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The goal of creation of large-area deep sub-wavelength nanostructures by femtosecond laser irradiation onto various materials is being hindered by the limited coherence length. Here, we report solution of the problem by light field tailoring of the incident beam with a phase mask, which serves generation of wavelets. Direct interference between the wavelets, here the first-order diffracted beams, and interference between a wavelet and its induced waves such as surface plasmon polariton are responsible for creation of microgratings and superimposed nanogratings, respectively. The principle of wavelets interference enables extension of uniformly induced hybrid structures containing deep sub-wavelength nanofeatures to macro-dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Combination of top-down and bottom-up process is crucial for fabricating ordered complex micronanostructures. Here we report a simple, rapid, and versatile approach to demonstrate this useful concept, which involves the joint use of multibeam interference patterning and capillary force self-organization. Regular hydrophobic arrays of four-peddle nanoflowers consisting of bent needles with 300 nm tip diameters are readily produced. A “domino model” based on the balance of the capillary and support forces were proposed to interpret realization of large-area homogeneity of the array. The technology, promising for preparing more complex and functional structures, may find broad utilization in nano and biological researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]