Periodic transparent nanowires in ITO film fabricated via femtosecond laser direct writing

This paper reports the fabrication of regular large-area laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) in indium tin oxide (ITO) films via femtosecond laser direct writing focused by a cylindrical lens. The regular LIPSSs exhibited good properties as nanowires, with a resistivity almost equal to that of the initial ITO film. By changing the laser fluence, the nanowire resistances could be tuned from 15 to 73 kΩ/mm with a consistency of ±10%. Furthermore, the average transmittance of the ITO films with regular LIPSSs in the range of 1200–2000 nm was improved from 21% to 60%. The regular LIPSS is promising for transparent electrodes of nano-optoelectronic devices—particularly in the near-infrared band.