Line pattern in plasma polymer films with embedded gold and silver nanoparticles by irradiation with ultrashort laser pulses

A method to generate line pattern structures in thin organic films with embedded gold and silver nanoparticles is introduced. The films are irradiated with ultrashort, linearly polarized laser pulses. As we find out from electron microscopy (TEM, SEM), periodically arranged line-like structures are formed after the irradiation. We have used so far three different laser wavelengths (266 nm, 400 nm, 800 nm). The resulting structure periods in the range of 170 nm to 600 nm indicate a linear correlation of the period length of the line structures and the wavelength of the incident laser light. The direction of the particle lines corresponds to the linear polarization of the laser pulses. The anisotropic structure modification is mirrored in corresponding anisotropic optical film properties.