Fabrication of metallic micro/nano-particles by surface patterning and pulsed laser annealing

This paper presents a method for fabricating metallic micro/nano-particles with precisely controlled particle size and spherically round shape. The key elements in this method are pre-fabricated holes in micro/nano-scale on a substrate, a subsequently deposited anti-adhesion layer and a metal layer on the bottom surfaces of the holes, and a rapid thermal annealing process by high-power short laser pulses. Metallic particles can quickly form inside the holes after laser annealing, while the particle size is determined by the bottom area size of the holes and the deposited film thickness. Highly ordered metal particles with various diameters ranging from 100 nm to 300 nm can be easily obtained.