Femtosecond laser induced surface melting and nanojoining for plasmonic circuits

Abstract:

Femtosecond laser induced nonthermal processing is an emerging nanofabrication technique for delicate plasmonic devices. In this work we present a detailed investigation on the interaction between ultra-short pulses and silver nanomaterials, both experimentally and theoretically. We systematically study the laser-silver interaction at a laser fluent from 1 J/m2 to 1 MJ/m2. The optimal processing window for welding of silver nanowires occurs at fluences of 200-450 J/m2. The femtosecond laser-induced surface melting allows precise welding of silver nanowires for "T” and “X” shape circuits. These welded plasmonic circuits are successfully applied for routining light propagation.