Direct surface relief formation in nanomultilayers based on chalcogenide glasses: A review

Abstract

In this review the investigations of direct surface relief formations in nanomultilayers from chalcogenide glasses are summarized. Chalcogenide glasses are known to exhibit several photoinduced phenomena, both scalar and vectorial, which are connected with photoinduced structural transformations, defects creation, and atoms diffusion. Surface relief formation in chalcogenide glasses films has been intensively studied due to its applicability to reversibly form versatile patterns and diffractive optical elements. Both intensity and polarization holography have been employed to generate surface relief structures in chalcogenide glasses materials, including monolayers and multilayer structures. The research outlined here has not only led to better understanding of the material properties that affect the optical performance of chalcogenides structures, but also illustrated the momentum in the field that has led to the development of high-performance nanostructured devices.