Confined laser ablation for single-shot nanoparticle deposition of silver

Spatially confined laser ablation of silver was used to form long-lived dense plasma for single-shot deposition of a nanoparticle film. The expansion of the ablation plume was restricted by placing a glass substrate at 50 μm from the silver target surface. Time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy showed that the confined plasma is sustained for longer time than for free ablation. A single laser shot is sufficient to produce a layer of silver nanoparticles on the substrate. In absorption the nanoparticle layer displays a surface plasmon resonance which is comparable to films made by conventional pulsed laser deposition in vacuum.