Microablation of gold nanolayers by direct write lithography

The laser ablation is widely used for the formation of metal nanoparticles, nanorods, nanodisks, nano-networks and polymeric microchannels. This paper reviews the results obtained when using of the microablation of the gold layers that are tens of nanometer think deposited on various transparent surfaces, such as Poly(tert-butyl methacryalate), Poly(methyl methacrylate) -PMMA, Polydioxymethyl siloxane, PDMS, and glass, with a low power laser (low fluences of 4-500 µJ/cm2, 337nm wavelength and 4ns pulses). The microablation results in the preferential formation of gold wire-like nanostructures at the edges and across the ablated channels on PMMA and PTBMA; and of gold nanoparticles on glass and PDMS. This contrasting behavior is explained by the presence of gas-generating pyrolysis on PMMA or PTBMA as opposed to lack of it on glass and PDMS.