The 9th International Conference on Surface Engineering (ICSE 2024)

Hardware and software module, simple in design, have been developed for controlled laser-induced surface modification of functional materials by two-dimensional arrays of nanoparticles (with sizes 30-70 nm) of noble metals (Ag, Au, Pt, Pd) in a wide range of values of the surface filling density coefficient (5%-100%). Since all the necessary technological processes take place in the presence of atmospheric gases at their normal pressure and temperature, there is no need to use a separate vacuum chamber to isolate the deposition area from the influence of external factors. The required density of nanostructures on the surface of experimental samples is achieved by controlled repeated exposure of vapour-and-plasma fluxes to the surface to be modified, by means of raster two-dimensional scanning of the surface of a metal target with a focus spot of sequentially acting nanosecond pulses of powerful laser irradiation (10⁸–10⁹W/cm²).
To ensure reproducibility of the results obtained, the deposition process is fully automated, and requirements for the quality of the target surfaces and processed samples have been developed. The advantages of the proposed installation for atmospherical laser deposition include the following: full automation of the synthesis process; technologically simple operations; synthesis under atmospheric conditions and environmental cleanliness; good adhesion of metal structures to the surface of the material due to its preparation by metal plasma during synthesis; a high degree of operational and local controllability of the synthesis process; the ease of scaling technology to solve practical problems.
Keywords:metal nanoparticles, pulsed laser deposition, atmospherical pressure.