Two-photon induced fabrication of gold microstructures in polystyrene sulfonate thin films using a ruthenium(II) dye as photoinitiator

Gold microstructures are produced with a femtosecond laser in thin films of a polystyrene sulfonate matrix containing gold ions. Two-photon induced metal reduction is obtained by addition of 0.1 wt % of ruthenium(II)tris(bipyridine) in the formulation. Laser power is reduced to 5 mW, thereby limiting thermal effects. Lines of typically 150 nm heights and 1 mu m widths are fabricated as well as freestanding bidimensional structures. An additional electroless plating step produces gold structures with conductivities only ten times smaller than the bulk metal. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.