Formation and implantation of gold nanoparticles by ArF-excimer laser irradiation of gold-coated float glass

To develop a technique for the production of submicron line patterns and directed arrays of plasmonic nanoparticles, the generation and implantation of gold nanoparticles into float glass surfaces was studied by means of ArF-excimer laser irradiation (193 nm) below the ablation threshold of the glass which was sputter coated with a gold layer with a thickness of 70 nm. The formation of gold particles was confirmed by the characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at ∼550 nm. The intensity of the SPR peak of gold particles embedded in the glass matrix increases with the number of applied laser pulses, indicating a different degree of implantation of the gold nanoparticles into the glass surface. It was revealed that the laser implantation of the generated gold particles into the glass is supported on the tin-bath side by the enhanced absorption of tin ions. The dependences of SPR parameters upon the number of laser pulses at different fluences were obtained. Using the methods of X-ray diffraction and extended X-ray absorption fine structure, the mean size of implanted gold particles was estimated at 15-20 nm. This particle size was confirmed by analytical (scanning) transmission electron microscopy, but a small fraction of single particles with a size of ∼50 nm have also been observed. The particles arrangement was further examined by the fitting of experimental optical extinction spectra, varying the particles sizes and interparticle distances within the direct calculations of spectra by the multi-spheres T-matrix method, considering the possible agglomerations of particles. The applied experimental technique provides the creation of arrays of gold nanoparticles in the near-surface region of the glass, which can be used as the substrates or nuclei in the glass for producing bimetallic nanoparticles with gold as the core and SPR characteristics varied in a wide range of visual wavelengths.