Growth of metal-oxide semiconductor nanocomposite thin films by a dual-laser, dual target deposition system

Nanocomposite formed by gold nanoparticles embedded in a titanium dioxide matrix thin films have been synthesized by a synchronized two laser system. An ArF⁎ excimer (λ = 193 nm, τFWHM ∼ 12 ns) laser and a frequency tripled Nd:Yttrium Aluminium Garnet (YAG; λ = 355 nm, τFWHM ∼ 10 ns) laser were used for the irradiation of titanium dioxide and gold targets. The investigations showed that there exists the possibility for tailoring the optical properties of gold-titanium dioxide nanocomposites by the proper choice of the laser irradiation parameters. The band gap narrowing and additional absorption in the visible spectral region induced by the incorporation of gold in the host TiO2 matrix allows for the design of nanostructured thin films for new generation of photocatalysts or solar energy converters.