Analysis of excimer laser annealing of amorphous SiGe on La2O3//Si structures

The reduction of complementary metal oxide semiconductor dimensions through transistor scaling is in part limited by the SiO₂ dielectric layer thickness. Among the materials evaluated as alternative gate dielectrics one of the leading candidate is La₂O₃ due to its high permittivity and thermodynamic stability. However, during device processing, thermal annealing can promote deleterious interactions between the silicon substrate and the high-k dielectric degrading the desired oxide insulating properties.The possibility to grow poly-SiGe on top of La₂O₃//Si by laser assisted techniques therefore seems to be very attractive. Low thermal budget techniques such as pulsed laser deposition and crystallization can be a good choice to reduce possible interface modifications due to their localized and limited thermal effect.In this work the laser annealing by ArF excimer laser irradiation of amorphous SiGe grown on La₂O₃//Si has been analysed theoretically by a numerical model based on the heat conduction differential equation with the aim to control possible modifications at the La₂O₃//Si interface. Simulations have been carried out using different laser energy densities (0.26-0.58 J/cm²), different La₂O₃ film thickness (5-20 nm) and a 50 nm, 30 nm thick amorphous SiGe layer. The temperature distributions have been studied in both the two films and substrate, the melting depth and interfaces temperature have been evaluated. The fluences ranges for which the interfaces start to melt have been calculated for the different configurations.Thermal profiles and interfaces melting point have shown to be sensitive to the thickness of the La₂O₃ film, the thicker the film the lower the temperature at Si interface.Good agreement between theoretical and preliminary experimental data has been found.According to our results the oxide degradation is not expected during the laser crystallization of amorphous Si_0.7Ge_0.3 for the examined ranges of film thickness and fluences.     

Analytical investigation into laser pulse heating and thermal stresses

Laser pulse heating of metallic surfaces results in rapid rise of temperature in the region irradiated by the laser beam. This in turn results in high temperature gradient in this region. The irradiated substrate material expands as a response to the temperature gradient. Consequently, high thermal stress levels are developed in the region of the high temperature gradient. In the present study, closed form solutions for temperature and stress fields due to a laser pulse decaying exponentially in time are presented. A Laplace transformation method is employed in the analysis. The resulting equations are non-dimensionalized with the appropriate parameters. It is found that temperature rises rapidly during the early heating period in the surface region. In this case, internal energy gain dominates the conduction losses from the surface vicinity. The thermal stress levels attain high values in the surface region. The stress wave developed is compressive and it propagates with a wave speed c₁ inside the substrate.     

Fast particle emission from CO2 laser produced plasmas

Spatial distributions and spectra of non thermal particles emitted from CO₂ laser aluminum plasmas have been recorded. With laser fluxes greater than 10¹³ W/cm² ions with MeV maximum kinetic energy have been detected as well as fast electrons in the range of 50 to 500 keV. The results are discussed in terms of resonant absorption as a function of different parameters s such as laser flux and angle of incidence.     

On the delamination and crack formation in a thin wall fabricated using laser solid freeform fabrication process: An experimental–numerical investigation

Parts fabricated using laser solid freeform fabrication (LSFF) are subject to thermal stresses due to the layer-by-layer material deposition and the temperature distribution characteristic throughout the process domain. The thermal stress patterns and intensity contribute significantly to potential delamination and crack formation. In this paper, the temperature distribution and stress field induced during the multilayer LSFF process, and their correlation with delamination and crack formation are studied. This is performed by a numerical and experimental investigation in the fabrication of a thin wall of 304L stainless steel. For time-dependent predictions on the locations of maximum temperatures and thermal stresses and their patterns, a three-dimensional (3D) transient finite element model is employed to simulate the process, including the geometry of the deposited materials as well as coupled temperature and stress distributions across the process domain. The experimental results are used to verify the numerical results as well as to investigate the correlation between the numerical results and micro-crack formations across the fabricated parts. The experiments are conducted with the same process parameters used in the numerical analyses using a 1 kW Nd:YAG pulsed laser. The trend of numerical and experimental results reveals that by preheating the substrate prior to the fabrication process, it is possible to substantially reduce the micro-cracks formed across the part. To demonstrate the feasibility of preheating on the reduction of micro-cracks, several simulations and experiments are performed in which a crack-free result is obtained when the substrate is preheated to 800 K. For this case, 22% reduction in thermal stresses is obtained throughout the process domain.     

Investigation of temperature and stress fields in laser cladded coatings

Temporal and spatial distributions of temperature and strain-stress have been modelled and investigated experimentally for the laser cladding process. The model corresponded to experimental conditions where the multilayer protective coatings were prepared by direct laser cladding of stellite SF6 powder on X10Cr13 chromium steel by means of a 1.2 kW CO₂ laser. For calculations the effect of base preheating, temperature dependent material properties, and also influence of time-break between cladding of the consecutive layers were taken into account. The calculated temperature fields indicated good bonding of the substrate and coating, which was in agreement with the micro-analytical test results. A decrease of the number of microcracks in the coating with an increase of substrate preheating temperature was concluded from stress calculations and confirmed in the experiment. Moreover, an increase of the cracking susceptibility with an increase of the time delay between cladding of the consecutive layers was evidenced by modelling. The best technological results were obtained for the case of single-layer coatings prepared on a preheated substrate and for higher coating thickness required the processing of consecutive layers with a possibly short time delay is advisable due to effective usage of laser beam energy for preheating and lower temperature gradients.     

Allotropic conversion of carbon-related films by using energy beams

Energy beams, such as ion and laser beams, were employed to convert carbon allotropes into other ones at a specified position because these energy sources can be controlled precisely in time and space. The ion beam deposition technique employing mass-separated ions proved effective in studying the nucleation process by changing several growth parameters (ion species, incident energies, and substrate temperatures). Immersed nanosized diamonds were found in an sp ³-rich amorphous film prepared with 100-eV ¹²C⁺ ions at room temperature. Surrounding these nanodiamonds, regularly arrayed small bumps, “petals,” were formed around the periphery of bald circles upon cooling. Ar-ion laser illumination is effective in designing the array of high luminescent points on a C₆₀ film by careful control of the laser power, and the combination of a micro-Raman spectrometer with a piezoscanning system provides one with a tool for 2-dimensional processing of photosensitive materials. Simultaneous bombardment during C₆₀ evaporation results in an interesting pattern formation specific to the simultaneous treatment. The dependence of the surface nanoscale pattern on the ion energy and the substrate temperatures provides one with a new tool for designing nanoscale functional materials. As an extreme, the appearance of hexagonal diamonds was detected with disordered carbon and graphite under the condition of there being a high ratio between the Ne ion beam and the C₆₀ thermal beam.     

晶圆键合和激光剥离工艺对GaN基垂直结构发光二极管芯片残余应力的影响

GaN基发光二极管(LED)中的残余应力状态对器件的性能和稳定性有很大影响. 通过使用三种不同的键合衬底(Al₂O₃衬底, CuW衬底和Si衬底)以及改变键合温度(290 ℃, 320 ℃, 350 ℃和380 ℃), 并且使用不同的激光能量密度(875, 945和1015 mJ·cm^-2) 进行激光剥离, 制备了不同应力状态的GaN基LED器件. 对不同条件下GaN LED进行弯曲度、Raman 散射谱测试. 实验结果表明, 垂直结构LED中的残余应力的状态是键合衬底和键合金属共同作用的结果, 而键合温度影响着垂直结构LED中的残余应力的大小. 激光剥离过程中, 一定能量密度下激光剥离工艺一般不会对芯片中的残余应力造成影响, 但是如果该工艺对GaN 层造成了微裂缝, 则会在一定程度上起到释放残余应力的作用. 使用Si衬底键合后, 外延蓝宝石衬底翘曲变大, 对应制备的GaN基垂直结构 LED中的残余应力为张应力, 并且随着键合温度的上升而变大; 而Al₂O₃和CuW衬底制备的LED中的残余应力为压应力, 但使用Al₂O₃衬底键合制备的LED中压应力随键合温度上升而一定程度变大, CuW 衬底制备的LED中压应力随键合温度上升而下降.     

Laser cutting of steel and thermal stress development

In laser cutting of sheet metals, thermal stresses are developed in the region of the cutting section. Depending on the cutting conditions and substrate material properties, the thermal stress levels can attain high values. In the present study, thermal stress developed in the region of the laser cut edges is modeled and temperature as well as stress fields are predicted. Temperature predictions are validated through the experimental results. It was found that the temporal variation of the maximum temperature along y-axis follows the laser heating source. However, temporal variation of von-Mises stress deviates slightly from the temporal variation of temperature along the cutting direction. Increase in scanning speed enhances the von-Mises stress levels due to the attainment of high temperature gradients in the substrate material.     

Comparison of Cut Path Deviation Between CO2 and Diode Lasers in Float-Glass Cutting

Laser cutting of glass using the controlled fracture technique leads to cut path deviation at the leading and trailing edges of the float glass sheet. In this technique, thermal stresses are used to induce the crack, and the material is separated along the cutting path by extending the crack. We show that the cut path deviation is partly due to high magnitudes of thermal stresses generated near the sheet edges. The absorption of intense radiation from the CO₂ and diode laser beams in the glass causes local temperature increases and consequently generates different thermal fields and stress distributions due to surface and volumetric heat absorption. In this paper, we report the effect of the CO₂ and diode laser wavelength interaction with the float glass and its effect on the magnitudes of thermal stresses generated near the edges of the glass sheet. We simulate the distribution of the thermal stress and temperature using finite-element analysis software Abaqus and validate it against the experimental data. We show that the CO₂ laser produces a lower surface quality and a larger cut path deviation at the leading and trailing edges of the glass sheet as compared to the diode laser.     

Combined continuum-atomistic modeling of ultrashort-pulsed laser irradiation of silicon

Ultrafast thermomechanical responses of silicon thin films due to ultrashort-pulsed laser irradiation were investigated using an atomic-level hybrid method coupling the molecular dynamics and the ultrafast two-step energy transport model. The dynamic reflectivity and absorption were considered, and the effects of laser fluence and pulse duration on the thermomechanical response were studied. It was found that both the carrier temperature and number density rapidly increase to their maximum while the lattice temperature rises at a much slower rate. The ultrafast laser heating could induce a strong stress wave in the film, with the maximum compressive and tensile stress occurring near the front and back surfaces, respectively. For laser pulses of the same duration, the higher the laser fluence is, the higher the carrier temperature and density and lattice temperature are induced. For the same laser fluence, a longer pulse generally produces lower carrier density and temperatures and weaker stress shock strength. However, for the fluence of 0.2 J/cm², the lowest lattice temperature was simulated for a 100-fs pulse compared to the 1-ps and 5-ps pulses, due to the increase of reflectivity by high carrier density. It is also shown that the optical properties as functions of lattice temperature usually employed are not suited for modeling ultrafast laser interactions with silicon materials.     

KTN thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition on transparent single crystal quartz(100)

Using the Sol-Gel method to produce the KTN ultrafine powder and the sintering technique with K2O atmosphere to prepare KTN ceramics as the targets instead of the KTN single crystal, highly oriented KTN thin films were produced on the transparent single crystal quartz (100) by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Since the thermal stress sustained by the quartz is relatively small, the limit temperature of the quartz substrates (300℃) is much lower than that of the P-Si substrates (560℃); the prepared thin film is at amorphous state. Increasing the pulsed laser energy density in the process incorporated with annealing the film after deposition at different temperatures converts the amorphous films into crystal. The optimal pulsed laser energy density and annealing temperature were 2.0 J/cm2 and 600℃, respectively. A discussion was made to understand the mechanism of film production at relatively low substrate temperature by PLD and effects of the annealing temperatures on the forming of the perovskite p     

Crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon films with laser and thermal annealing

The crystallization of silicon rich hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon films prepared by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition technique has been induced by excimer laser annealing as well as thermal annealing. The excimer laser energy density (E_d) and the annealing temperature were varied from 123 to 242 mJ/cm² and from 250 to 1200 °C respectively. The effects of the two crystallization processes on the structural properties and bonding configurations of the films have been studied. The main results are that for the laser annealed samples, cubic SiC crystallites are formed for E_d ≥ 188 mJ/cm², while for the thermal annealed samples, micro-crystallites SiC and polycrystalline hexagonal SiC are observed for the annealing temperature of 800 and 1200 °C respectively. The crystallinity degree has been found to improve with the increase in the laser energy density as well as with the increase in the annealing temperature.     

Melt-mediated coalescence of solution-deposited ZnO nanoparticles by excimer laser annealing for thin-film transistor fabrication

Nanoparticle solutions are considered promising for realizing low cost printable high performance flexible electronics. In this letter, excimer laser annealing (ELA) was employed to induce melting of solution-deposited ZnO nanoparticles and form electrically conductive porous films. The properties of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, DC conductance, and photoluminescence measurements. Thin-film field-effect transistors have been fabricated by ELA without the use of conventional vacuum or any high temperature thermal annealing processes. The transistors show n-type accumulation mode behavior with mobility greater than 0.1 cm²/V s and current on/off ratios of more than 10⁴. Optimization and control of the laser processing parameters minimized thermal impact on the substrate. This technique can be beneficial in the fabrication of metal oxide based electronics on heat sensitive flexible plastic substrates using low-cost, large-area solution processing combined with direct printing techniques.     

Nanosecond laser ablation for pulsed laser deposition of yttria

A thermal model to describe high-power nanosecond pulsed laser ablation of yttria (Y₂O₃) has been developed. This model simulates ablation of material occurring primarily through vaporization and also accounts for attenuation of the incident laser beam in the evolving vapor plume. Theoretical estimates of process features such as time evolution of target temperature distribution, melt depth and ablation rate and their dependence on laser parameters particularly for laser fluences in the range of 6 to 30 J/cm² are investigated. Calculated maximum surface temperatures when compared with the estimated critical temperature for yttria indicate absence of explosive boiling at typical laser fluxes of 10 to 30 J/cm². Material ejection in large fragments associated with explosive boiling of the target needs to be avoided when depositing thin films via the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique as it leads to coatings with high residual porosity and poor compaction restricting the protective quality of such corrosion-resistant yttria coatings. Our model calculations facilitate proper selection of laser parameters to be employed for deposition of PLD yttria corrosion-resistive coatings. Such coatings have been found to be highly effective in handling and containment of liquid uranium.     

Influence of the laser wavelength on the epitaxial growth and electrical properties of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 films grown by excimer laser-assisted MOD

Epitaxial La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSMO) films were prepared by excimer laser-assisted metal organic deposition (ELAMOD) at a low temperature using ArF, KrF, and XeCl excimer lasers. Cross-section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) observations confirmed the epitaxial growth and homogeneity of the LSMO film on a SrTiO₃ (STO) substrate, which was prepared using ArF, KrF, and XeCl excimer lasers. It was found that uniform epitaxial films could be grown at 500 °C by laser irradiation. When an XeCl laser was used, an epitaxial film was formed on the STO substrate at a fluence range from 80 to 140 mJ/cm² of the laser fluence for the epitaxial growth of LSMO film on STO substrate was changed. When the LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrate was used, an epitaxial film was only obtained by ArF laser irradiation, and no epitaxial film was obtained using the KrF and XeCl lasers. When the back of the amorphous LSMO film on an LAO substrate was irradiated using a KrF laser, no epitaxial film formed. Based on the effect of the wavelength and substrate material on the epitaxial growth, formation of the epitaxial film would be found to be photo thermal reaction and photochemical reaction. The maximum temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of the epitaxial La_0.8Sr_0.2MnO₃ film on an STO substrate grown using an XeCl laser is 4.0%/K at 275 K. XeCl lasers that deliver stabilized pulse energies can be used to prepare LSMO films with good a TCR.     

Luminescence of metals excited by fast nondestructive loading

The paper reports a study of the luminescence excited on the back side of metal targets irradiated with laser pulses of energy substantially below the plasma-flare formation threshold, and calculation of the temporal and spatial distributions of temperature, thermal stresses, and rate of thermal-stress variation in a sample. The evolution of the luminescence pulse is compared with that of the laser pulse, sample temperature, thermal stresses, and rate of thermal-stress variation. It has been established that the luminescence is excited as soon as the stresses at the sample surface become approximately equal to the yield point of the sample material, its intensity grows as long as the rate of stress rise increases, after which the process decays. The temporal and spatial distributions of temperature, thermal stresses, and rate of thermal-stress variation have also been calculated for the experiments, in which anomalous electron emission from the back side of laser-pulse irradiated metal targets was detected, and which were described in the literature but not appropriately explained. The dynamics of experimental and calculated relations have been compared. A correlation closely similar to that found for mechanoluminescence has been established. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 957–965 (June 1998)     

A laser dry etch process for smooth continuous relief structures in InP

A laser induced etch process is described which uses a pulsed 248 nm KrF excimer laser and Cl₂ atmosphere for the fabrication of monolithic continuously curved reliefs in InP substrate. In a bakeable processing chamber with low base pressure a wide range of laser fluences is available for damage-free etching. Especially, by photothermal heating far above the melting point, mirrorlike smooth surfaces are obtained. The etch rate characteristics are correlated to the maximum surface temperature reached during the laser pulse. The etch rate is independent of pressure and gas flux in the ranges 0.1–10 mbar and 20–300 sccm, respectively. It increases, however, with the background substrate temperature. Etch rates of up to 3.6 nm/pulse or 4.3 lm/min are possible at 20 Hz pulse repetition rate without visible surface damage. The process exhibits a smooth increase of the etch rate from 1 to 3 nm/pulse between 200 and 300 mJ/cm², which could be used for making curved reliefs by optical transmission variations on the projection mask.     

Fast femtosecond laser ablation for efficient cutting of sintered alumina substrates

Fast, accurate cutting of technical ceramics is a significant technological challenge because of these materials' typical high mechanical strength and thermal resistance. Femtosecond pulsed lasers offer significant promise for meeting this challenge. Femtosecond pulses can machine nearly any material with small kerf and little to no collateral damage to the surrounding material. The main drawback to femtosecond laser machining of ceramics is slow processing speed. In this work we report on the improvement of femtosecond laser cutting of sintered alumina substrates through optimisation of laser processing parameters. The femtosecond laser ablation thresholds for sintered alumina were measured using the diagonal scan method. Incubation effects were found to fit a defect accumulation model, with F_th,1=6.0 J/cm² (±0.3) and F_th,∞=2.5 J/cm² (±0.2). The focal length and depth, laser power, number of passes, and material translation speed were optimised for ablation speed and high quality. Optimal conditions of 500 mW power, 100 mm focal length, 2000 µm/s material translation speed, with 14 passes, produced complete cutting of the alumina substrate at an overall processing speed of 143 µm/s – more than 4 times faster than the maximum reported overall processing speed previously achieved by Wang et al. [1]. This process significantly increases processing speeds of alumina substrates, thereby reducing costs, making femtosecond laser machining a more viable option for industrial users.     

Lateral growth rates in laser CVD of microstructures

Lateral growth rates of Ni spots deposited on absorbing substrates by decomposition of Ni(CO)₄ with visible Kr⁺ laser light have been measured. The experimental data are consistent with the calculated temperature distributions. The mechanism of decomposition is thermal with an apparent chemical activation energy of 22±3 kcal/mole for the temperature range 350 KT500 K.     

Thermal oxidation induced during laser cleaning of an aluminium-magnesium alloy

During laser cleaning of metallic materials by pulsed lasers surface, modifications can be induced mainly by the transient thermal effect. In ambient conditions an oxidation of the cleaned surface can be detected. The aim of this work was to characterize this transient oxidation that can occur below the laser energy domain leading to any phase change (melting, ablation) of the cleaned substrate.A Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with pulse duration of 10 ns and wavelength of 1064 nm was used for the purposes of this study. For the surface analysis of the treated samples X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) were used.It was found that thermal oxidation took place on the aluminium-magnesium alloy during the irradiation in air with a laser energy ranged from 0.6 to 1.4 J cm^-2. It has been demonstrated that this thermal oxidation had the same mechanism as in the case of the steady state thermal oxidation of the aluminium-magnesium alloys even though the laser irradiation was applied only for the very short time of 10 ns. When the laser energy reached the value of 1 J cm^-2, the oxide formed by the thermal oxidation became in a large extent crystalline and its outer part was entirely covered by a continuous layer of magnesium oxide. PACS 61.82.Bg; 81.65.Mq; 61.80.Ba