Direct femtosecond laser writing in metallic nanoparticle-containing films for photonic device fabrication

We present results for the production and characterization of structural modifications of composites containing elongated silver nanoparticles embedded in silica, using femtosecond laser pulses. Direct writing of patterns in such composites was achieved using a scanning nonlinear optical microscopy system. Writing was achieved by running the laser at high pulse energy, and characterization was performed using second harmonic generation, and running the microscope at lower energies. Results for both the writing and characterization are presented and discussed.