Au-CLUSTER REDISTRIBUTION DURING NANOSECOND LASER-ANNEALING OF METAL/INSULATOR MATRICES.

We report on the growth and redistribution of Au clusters caused by nanosecond laser interaction of Au//x(TeO//2)//1// minus //x thin films with intense excimer laser radiation. This laser-induced phenomenon is studied in a time-resolved manner using transient reflectivity and transmissivity techniques. Structural and compositional changes are investigated using Rutherford backscattering, XPS depth profiling, x-ray diffraction and conductivity measurements. Our studies indicate that melting of the binary structure initializes segregation, growth and coalescence of Au crystallites in the amorphous TeO//2 matrix.