Laser pulse induced gold nanoparticle gratings

We report the results of our experimental investigation of laser induced gold nanoparticle gratings and their optical diffraction properties. A single shot of a pair Nd-YAG laser pulses with the same polarization is directed toward a 6 nm thick gold film on a substrate of polymethyl methacrylate. As a result of the laser illumination, the thin gold film is fragmented into an array of nanoparticles. Through the observation of scanning electron and dark-field optical microscopes, we discovered that the morphology of the gold nanoparticle grating is dependent on the fluence of laser pulse. The spectrum of first order diffraction shows the dependence on the absorbance property due to the presence of the nanoparticles. The ablation of nanothickness thin films via the use of laser pulses may provide a simple and efficient method for the fabrication of nanoscale structures, including two dimensional arrays of nanoparticles.