ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the production of nanostructured layers by using ns laser pulses. It focuses on the generation and expansion of the plasma produced by ns laser ablation. The chapter deals with the production of metal nanoparticles (NPs) supported on and embedded in a dielectric layer by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD). It analyzes the relations between deposition parameters and film properties. The chapter devotes to the production of nanostructured layers by a thermal-assisted process in the substrate, which can be achieved by conventional heating during the growth process or by postgrowth laser annealing with ns laser pulses. It analyzes firstly the evolution of the properties of metal NPs supported on a dielectric substrate and secondly those of the NPs embedded in a dielectric matrix. Basically, a high-power laser pulse impacts on a solid target, leading to the removal of ionized particles that expand in vacuum or in a low-gas atmosphere and finally are deposited on a substrate.
