer, Formation of Half-Period Surface Relief Gratings in Azobenzene Containing Polymer Films (submitted to Applied Physics B)},
  language  = {en}
}