We exploited known effects of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) coupling into structured surfaces to
suppress Laser-induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) growing around a hole-shaped seed
structure. Holes ranging from 200 nm to 1500 nm in diameter were first created in the surface of a
fused silica sample and then irradiated with a single femtosecond laser pulse (800 nm, 30 fs). For
small diameters, Type-I LIPSS, typically related to metallic materials, appeared around the seed
structure. For seed diameters around the laser wavelength, where the SPP coupling is hindered, the
LSFL-I vanished. For larger diameters, they reappeared accompanied by additional LSFL-II, which
have perpendicular orientation and are typical for dielectrics. Selectively deactivating SPP
contribution to LIPSS generation can help elucidate the underlying processes, which are still a matter
of debate.
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