Self-assembled gold nanoribbons via surface plasmon polaritons: The role of femtosecond laser

Plasmonic nanostructures have emerged as a critical component in broad fields ranging from optical modulation to biosensing and energy harvesting. Here, an ultrathin titanium (Ti) film (8 nm) is introduced between the gold (Au) film and fused silica (SiO2) substrate to facilitate energy deposition of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waves excited at the Ti/SiO2 interface under 1030 nm fs laser irradiation. The femtosecond laser-SPPs patterning results in the formation of Au nanoribbons with a width of about 270 nm and a spatial period of about 700 nm. Notably, centimeter-scale, self-assembled nanoribbons of high uniformity are achieved within several minutes. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) induced absorption peak is measured at the near-infrared band, confirming the high quality of the fabricated plasmonic nanostructures. Our findings suggest that the femtosecond laser-SPPs patterning technique represents a promising approach for the rapid and cost-effective production of large-scale plasmonic nanostructures.

Automated summary

The research introduces an ultrathin titanium film between gold film and fused silica substrate to generate surface plasmon polariton waves. The femtosecond laser-SPPs patterning technique produces high quality gold nanoribbons with a width of about 270 nm and a spatial period of about 700 nm, allowing for rapid and cost-effective production of large-scale plasmonic nanostructures.