Azo-derivatives thin films grown by matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation for non-linear optical applications

Laser printing of azo-derivative thin films for non-linear optical applications

“…In our previous work, we have identified the best deposition conditions in order to obtain films with suitable properties for further nonlinear applications, namely a laser fluence lower than 400 mJ/cm 2 , typically between 100 and 400 mJ/cm 2 [14]. FTIR absorption measurements have been performed on thin films (150 nm thickness), before and after the thermal treatment, deposited as a result of 90 000 pulses and compared to the spectrum of the dropcast (unirradiated) thin film (Figure 1).…”

“…In our previous work, the use of a laser technique had been aimed towards demonstrating thin film growth [12][13][14], and we have shown that matrix-assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) is suitable for processing complex chemical compounds. The studied material, namely 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-(1'-azo-2'-sodium carboxylate)-pyrazole-5-one (a pyrazolone derivative, further referred to as "azo") exhibits important non-linear optical properties, in bulk (powder) form, as well as in MAPLE grown thin films [14].…”

“…The studied material, namely 1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-(1'-azo-2'-sodium carboxylate)-pyrazole-5-one (a pyrazolone derivative, further referred to as "azo") exhibits important non-linear optical properties, in bulk (powder) form, as well as in MAPLE grown thin films [14]. We have also shown that low laser fluence leads to films with improved morphological properties, and higher SHG efficiency.…”

“…For the MAPLE experiments we used 1 wt% azo dissolved in a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) matrix. Details on the synthesis route for the azo derivative are presented elsewhere [14,15]. The fourth harmonic (4ω / 266 nm) of a Nd:YAG laser, working at a repetition rate of 10 Hz (7 ns pulse duration), was used to irradiate the frozen targets at a 45° incidence angle.…”

“…Further details on the MAPLE procedure are given elsewhere [11][12][13][14][17][18][19][20][21]. In order to reduce traces of solvent and its potential influence on the optical and morphological properties, the films were annealed at 60⁰C for 9 hours, following deposition.…”