High repetition rate laser ablation for vapor–liquid–solid nanowire growth

• Surface patterning produces enhanced nanowire morphologies.
• Patterning effects are more evident in PLD/VLS for low particle incidence rates.
• Surface patterning enhancement relay on the particle diffusion process.
• Larger plumes are more efficient for PLD/VLS growing.
• The number of laser pulses per train influence is more evident on lower laser power.

A high repetition rate (500 kHz) solid state laser was used for the ablation process in a Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD)/Vapor–Liquid–Solid (VLS) growing. A ZnO target was ablated with laser powers between 0.6 W and 1.2 W, and a variable number of pulses per train and trains frequencies. ZnO structures were grown on gold patterned and unpatterned substrates surfaces. Enhanced growth of the nanostructures could be noticed on the catalyst patterned surfaces. Better nanowire morphologies were also observed for bigger number of laser pulses per train. The enhancements are more evident for low laser powers. Based on plume expansion investigations, by using a high speed camera and a Particle-In-Cell (PIC) Monte-Carlo based simulations, the nanostructure morphology variations could be understood on the basis of the plume particles diffusion process and thin film versus VLS growing competition.

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