ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a perspective on pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using nanosecond pulses in an ambient gas at high pressure. A major distinguishing feature of such a highly specific technique is the large yield of nanoparticles (NPs), one of the largest found among physical vapor deposition techniques. Similar to other plasma-assisted deposition techniques, PLD hinges on the attainment of a regime of nonthermodynamic interactions in the target volume subjected to laser irradiation. Pulsed laser ablation is an attractive technique to produce in a controlled way nanoparticles and thin films made of self-assembled nanoparticle arrays grown on suitable supports. The chapter addresses the behavior of a plasma plume expanding through a gas at high pressure, with particular emphasis on the attainment of peculiar nanostructures of the deposited material, the possibility to control them, and their relation to specific film properties, focusing on optical properties. It discusses the effect of plume propagation through inert gases.
