Structure and laser-fabrication mechanisms of microcones on silver films of variable thickness

Submicron dimensions, nanoscale crystalline structure, and fabrication mechanisms of microcones on silver films of variable (50–380 nm) thickness deposited onto glass substrates by single strongly focused femtosecond laser pulses of different fluences are experimentally studied using scanning electron microscopy. Fabrication mechanisms for nanoholes and microcones are discussed for films of the different thickness, as well as the extraordinary shapes of their constituent nanocrystallites, strongly elongated along the melt flow direction in thin films.