Investigating surface morphology of Ag-AgCl thin film by scattering pattern at normal and oblique incident angles

Abstract

We study the formation of periodic nanostructures on Ag-AgCl thin films by irradiating s-polarized laser beams at different incident angles. A theoretical model is proposed to describe the formation of the structures based on interference of the incident beam and TE0 mode propagating in an AgCl slab waveguide. The line-space of periodic nanostructures on Ag-AgCl thin film can be manipulated by changing the incident angle and wavelength of the laser beam. The scattering and diffraction pattern of a periodic nanostructure during laser irradiation provides useful information about the structure’s surface morphology. The periodic nanostructures formed on Ag-AgCl thin films are anisotropic structures. © 2018 Optical Society of America