Structural and optical properties of phenylalanine and tyrosine thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Thin films of the amino-acids phenylalanine (Phe) and tyrosine (Tyr) were prepared by PLD with a KrF laser at fluences of some hundreds mJ/cm². Conservation of the chemical structure and a metastable modification of the molecular interactions are evidenced by IR spectroscopy. The evolution of the refractive indices with fluence was correlated with the structure determined by X ray diffraction. Phe plume expansion imaging was achieved.