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Bulgarian Journal of Physics
Print: 1310-0157 Online: 1314-2666
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RECOGNIZED BY THE EUROPEAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY 
Bulg. J. Phys. vol.40 no.3 (2013), pp. 203-207
Laser Interferometry for Study of Nonlocal Response of Optically-Transparent Ion-Implanted Polymers
I.L. Stefanov1, G.B. Hadjichristov2
1Faculty of Physics, University of Sofia, 5 James Bourchier Blvd., BG-1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
2Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee Blvd., BG-1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
go back1Faculty of Physics, University of Sofia, 5 James Bourchier Blvd., BG-1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
2Institute of Solid State Physics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72 Tzarigradsko Chaussee Blvd., BG-1784 Sofia, Bulgaria
Abstract. We demonstrated that the laser interferometry can be applied to inspect the nonlocal response of optically-transparent ion-implanted polymers, in particular polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Ion-modified material in 100 nm-thick layer on the surface of a plane-parallel PMMA plate implanted with silicon ions (Si+) at an energy of 50 keV and fluence of 3.2×1015 Si+/cm2, was studied. The thermal nonlinearity of the material in the ultrathin ion-modified layer was induced by cw laser irradiation at a relatively low intensity in a localized region. The in-plane laser-induced thermooptic effect in the near(sub)surface layer of Si+-implanted PMMA was probed by interferometric imaging.