Electron-Beam-Assisted Laser-Induced Strain Microfabrication

Converting the unordered wrinkles generated on a bilayer film into controllable strain microstructures is a focal point of research. However, many existing methods are hindered by their inability to achieve microscale stress fields that align with the designed structure, consequently limiting the manufacturing of desirable microstructures. In recent years, laser-induced strain micro/nanostructure fabrication has emerged as a promising technique due to its advantages, including simple processing, cost-effectiveness, high efficiency, and large-area fabrication. Nevertheless, this technique is limited to fabricating specific periodic structures, thereby constraining its manufacturing capacities. Here, a novel laser-induced strain strategy assisted by electron beam irradiation is proposed, which successfully eliminates secondary structures and unordered wrinkles, realizing the fabrication of arbitrary micro/nanostructures with consistency between design and fabrication. Furthermore, the generation mechanisms of these strain structures are elucidated by a combination of simulations and experiments. The method transcends the limitations stemming from intrinsic wavelength of wrinkles, enabling the fabrication of isolated strain structures. The diverse structures achieved through the approach demonstrate the designability, controllability, and universality of the novel laser-induced strain strategy, establishing it as a reliable method for surface micro/nanostructure fabrication.