Multiphoton laser direct writing of two-dimensional silver structures

We report a novel and efficient method for the laser direct writing of two-dimensional silver structures. Multiphoton absorption of a small fraction of the output of a Ti: sapphire oscillator is sufficient to photoreduce silver nitrate in a thin film of polyvinylpyrrolidone that has been spin-coated on a substrate. The polymer can then be washed away, leaving a pattern consisting of highly interconnected silver nanoparticles. We report the characterization of the silver patterns using scanning electron and atomic force microscopies, and demonstrate the application of this technique in the creation of diffraction gratings. (C) 2005 Optical Society of America.