X-ray luminescence of disperse SiO2 and porous silicon

We carry out a comparison between the luminescence spectra (photo-and x-ray luminescence) of porous silicon and disperse SiO₂, which by its physical characteristics is most similar to oxide films on porous silicon. The photoluminescence of porous silicon was also investigated using fluorescence (excitation by a nitrogen laser) and metallographic microscopes. We found that the natures of the luminescence centers of porous silicon and disperse SiO₂ are identical. A porous layer on single-crystal silicon ensures the creation of a highly branched surface of oxide film. Luminescence centers are located on its inner (as viewed from the porous silicon) surface. Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 65, No. 2, pp. 247–251, March–April, 1998.     

Development of a high-power deep-ultraviolet continuous-wave coherent light source for laser cooling of silicon atoms

We developed a deep-UV single-mode coherent light source through two-stage highly efficient frequency conversions by use of external cavities. In the first stage, second-harmonic power of 500 mW was obtained by frequency doubling of a 746-nm Ti:sapphire laser with a conversion efficiency of 40%. In the second stage, 50-mW power at ~252nm was obtained by doubly resonant sum-frequency mixing of 373-nm light from the first-stage conversion and 780-nm light from a diode laser. The output performance of this deep-UV light source is sufficient for laser cooling of neutral silicon atoms.     

Studies of pulsed laser melting and rapid solidification using amorphous silicon

Pulsed laser melting of ion implantation-amorphized silicon layers, and the subsequent solidification of undercooled liquid silicon, have been studied experimentally and theoretically. Measurements of the time of the onset of melting of amorphous silicon layers, during an incident laser pulse, have been combined with measurements of the duration of melting, and with modified melting model calculations to demonstrate that the thermal conductivity, K_a, of amorphous silicon is very low (K_a0.02 W/cm K). K_a is also found to be the dominant parameter determining the dynamical response of amorphous silicon to pulsed laser radiation; the latent heat of fusion and melting temperature of amorphous silicon are relatively unimportant. Transmission electron microscopy indicates that bulk (volume) nucleation occurs directly from the highly undercooled liquid silicon that can be prepared by pulsed laser melting of amorphous silicon layers at low laser energy densities. A modified thermal melting model has been constructed to simulate this effect and is presented. Nucleation of crystalline silicon apparently occurs at a nucleation temperature, T_n, that is higher than the temperature, T_a, of the liquid-to-amorphous phase transition. The model calculations demonstrate that the release of latent heat by bulk nucleation occurring during the melt-in process is essential to obtaining agreement with experimentally observed depths of melting. These calculations also show that this release of latent heat accompanying bulk nucleation can result in the existence of buried molten layers of silicon in the interior of the sample after the surface has solidified. It is pointed out that the occurrence of bulk nucleation implies that the liquid-to-amorphous phase transition (produced using picosecond or ultraviolet nanosecond laser pulses) cannot be explained by purely thermodynamic considerations.     

Highly efficient, low-threshold monolithic distributed-Bragg-reflector channel waveguide laser in Al2O3:Yb3+

We report the fabrication and performance of a highly efficient, monolithic distributed-Bragg-reflector channel waveguide laser in ytterbium-doped aluminum oxide. The 1?cm long device was fabricated on a standard thermally oxidized silicon substrate and was optically pumped with a 976?nm laser diode. Single-longitudinal-mode and single-polarization operation was achieved at a wavelength of 1021.2?nm. Continuous-wave output powers of up to 47?mW and a launched pump power threshold of 10?mW resulted in a slope efficiency of 67%.     

多孔硅的拉曼光谱研究

本文研究了多孔硅的拉曼光谱随激发激光功率的变化 ,发现当激发光的功率较低时 ,多孔硅的拉曼光谱在 5 2 0cm- 1附近为一单峰。随着激光功率的增加 ,该单峰向低波数移动且半高宽增大 ,当继续增大激光功率时 ,该单峰分裂为双峰 ,位于低波数一侧的拉曼峰随着激光功率的增大而进一步向低波数移动。多孔硅的拉曼光谱随着激光功率的变化是一个可逆的过程。这一结果表明 ,低波数拉曼峰的位置既不能作为多孔硅颗粒尺寸的量度 ,也不能只把低波数的拉曼峰作为多孔硅的特征。我们认为激光诱导多孔硅中LO和TO声子模的简并解除是观察到双峰的主要原因。     

脉冲激光作用单晶硅的等离子体光谱分析

从激光与物质相互作用理论出发,对脉冲激光作用单晶硅的热特性进行分析。建立一套实验装置,所用激光光源的波长为1 064 nm,脉宽为10 ns,重复频率为1 Hz。得到单晶硅的等离子体谱及热辐射谱,在单晶硅的光电性质基础上对其热表面损伤进行理论分析。提取380~460 nm波段的单晶硅等离子体光谱,分析了谱图中SiⅠ390.52 nm,SiⅡ385.51 nm,SiⅡ413.12 nm三条谱线的相对强度与激光输出功率密度的对应关系。     

Femtosecond laser-induced formation of spikes on silicon

We find that silicon surfaces develop arrays of sharp conical spikes when irradiated with 500-fs laser pulses in SF₆. The height of the spikes decreases with increasing pulse duration or decreasing laser fluence, and scales nonlinearly with the average separation between spikes. The spikes have the same crystallographic orientation as bulk silicon and always point along the incident direction of laser pulses. The base of the spikes has an asymmetric shape and its orientation is determined by the laser polarization. Our data suggest that both laser ablation and laser-induced chemical etching of silicon are involved in the formation of the spikes. Received: 10 September 1999 / Accepted: 7 January 2000 / Published online: 8 March 2000     

Bio-inspired water repellent surfaces produced by ultrafast laser structuring of silicon

We report here an efficient method for preparing stable superhydrophobic and highly water repellent surfaces by irradiating silicon wafers with femtosecond laser pulses and subsequently coating them with chloroalkylsilane monolayers. By varying the laser pulse fluence on the surface one can successfully control its wetting properties via a systematic and reproducible variation of roughness at micro- and nano-scale, which mimics the topology of natural superhydrophobic surfaces. The self-cleaning and water repellent properties of these artificial surfaces are investigated. It is found that the processed surfaces are among the most water repellent surfaces ever reported. These results may pave the way for the implementation of laser surface microstructuring techniques for the fabrication of superhydrophobic and self-cleaning surfaces in different kinds of materials as well.     

Enhanced production of fast multi-charged ions from plasmas formed at cleaned surface by femtosecond laser pulse

We present atomic, energy, and charge spectra of ions accelerated at the front surface of a silicon target irradiated by a high-contrast femtosecond laser pulse with an intensity of 3×10¹⁶ W/cm², which is delayed with respect to a cleaning nanosecond laser pulse of 3-J/cm² energy density. A tremendous increase in the number of fast silicon ions and a significant growth of their maximum charge in the case of the cleaned target from 5+ to 12+ have been observed. The main specific features of the atomic, energy, and charge spectra have been analyzed by means of one-dimensional hydrodynamic transient-ionization modeling. It is shown that fast highly charged silicon ions emerge from the hot plasma layer with a density a few times less than the solid one, and their charge distribution is not deteriorated during plasma expansion.This revised version was published online in August 2005 with a corrected cover date.     

Evolution of terahertz conductivity in ZnSe nanocrystal investigated with optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy

The unique optical properties of nanoparticles are highly sensitive in respect to particle shapes, sizes, and localization on a sample. This demands for a fully controlled fabrication process. The use of femtosecond laser pulses to generate and transfer nanoparticles from a bulk target towards a collector substrate is a promising approach. This process allows a controlled fabrication of spherical nanoparticles with a very smooth surface. Several process parameters can be varied to achieve the desired nanoparticle characteristics. In this paper, the influence of two of these parameters, i.e. the applied pulse energy and the laser beam shape, on the generation of Si nanoparticles from a bulk Si target are studied in detail. By changing the laser intensity distribution on the target surface one can influence the dynamics of molten material inducing its flow to the edges or to the center of the focal spot. Due to this dynamics of molten material, a single femtosecond laser pulse with a Gaussian beam shape generates multiple spherical nanoparticles from a bulk Si target. The statistical properties of this process, with respect to number of generated nanoparticles and laser pulse energy are investigated. We demonstrate for the first time that a ring-shaped intensity distribution on the target surface results in the generation of a single silicon nanoparticle with a controllable size. Furthermore, the generated silicon nanoparticles presented in this paper show strong electric and magnetic dipole resonances in the visible and near-infrared spectral range. Theoretical simulations as well as optical scattering measurements of single silicon nanoparticles are discussed and compared.     

Laser annealing study of PECVD deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon alloy films

The influence of carbon content on the crystallization process has been investigated for the excimer laser annealed hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon alloy films deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) technique, using silane methane gas mixture diluted in helium, as well as for the hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon carbon alloy films prepared by PECVD from silane methane gas mixture highly diluted in hydrogen, for comparison. The study demonstrates clearly that the increase in the carbon content prevents the crystallization process in the hydrogen diluted samples while the crystallization process is enhanced in the laser annealing of amorphous samples because of the increase in the absorbed laser energy density that occurs for the amorphous films with the higher carbon content. This, in turn, facilitates the crystallization for the laser annealed samples with higher carbon content, resulting in the formation of SiC crystallites along with Si crystallites.     

Laser-written nanoporous silicon ridge waveguide for highly sensitive optical sensors

We report that low-loss ridge waveguides are directly written on nanoporous silicon layers by using an argon-ion laser at 514 nm up to 100 mW. Optical characterization of the waveguides indicates light propagation loss lower than 0.5 dB/cm at 1550 nm after oxidation. A Mach-Zehnder interferometer sensor is experimentally demonstrated using the waveguide in its sensing branch, and analytical results indicate that very high sensitivity can be achieved. With large internal surface area, versatile surface chemistry, and adjustable index of refraction of porous silicon, the ridge waveguides can be used to configure Mach-Zehnder interferometers, Young's interferometers, and other photonic devices for highly sensitive optical biosensors and chemical sensors as well as other applications.     

Characteristics of Multi-Beam Module Using Waveguides for Laser Scanning Optical Systems

A multi-beam module using optical waveguides has been studied for a laser scanning optical system. Laser diodes with a wavelength of 780 nm are assembled on a silicon substrate. The beams emitted from the laser diodes are directly coupled into waveguides. This multi-beam module is assembled on a metal substrate with a photodiode. The photodiode controls the power of each laser diode on the silicon substrate. The multi-beam module is able to increase the output speed of high-density image printings, and the speed for high-speed color printings. We have developed the four-beam module with beam divergence angles of 11 degrees and spatial beam interval of 24 μm. Additional heat sink and optimizing tip-bonding between the laser diode and solder pad on the silicon substrate is useful to stabilize laser power against rising temperature.     

基于硅波导的喇曼光放大器

在硅波导上添加反向偏压的PIN结构,当波导产生受激喇曼散射时,可以将波导中双光子吸收(TPA)产生的光生自由载流子扫出波导,降低了波导的非线性损失,极大地提高了硅波导中泵浦光对信号光的喇曼增益。为了应用已经非常成熟的硅工艺,并且应用硅波导使器件小型化,根据法布里-帕罗(F-P)腔和行波放大器理论,在硅波导两端的解理面蒸镀增透膜,应用这种波导的喇曼效应设计了一种光放大器,即基于硅波导的喇曼光放大器。建立了计算放大器增益的方程,给出了不同波导长度和输入功率情况下的放大器增益,得出适当增加波导长度和泵浦光功率可以得到较高喇曼增益的结论。基于硅的光放大器有较高的饱和功率且没有泵浦源的限制,通过调整泵浦激光的波长可以放大不同波长的信号光。     

飞秒激光烧蚀硅材料表面形成周期波纹形貌研究

基于Sipe-Drude模型和表面等离子体激元(SPP)的干涉理论分别对单脉冲飞秒激光诱导硅表面形成低频率周期性波纹进行分析研究.探究了波长800 nm、脉宽150 fs的单个飞秒激光烧蚀硅造成不同激发水平下波纹形貌的变化,考虑到材料的光学性质变化(由Drude模型得到的介电常数变化),引入包含双温方程的电子数密度模型.计算结果表明,Sipe-Drude和SPP理论都适用于分析和解释高激发态下周期性波纹,但Sipe-Drude理论更适合分析更为广泛的周期性波纹结构.同时,波纹延伸方向总是垂直于入射激光偏振方向,其空间周期略小于激光波长,并受到入射激光通量的影响.在激光通量为0.38 J/cm~2时,波纹周期达到最小值.另外,还得到了不同入射角度的波纹周期变化情况,并在不同偏振态下随入射角度增大时波纹周期呈现相反的变化趋势.该研究对于理解飞秒激光造成硅表面形成周期结构及其在加工硅材料领域具有重要参考意义.     

Nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of silicon in liquids

Laser fluence and laser shot number are important parameters for pulse laser based micromachining of silicon in liquids. This paper presents laser-induced ablation of silicon in liquids of the dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and the water at different applied laser fluence levels and laser shot numbers. The experimental results are conducted using 15 ns pulsed laser irradiation at 532 nm. The silicon surface morphology of the irradiated spots has an appearance as one can see in porous formation. The surface morphology exhibits a large number of cavities which indicates as bubble nucleation sites. The observed surface morphology shows that the explosive melt expulsion could be a dominant process for the laser ablation of silicon in liquids using nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation at 532 nm. Silicon surface’s ablated diameter growth was measured at different applied laser fluences and shot numbers in both liquid interfaces. A theoretical analysis suggested investigating silicon surface etching in liquid by intense multiple nanosecond laser pulses. It has been assumed that the nanosecond pulsed laser-induced silicon surface modification is due to the process of explosive melt expulsion under the action of the confined plasma-induced pressure or shock wave trapped between the silicon target and the overlying liquid. This analysis allows us to determine the effective lateral interaction zone of ablated solid target related to nanosecond pulsed laser illumination. The theoretical analysis is found in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements of silicon ablated diameter growth in the DMSO and the water interfaces. Multiple-shot laser ablation threshold of silicon is determined. Pulsed energy accumulation model is used to obtain the single-shot ablation threshold of silicon. The smaller ablation threshold value is found in the DMSO, and the incubation effect is also found to be absent.     

Confined micro-explosion induced by ultrashort laser pulse at SiO2/Si interface

Ultrashort laser pulses tightly focused inside a transparent material present an example of laser interaction with matter where all the laser-affected material remains inside the bulk, thus the mass is conserved. In this paper, we present the case where the high intensity of a laser pulse is above the threshold for optical breakdown, and the material is ionised in the focal area. We consider in detail a special case where a micro-explosion is formed at the boundary of a silicon surface buried under a 10-micron-thick oxidised layer, providing the opportunity to affect the silicon crystal by a strong shock wave and creating new material phases from the plasma state. We summarise the main conclusions on ultrafast laser-induced material modifications in confined geometry and discuss the prospects of confined micro-explosion for forming new silicon phases.     

Micro‐photoluminescence spectroscopy on heavily‐doped layers of silicon solar cells

We report and explain the photoluminescence spectra emitted from silicon solar cells with heavily‐doped layers at the surface. A micro‐photoluminescence spectroscopy system is employed to investigate the total spectrum emitted from both the heavily‐doped layer and the silicon substrate with micron‐scale spatial resolution. The two regions of the device give rise to separate photoluminescence peaks, due to band‐gap narrowing effects in the highly‐doped layer. Two key parameters, the absorption depth of the excitation wavelength, and the sample temperature, are shown to be critical to reveal the separate signatures from the two regions. Finally, this technique is applied to locally diffused and laser‐doped regions on silicon solar cell pre‐cursors, demonstrating the potential value of this micron‐scale technique in studying and optimizing locally doped regions. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

1064 nm纳秒脉冲激光诱导硅表面微结构研究

利用Nd:YAG纳秒激光(波长为1064 nm)在不同气氛(空气、N₂,真空)中对单晶硅进行累积脉冲辐照,研究了表面微结构的演化情况.在激光辐照的初始阶段,与532和355 nm纳秒脉冲激光在硅表面诱导出波纹结构不同,1064 nm脉冲激光诱导出了微孔结构和折断线结构,并且硅的晶面取向不同,相应的折断线结构也不同.对于Si(111)面,两条折线交角为120°或60°,形成网状;而对于Si(100)面,两条折断线正交,从而将表面分成了15—20 μm的矩形块.结果表明,微孔结构的生长过程主要与相爆炸有关,而折断线的形成主要是热应力作用的结果.不同气氛对微结构形成的影响表明,刻蚀率和生长率与微结构的形成有密切的关系. 关键词： 纳秒激光 硅的微结构 相爆炸 热应力     

Formation process of Si nanoparticles in rare gas observed by a decomposition method

We have investigated the formation process of silicon nanoparticles after laser ablation of silicon targets in argon gas. The nanoparticles exhibit bright photoluminescence in the visible wavelength range and can be applied to opto-electronic devices. In order to observe silicon nanoparticles, we have developed a decomposition method. The nanoparticles were probed by detecting light emission resulting from decomposition using a second laser. This method enables us to observe nanoparticles that cannot be observed directly by the methods applied so far. We have observed that the nanoparticles grow in time periods of 1.0-1.8 ms following ablation in Ar gas at 5 Torr when Si targets are ablated at 5 J/cm² with a pulse width of 7 ns. The nanoparticles begin to grow above ablation spots slightly apart from the targets just after thermalization of the plume. We also found that the growth is delayed at higher fluxes of ablation laser light.