Cubic boron nitride deposition on silicon substrates at room temperature by KrF excimer laser ablation of h-BN

A hexagonal-BN target was ablated by high-fluence (6 and 12 J/cm²) KrF excimer laser pulses in low-pressure (5 Pa) N₂ atmosphere, without any aid of ion bombardment and heating of the Si substrate. Investigations of the deposited films show that the cubic-BN phase was deposited. The film deposited at 6 J/cm² appears to contain a higher cubic phase content with respect to the one deposited at 12 J/cm².     

Pulsed laser treatment of gold and black gold thin films fabricated by thermal evaporation

The effect of pulsed laser treatment of metal, and metal blacks, was studied. Gold and black gold thin films were fabricated by thermal evaporation of gold in a vacuum and nitrogen atmosphere respectively. Black gold films were grown in a nitrogen atmosphere at pressures of 200 Pa and 300 Pa. UV pulsed laser radiation (λ = 266 nm, τ = 4 ns), with fluence ranging from 1 mJ·cm⁻² to 250 mJ·cm⁻² was used for the film treatment in a vacuum and nitrogen atmosphere. The nitrogen pressure was varied up to 100 kPa. Surface structure modifications were analyzed by optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was used for chemical characterization of the samples. A significant dependence of the film optical and structural properties on laser treatment conditions (laser fluence, ambient pressure and number of applied pulses) was found. The threshold for observable damage and initiation of changes of morphology for gold and black gold surfaces was determined. Distinct modifications were observed for fluences greater than 106 mJ·cm⁻² and 3.5 mJ·cm⁻² for the gold and black gold films respectively. Absorbtivity of the black gold film is found to decrease with an increase in the number of laser pulses. Microstructural and nanostructural modifications after laser treatment of the black gold film were observed. EDX analysis revealed that no impurities were introduced into the samples during both the deposition and laser treatment.      

Femtosecond-pulse laser ablation of dental hydroxyapatite and single-crystalline fluoroapatite

Laser microdrilling of healthy human enamel and dentine using 300 fs pulses at a wavelength of 615 nm and 3 Hz repetition rate leads to an enhanced structuring quality in comparison with nanosecond-laser results. Microcracking and damage to neighboring tissue can be reduced. Ablation threshold fluences for 100 laser pulses of 0.3 J cm^-2 (human dentine), 0.6 J cm^-2 (human enamel) and 0.8 J cm^-2 (single crystalline fluoroapatite) could be determined. Ablation depths per pulse below 1 7m were observed.     

Laser ablation and micropatterning of thin TiN coatings

Laser ablation of thin TiN films deposited on steel substrates has been studied under wide-range variation of irradiation conditions (pulsewidth, wavelength, energy density and spot size). It has been demonstrated that both picosecond (150–300 ps) and nanosecond (5–9 ns) laser pulses were suitable for controllable ablation and microstructuring of a 1-μm-thick TiN film unlike longer 150-ns pulses. The ablation rate was found to be practically independent of the wavelength (270–1078 nm) and pulsewidth (150 ps–9 ns), but it increased substantially when the size of a laser spot was reduced from 15–60 μm to 3 μm. The laser ablation technique was applied to produce microstructures in the thin TiN films consisting of microcraters with a typical size of 3–5 μm in diameter and depth less than 1 μm. Tests of lubricated sliding of the laser-structured TiN films against a steel ball showed that the durability of lubricated sliding increased by 25% as compared to that of the original TiN film. Received: 28 July 1999 / Accepted: 17 April 2000 / Published online: 20 September 2000     

Study of the gradual interface between hydroxyapatite thin films PLD grown onto Ti-controlled sublayers

Hydroxyapatite thin films were grown on layered structures by Pulsed Laser Deposition with the goal of investigating the interface of the ceramic film with the substrate. The latter consisted of Si/TiN/Ti sandwich structures. This multilayer substrate was also prepared by laser ablation earlier in the same experimental session.This particular type of structure was chosen in order to induce the in situ growth of hydroxyapatite directly onto freshly deposited Ti. We tried this way to avoid previous direct Ti exposure to air, hence its oxidation. The subsequent depositions of multilayers were performed with the aid of a carousel multi-target system mounted inside the irradiation chamber. This allowed for selecting in order the respective TiN, Ti and HA targets without opening the chamber between individual depositions.X-ray diffractometry, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffractometry studies revealed the formation at the interface of a transition complex phase, 2 to 25 nm thick, consisting of a mixture of TiO₂ and CaP phase. The specific growth of TiN and Ti phases was also investigated.     

Laser induced mixing in multilayered Ti/Ta thin film structures

The possibility of interlayer mixing in a Ti/Ta multilayer system, induced by laser irradiation, was the main purpose of these experiments. Ti/Ta multilayer system, consisting of ten alternating Ti and Ta thin films and covered by slightly thicker Ti layer, was deposited on Si (100) wafers to a total thickness of 205 nm. Laser irradiation was performed in air by picoseconds Nd:YAG laser pulses in defocused regime with fluences of 0.057 and 0.11 J cm^?2. Laser beam was scanned over the 5?×?5 mm surface area with different steps along y-axes. Structural and compositional characterisation was done by auger electron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Laser processing at lower fluence caused only oxidation of the top Ti layer, despite of the number of applied laser pulses. Interlayer mixing was not observed. Application of laser pulses at fluence of 0.11 J cm^?2 caused partial and/or complete ablation of deposited layers. In partially ablated regions considerable mixing between Ti and Ta films was registered.     

TiN growth on Si by hybrid radical beam PLD

High-quality (good crystallinity and stoichiometry) titanium nitride (TiN) thin films were grown on Si(100) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) using a high-purity titanium target (99.99%) and nitrogen radical beam. The crystallinity, chemical composition, and depth profiles of the grown films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), respectively. The XRD pattern indicated that the preferred growth of TiN(200) with an orientation parallel to the Si(100) direction was obtained and the nitrogen radical drastically improved crystallinity compared with that grown in ambient nitrogen gas. RBS spectra indicated that the combination of PLD and the nitrogen radical beam suppressed silicidation at the interface between the Si substrate and TiN thin film during growth. The XPS analysis revealed that this method achieved the synthesis of stoichiometric TiN films.     

Sub-picosecond UV-laser ablation of Ni films

Laser ablation of thin Ni films on fused silica by 0.5 ps KrF-excimer-laser pulses at 248 nm is reported. The onset of material removal from different film thicknesses (0.1, 0.3, 0.6 and 1.0 m) was measured in a laser ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometer by the amount of Ni atoms vs laser fluence. Significant amounts of metal atoms are already evaporated at laser fluences around 20 mJ/cm², a threshold up to 100 times smaller compared to the one for 14 ns pulses. In contrast to ns laser pulses, the ablation threshold for 0.5 ps pulses is independent of the film thickness. These results reflect the importance of thermal diffusion in laser ablation of strongly absorbing and thermally good conducting materials and prove that for ablation with short pulses, energy loss to the bulk is minimized.     

Picosecond laser ablation of nano-sized WTi thin film

Interaction of an Nd:YAG laser, operating at 532 nm wavelength and pulse duration of 40 ps, with tungsten-titanium (WTi) thin film (thickness, 190 nm) deposited on single silicon (100) substrate was studied. Laser fluences of 10.5 and 13.4 J/cm² were found to be sufficient for modification of the WTi/silicon target system. The energy absorbed from the Nd:YAG laser beam is partially converted to thermal energy, which generates a series of effects, such as melting, vaporization of the molten material, shock waves, etc. The following WTi/silicon surface morphological changes were observed: (i) ablation of the thin film during the first laser pulse. The boundary of damage area was relatively sharp after action of one pulse whereas it was quite diffuse after irradiation with more than 10 pulses; (ii) appearance of some nano-structures (e.g., nano-ripples) in the irradiated region; (iii) appearance of the micro-cracking. The process of the laser interaction with WTi/silicon target was accompanied by formation of plasma.     

Dual-beam ablation of fused silica by multiwavelength excitation process using KrF excimer and F2 lasers

A new technique of dual-beam laser ablation of fused silica by multiwavelength excitation process using a 248-nm KrF excimer laser (ablation beam) coupled with a 157-nm F₂ laser (excitation beam) in dry nitrogen atmosphere is reported. The dual-beam laser ablation greatly reduced debris deposition and, thus, significantly improved the ablation quality compared with single-beam ablation of the KrF laser. High-quality ablation can be achieved at the delay times of KrF excimer laser irradiation shorter than 10 ns due to a large excited-state absorption. The ablation rate can reach up to 80 nm/pulse at the fluence of 4.0 J/cm² for the 248-nm laser and 60 mJ/cm² for the F₂ laser. The ablation threshold and effective absorption coefficient of KrF excimer laser are estimated to be 1.4 J/cm² and 1.2᎒⁵ cm^-1, respectively.     

Generation of superintense femtosecond pulses by the Cr:forsterite laser system

A repetitively pulsed chromium-forsterite laser system is created. High-power femtosecond light pulses are generated at the fundamental (1.24 μm) and second-harmonic (0.62 μm) wavelengths. Theoretical analysis is performed to optimize the output pulse energy. Laser pulses with a duration of 110 fs, an energy of 1 mJ, and a repetition rate of 1–50 Hz are generated. The intensity of the focused beam is greater than 10¹⁶ W/cm². High-efficiency radiation conversion into the second harmonic is used to increase the energy contrast of the generated pulses. Original Text ? Astro, Ltd., 2006.     

用激光分子束外延在Si衬底上外延生长高质量的TiN薄膜

采用激光分子束外延技术,利用两步法,在Si单晶衬底上成功地外延生长出TiN薄膜材料.原子力显微镜分析结果显示, TiN薄膜材料表面光滑,在10 μm×10 μm范围内,均方根粗糙度为0842nm.霍耳效应测量结果显示,TiN薄膜在室温条件下的电阻率为36×10^-5Ω·cm,迁移率达到5830 cm²/V·S,表明TiN薄膜材料是一种优良的电极材料.X射线θ—2θ扫描结果和很高的迁移率均表明,高质量的TiN薄膜材料被外延在Si衬底 关键词： 激光分子束外延 TiN单晶薄膜 外延生长     

Synthesis of ZnO thin films by 40 ps @ 532 nm laser pulses

The synthesis by pulsed laser deposition of ZnO thin films with a Nd:YAG laser system delivering pulses of 40 ps @ 532 nm is reported. The laser beam irradiated the target placed inside a vacuum chamber evacuated down to 1.33×10⁻¹ Pa. The incident laser fluence was of 28 J/cm² in a spot of 0.1 mm². The ablated material was collected onto double face polished (111) Si or quartz wafers placed parallel at a separation distance of 7 mm. The AFM, SEM, UV-Vis, FT-IR and absorption ellipsometry results indicated that we obtained pure ZnO films with a rather uniform surface, having an average roughness of 37 nm. We observed by SEM that particulates are present on ZnO film surface or embedded into bulk. Their density and dimension were intermediary between particulates observed on similar structures deposited with fs or ns laser pulses. We noticed that the density of the particulates is increasing while their average size is decreasing when passing from ns to ps and fs laser pulses. The average transmission in the UV-Vis spectral region was found to be higher than 85%.     

Pulsed KrF laser deposited GaN/TiN/Si(111) heterostructures by sequential TiN and liquid Ga laser ablation

GaN/TiN heterostructures were deposited on 4° miscut Si(111) substrates by pulsed KrF laser ablation of TiN through vacuum, followed by reactive pulsed KrF laser ablation of liquid Ga through 70-75 mTorr of microwave-activated NH₃. Deposition temperatures of 950 °C and 1050 °C were employed for the TiN layer while 900 °C was employed for the GaN layer. The targets were positioned 5 cm from the substrate and ablated by using a reimaging beamline at a nominal energy density of 3-4 J/cm². X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed a highly textured heterostructure with GaN(0001)//TiN(111)//Si(111) and with a rocking curve width for both GaN(0001) and TiN(111) equal to ~1.1°. The mosaic spread through the TiN(001) reflection was ~1.3°, whereas that of the GaN(101_1) was undetectable because of low S/N. Scanning electron microscopy revealed large oriented 10 7m-sized hexagonal crystallites decorating large depressions in the TiN film with many smaller pits also present. The effect of substrate processing and TiN film processing on pit formation was explored.     

Structural characterization of AlN films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition

We obtained AlN thin films by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) from a polycrystalline AlN target using a pulsed KrF* excimer laser source (248 nm, 25 ns, intensity of ∼4 × 10⁸ W/cm², repetition rate 3 Hz, 10 J/cm² laser fluence). The target-Si substrate distance was 5 cm. Films were grown either in vacuum (10⁻⁴ Pa residual pressure) or in nitrogen at a dynamic pressure of 0.1 and 10 Pa, using a total of 20,000 subsequent pulses. The films structure was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spectral ellipsometry (SE). Our TEM and XRD studies showed a strong dependence of the film structure on the nitrogen content in the ambient gas. The films deposited in vacuum exhibited a high quality polycrystalline structure with a hexagonal phase. The crystallite growth proceeds along the c-axis, perpendicular to the substrate surface, resulting in a columnar and strongly textured structure. The films grown at low nitrogen pressure (0.1 Pa) were amorphous as seen by TEM and XRD, but SE data analysis revealed ∼1.7 vol.% crystallites embedded in the amorphous AlN matrix. Increasing the nitrogen pressure to 10 Pa promotes the formation of cubic (≤10 nm) crystallites as seen by TEM but their density was still low to be detected by XRD. SE data analysis confirmed the results obtained from the TEM and XRD observations.     

Multiple filamentation of intense femtosecond laser pulses in air

The propagation of focused femtosecond laser pulses with supercritical peak powers in air has been investigated by the methods of optical visualization, profilometry, and calorimetry. Laser pulses with supercritical powers create a bundle of submillimeter filaments with a diameter of about 5 μm ahead of the lens focus; the maximum number of filaments in the beam cross section and their length increase linearly and sublinearly, respectively, with the radiation peak power. The optical visualization and calorimetry indicate that the plasma channels of filaments are optical contrast (a plasma density of 10¹⁸–10¹⁹ cm⁻³), ensuring the refraction of laser radiation incident on them.     

Enhanced cleaning of photoresist film on a transparent substrate by backward irradiation of a Nd:YAG laser

Laser cleaning of a photoresist (PR) on a glass substrate using ns-pulsed Nd:YAG laser was studied. The direction of the substrate facing the laser beam was varied as a main parameter as well as the power of the laser beam. The backward irradiation (BWI) of the third harmonic beam (355 nm) completely removed 1.2 μm thick PR layer with three pulses at 1.5 J/cm² leaving no residues behind; while the forward irradiation (FWI) at the same condition just partially cleaned it. To investigate the difference of removal mechanisms between irradiation directions, the size distributions of particulates generated during laser cleaning were observed using an optical particle counter. The concentration of micron-sized particulates increased with increasing laser fluence up to 1 J/cm² for FWI and 0.5 J/cm² for BWI and then decreased at higher fluences because the target was a very thin film. The concentration of larger particulates for BWI was much higher than that for FWI implying the difference in removal mechanisms. In consideration of the size characteristics of the particulates and the temperature profiles of the PR layer, the most probable distinct mechanism for the BWI would be a blasting due to high temperature at the PR/glass interface. The particulate number concentration decreased rapidly after the completion of cleaning, suggesting that the measurement of the particulate concentration could detect the progress of the cleaning. Our results demonstrated that the backward irradiation will be useful for the laser cleaning of film-type contaminants on an optically transparent substrate.     

Ripple formation in the chromium thin film during laser ablation

The beam of a nanosecond pulse laser tightly focused to a line was applied for the back-side ablation of the chromium thin film on a glass substrate. The stripe ablated with a single laser pulse had sharp edges on both sides and ridges of the melted metal around it. The partially overlapping pulses formed a wide cleaned area with a complicated structure made of the metal remaining from the ridges. Regular structures, ripples, were developed when laser fluence was slightly above the single-pulse removal threshold and the shift between pulses was less than half width of the line ablated with a single laser pulse. The ripples were located periodically (∼4 μm) and were orientated perpendicularly to the long axis of the beam spot. Their orientation did not depend on the laser beam polarization. Different models of the ripple formation in the thin metal film were considered, and instability of the moving vapor-liquid-solid contact line during evaporation of thin liquid films appears to be the most probable process responsible for the observed phenomena. Formation of regular gratings with the unlimited line length was experimentally implemented by using the above-mentioned technique.     

Pulsed laser ablation and deposition of silicon

A KrF laser was used to ablate a polycrystalline Si target for deposition of Si on MgO and GaAs substrates at room temperature. The deposition was performed in 10⁻⁸ mbar, with two types of laser beams: a homogeneous beam being imaged onto the target (2.9 J/cm²), and a non-homogeneous which is nearly focused (2 J/cm², 6.5 J/cm²). In both cases, the beam was scanned over an area of 1 cm². For the homogenous beam, we observed only a limited number of droplets (<0.1 μm). A high number of micron-sized (<5 μm) droplets were observed on the film by the higher fluence nonhomogeneous laser beam. Raman spectroscopy showed that the micron-sized droplets are crystalline while the film is amorphous. The generation of the large droplets is most likely related to the cone structures formed on the ablated target. We also compared cone formation on a polycrystalline Si target and a single crystalline Si wafer, using multiple laser pulses onto a single spot.     

Laser-produced plasma ion characteristics in laser ablation of lithium manganate

Laser ablation is widely used to assist in the fabrication of prototype lithium manganate (LiMn₂O₄) thin film structures for Li-ion battery electrodes via the pulsed laser deposition technique. However, films can be considerably Li and/or O deficient, depending the deposition conditions used. Here we present data on the ionic component of laser-produced plasma in laser ablation of lithium manganate with ns excimer laser. Plasma was monitored using an electrical Langmuir ion probe, in time-of-flight mode in conjunction with mass spectrometry to identify the dominant ionic species. Ablation in vacuum at ∼2.5 J cm⁻² revealed the plasma's ionic component was composed primarily of singly charged Li and Mn ions. The time-of-flight data indicates significant deceleration of the plasma when ablation is carried out in an oxygen background gas pressure of the order of 10 Pa. The implications for thin film growth are considered in terms of the possible gas phase interactions and/or thin film re-sputtering yield.