From nanoparticles generation to nanostructures diversity at thermoplasmonics laser-induced backside wet etching of sapphire

Highlights: • The thermoplasmonics LIBWE uses a plasmon precursor as a laser absorbing medium. • The high temperatures and pressures at interface ensure efficient laser ablation. • The methods of electron microscopy indicates the formation of plasmonic structures. • The mechanisms for the creation and modification of nanomaterials are discussed. The nanoparticles and nanostructures formed during the thermoplasmonics laser-induced backside wet etching of sapphire were studied using electron microscopy and X-Ray energy dispersive analysis. It is shown that the generation and subsequent modification of nanoparticles result in the formation of various plasmonic structures, such as crystalline silver nanoaggregates and hybrid structures obtained due to the interaction of the sapphire decomposition products with silver nanoparticles, such as randomly mixed nanoalloys and Al/O nanoaglomerates surrounded by silver nanoparticles. Possible mechanisms for the creation and modification of nanomaterials depending on the localization of the thermoplasmonics process in space and time are discussed.