Subwavelength patterning of alkylsiloxane monolayers via nonlinear processing with single femtosecond laser pulses

Femtosecond laser patterning of octadecylsiloxane monolayers on quartz glass at lambda=800 nm, tau < 30 fs, and ambient conditions has been investigated. Selective decomposition of the coating with single laser pulses at subwavelength resolution can be carried out over a wide range of fluences from 4.2 down to 3.1 J/cm(2). In particular, at a 1/e laser spot diameter of 1.8 mu m, structures with a width down to 250 nm and below were fabricated. This opens up a facile route towards laser fabrication of transparent templates with chemical structures down into the sub-100-nm-regime. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.