A laser-induced thermo-elastic removal was used to pattern nanostructured silver thin films solution-deposited on the glass substrate. We show that sharp-edged patterns can be fabricated under an interference-generated gradual intensity profile. The etching behavior and the resulting pattern morphology were very sensitive to the cohesion of the film and its adhesion to the substrate, being both modified by the post-deposition annealing process. The fabrication of step-wise one-dimensional (I D) and 2D patterns at the micrometer scales is demonstrated by holographic lithography using an Nd:YAG pulsed laser, along with a discussion on the effect of film cohesion and adhesion. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.