The evolution of Cu3N films irradiated by femtosecond laser pulses

Copper nitride (Cu3N) films have been prepared on glass substrates by DC magnetron sputtering in the presence of an Ar + N2 atmosphere at room temperature. We study the surface chemicals and structures of Cu3N films irradiated by tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses in the air. The evolution of microstructure, morphology of Cu3N films is analyzed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). XRD analyses clearly indicate that Cu phases are formed under femtosecond laser irradiation. Moreover, SEM images show that dispersed particles on the surface tend to form continuous porous films with decrease of laser power density.