Study of the photoinduced surface relief modulation in photopolymers caused by illumination with a gaussian beam of light

The formation of surface relief profile in photopolymerizable systems when illuminated with a focused beam of light is simulated numerically using a two-way diffusion model that takes account both for monomer and short polymer chain diffusion. The concentration and spatial distribution dynamics of monomer and short and long polymer chains are calculated. The surface profile is obtained from the calculated component concentrations considering different densities of monomer and polymer. The influence of the illumination time, intensity and spot diameter on the surface profile dynamics is discussed. A good agreement between the calculated and the experimentally measured profiles is observed, thus demonstrating the successful application of the two-way diffusion model to this system.