Formation of metal nanoparticles of various sizes in plasma plumes produced by Ti:sapphire laser pulses

Abstract

In this paper, an experimental study on generation of nanoparticle various sizes using Ti:sapphire laser pulses, is reported. Nanoparticle formation in plasma plumes of metals like silver and copper, expanding in vacuum, has been studied using stretched pulses of 300 ps duration [subnanoseconds (sub-ns)] from a Ti:sapphire laser. It has been compared with the nanoparticle formation (of the same materials) when compressed pulses of 45 fs duration were used under similar focusing conditions. Nanoparticle formation is observed at intensities as high as 2×1016 W/cm2. The structural analysis of the nanoparticle deposition on a silicon substrate showed that, using 45 fs pulses, smaller nanoparticles of average size ∼20 nm were generated, whereas on using the sub-ns pulses, larger particles were produced. Also, the visible light transmission and reflection from the nanoparticle film of Ag on glass substrate showed surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The SPR curves of the films of nanoparticles deposited by femtosecond pulses were always broader and reflection/transmission was always smaller when compared with the films formed using the sub-ns pulses, indicating smaller size particle formation by ultrashort pulses. Thus, it has been demonstrated that variation in the laser pulse duration of laser offers a simple tool for varying the size of the nanoparticles generated in plasma plumes.