Femtosecond laser writing over silver nanoparticles system embedded in silica using nonlinear microscopy

We present results for the induction and monitoring of structural modification of a composite consisting of elongated silver nanoparticles films embedded in silica using ultrafast femtosecond laser irradiation and second harmonic generation imaging, respectively. Waveguide-like patterns are written and characterized under a laser scanning nonlinear microscope system by simply changing the laser fluence in the sample; switching in this way between two different physical processes occurring only within the composite film: second harmonic generation and laser induced nanoparticles removal. A study of the nanoparticles damage process as a function of the laser energy, polarization and scan velocity is also presented and discussed. The use of the non-irradiated zone between two written channels is proposed as a potential linear and nonlinear optical waveguide.