Laser-driven structural modifications and diffusion phenomena of plasmonic AlN/Ag stratified films

Laser annealing (LA) of AlN/Ag multilayers was proven to be an effective process to control the structure and dispersion of Ag into the AlN resulting in intense coloration via the localized surface plasmon resonance, which is of particular importance for decorative applications. In this work we present a study of the structural changes occurring in various AlN/Ag multilayers after LA, in an effort to establish firm knowledge of the diffusion and re-nucleation mechanisms that occur during the laser process. We investigate the effect of the basic LA parameters, such as the laser wavelength (193 and 248nm), fluence (400–700mJ/cm2), pressure (1 and 10Bar) and number of pulses (1 and 2) and we show that the main processes is the Ag particle enhancement close to the film surface as a result of additive outidiffusion Ag and the formation of nanoparticles of varying size. •The diffusion of Ag and the formation of nanoparticles during laser annealing are studied.•The effects of the basic laser annealing parameters are revealed.•The optical properties and the Plasmon resonance of the Ag nanoparticles into AlN are tailored by laser annealing.