| Abstract: | Dry poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) formulations are widely used in the field of micro‐optics for holographic recording and fabrication of micro‐optical elements, but very little is known about the recording mechanism and even less in systems generating relief elements through a self‐developing process. Thus, the recording of relief gratings with pitches ranging from 5 to 120 l/mm was examined with reference to the average weight of PVA and degree of hydrolysis. The slit width to pitch ratio in the amplitude mask used for photopatterning appeared to be also a controlling factor in the response of sensitive materials. A semiquantitative model was introduced to account for the final shape of the photogenerated relief. It determined the respective parts played by diffusion and capillary convection, i.e., convection processes resulting from gradients of chemical potential and surface tension, respectively, and identified the experimental key parameters governing their interrelation. This work sheds new light on the optimization of the patterning conditions of amplitude masks and is expected to open up new vistas in the replication of computer‐generated holograms. |
