Effects of Accumulated Energy on Nanoparticle Formation in Pulsed-Laser Dewetting of AgCu Thin Films

Ag(50)Cu(50) films were deposited on glass substrates by a sputtering system. Effects of accumulated energy on nanoparticle formation in pulse-laser dewetting of AgCu films were investigated. The results showed that the properties of the dewetted films were found to be dependent on the magnitude of the energy accumulated in the film. For a low energy accumulation, the two distinct nanoparticles had rice-shaped/Ag(60)Cu(40) and hemispherical/Ag(80)Cu(20). Moreover, the absorption spectra contained two peaks at 700 nm and 500 nm, respectively. By contrast, for a high energy accumulation, the nanoparticles had a consistent composition of Ag(60)Cu(40), a mean diameter of 100 nm and a peak absorption wavelength of 550 nm. Overall, the results suggest that a higher Ag content of the induced nanoparticles causes a blue shift of the absorption spectrum, while a smaller particle size induces a red shift.