Generation of debris in the femtosecond laser machining of a silicon substrate

A mechanism of debris accumulation around the hole created on a silicon substrate with a femtosecond laser is experimentally studied. The hole created by the laser pulses has an edge consisting of pillared structures. However, no solid or liquid materials with similar dimensions as the pillared structures were ejected from the hole as the laser machining was performed in vacuum or in the presence of various gases. When the target was placed in a gas under 100 Torr, a thick layer of cotton-like material formed around the hole. Laser irradiation of a vertically placed target resulted in re-solidified material that formed after dripping from the hole edge, showing that substrate was partially melted. The surface morphology features suggest that the debris was formed as a result of aggregation of small particles such as atoms or atomic clusters on the substrate surface instead of large-scale droplets or fragments, which are commonly observed with nanosecond lasers. PACS 78.67.Bf; 81.15.Fg; 81.16.Mk; 81.20.Wk; 81.65.Cf     

飞秒激光在空气和水中对硅片烧蚀加工的实验研究

采用1 kHz,800 nm,50 fs—24 ps的钛宝石激光脉冲对单晶硅样品在空气和水溶液环境中的烧蚀加工特性进行了研究.实验观察到了超短脉冲激光在空气氛围中烧蚀形成的双层环状结构,分析揭示了加工区域中心和边缘的烧蚀物理机制分别为热熔化和库仑爆炸,并测量了双层环状结构半径随入射激光能量、脉冲数及持续时间等的变化关系,结果表明获取较大深-宽比的加工效果需选择小能量脉冲激光的多次作用.在水溶液环境中,实验发现飞秒激光在样品表面诱导产生了亚微米量级的多孔状结构,而皮秒激光则更容易实现对硅表面的非热性去除.这是由于激光诱导的光机械应力和空泡效应随脉冲宽度变大而增强所致,在实验上确立了区分这两种不同加工状态的临界脉冲宽度. 关键词： 飞秒激光 硅片 激光加工     

Fabrication of large-area hole arrays using high-efficiency two-grating interference system and femtosecond laser ablation

We present a novel method to fabricate hole arrays by forming a four-beam interference pattern with two gratings. In this method a femtosecond laser beam is split into four and collected to interfere using two cascaded diffractive gratings. One benefit of this grating pair is that it is achromatic, because of the geometry of the grating pair, and therefore it is suitable for femtosecond ablation. Grating pairs were designed and fabricated for a standard Ti:sapphire femtosecond laser, with 800-nm central wavelength, so that the interference pattern generates holes with less than 1-μm diameter. Holes with this size diffract with a colorful visual appearance in the visible wavelength range and therefore these structures are suitable for security, authentication and decorative marking. We show that this method is suitable for fast ablation of hole arrays in both silicon and steel.     

Femtosecond- and nanosecond-pulse laser ablation of bariumalumoborosilicate glass

Laser ablation with femtosecond pulses (130 fs, wavelength 800 nm, repetition rate 2 Hz) was compared with nanosecond-pulse ablation (10 ns, wavelength 266 nm, repetition rate 2.5 Hz) of bariumalumoborosilicate glass in air using the direct focusing technique. Different ablation thresholds and heat-affected zones were observed. The lateral and vertical machining precision was evaluated. Single nanosecond laser pulses in the far UV resulted in a bubble or a circular hole in the centre of the illuminated spot, depending on the applied fluence. The ablation behaviour in the case of near-IR femtosecond pulses contrasted to this. Bubble formation was not detected. It needed repeated pulses at the same spot to modify the surface until material removal could be observed (incubation). Cavity dimensions of less than the beam diameter were achieved in this case.     

纳秒紫外重复脉冲激光烧蚀单晶硅的热力学过程研究

采用波长为355 nm的纳秒紫外重复脉冲激光对单晶硅片进行了盲孔加工实验, 观测了随脉冲增加激光烧蚀硅片的外观形貌和盲孔孔深、孔径的变化规律, 并对紫外激光辐照硅片的热力学过程进行了分析. 研究结果表明:紫外激光加工硅盲孔是基于热、力效应共同作用的结果, 热效应会使得硅材料熔化、气化甚至发生电离产生激光等离子体,为材料的去除提供条件;激光等离子体冲击波以及高温气态物向外膨胀会对熔化材料产生压力致使其向外喷射,为重复脉冲的进一步烧蚀提供了条件;力效应主要沿着激光传输的方向,垂直于硅表面,使得去除部位主要集中在孔的深度方向,达到较高的孔径比,实验观察孔径比可达8:1;此外,激光等离子体的产生也阻止了激光对靶面的作用,加之随孔深的增加激光发生散焦,使得烧蚀深度有一定的限制,实验观察烧蚀脉冲个数在前100个时加工效率较高.     

Effect of film properties on the material removing characteristics in femtosecond laser rear-side ablation of chromium film

The microfabrication of films with femtosecond lasers has been researched widely for its high spatial resolution and sub-spot-size features. Compared with the common front-side ablation, femtosecond laser rear-side ablation mechanism of films is more complex due to the possible film breaking process. In this paper, the effect of film properties such as adhesion strength and cohesion strength on the material removing characteristics in femtosecond laser rear-side ablation of Cr film is investigated. The possible film breaking process in the rear-side ablation is analyzed firstly, and then some experiments with different films, the vapor deposited Cr film, the sputtered Cr film and the Cr film of photomask are performed. The experimental results indicate that the film properties are key factors influencing material removal characteristics for laser rear-side ablation. By varying film properties and laser fluence, femtosecond laser rear-side ablation technique can be applied in laser cleaning process and fabrication of nanostructures. The unique feature of rear-side ablation will widen the application of femtosecond laser micromachining technique.     

聚合物飞秒激光加工的分子动力学建模与仿真

通过合理选择聚合物分子结构模型和高精度势能函数,建立了聚合物飞秒激光烧蚀加工的分子动力学仿真模型,并使用该模型研究了聚乙烯和聚苯乙烯飞秒激光烧蚀加工中的激光能量辐照和扩散过程。研究结果表明:激光烧蚀加工中聚合物材料的去除方式包括单链热激发引起的表面蒸发和单链热运动引起的内部热膨胀。聚苯乙烯单链的微观变形方式包括单链的整体移动和单链自身结构的变化。聚乙烯和聚苯乙烯的分子结构差异对聚合物单链变形行为和材料去除体积等烧蚀加工结果具有显著的影响。     

Laser ablation of silicon in water with nanosecond and femtosecond pulses

We describe laser ablation of Si under water by 5 ns, 355 nm and 100 fs, 800 nm pulses. Compared to that in air, an approximately twofold improvement in the ablation rate is found in water for femtosecond and nanosecond pulses. For higher laser irradiances, the plasma that forms at the water-air interface hampers further improvement of the ablation rate. We investigated the enhanced ablation process in water and found that the cavity-confinement geometry that increases the laser energy coupling to the target and allows more energy to be transferred to the cavity sidewalls plays an important role in the escalated material removal process. In addition, we show that the water layer that effectively reduces the oxidation and redeposition of the ablated debris is also responsible for improvements in the ablation process.     

Analysis of materials modifications caused by UV laser micro drilling of via holes in AlGaN/GaN transistors on SiC

Pulsed UV laser drilling can be applied to fabricate vertical electrical interconnects (vias) for AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor devices on single-crystalline silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. Through-wafer micro holes with a diameter of 50-100 μm were formed in 400 μm thick bulk 4H-SiC by a frequency-tripled solid-state laser (355 nm) with a pulse width of ≤30 ns and a focal spot size of ∼15 μm. The impact of laser machining on the material system in the vicinity of micro holes was investigated by means of micro-Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. After removing the loosely deposited debris by etching in buffered hydrofluoric acid, a layer of <4 μm resolidified material remains at the side walls of the holes. The thickness of the resolidified layer depends on the vertical distance to the hole entry as observed by scanning electron microscopy. Micro-Raman spectra indicate a change of internal strain due to laser drilling and evidence the formation of nanocrystalline silicon (Si). Microstructure analysis of the vias’ side walls using cross sectional TEM reveals altered degree of crystallinity in SiC. Layers of heavily disturbed SiC, and nanocrystalline Si are formed by laser irradiation. The layers are separated by 50-100 nm thick interface regions. No evidence of extended defects, micro cracking or crystal damage was found beneath the resolidified layer. The precision of UV laser micro ablation of SiC using nanosecond pulses is not limited by laser-induced extended crystal defects.     

Short-pulse laser ablation of solids: from phase explosion to fragmentation

The mechanisms of laser ablation in silicon are investigated close to the threshold energy for pulse durations of 500 fs and 50 ps. This is achieved using a unique model coupling carrier and atom dynamics within a unified Monte Carlo and molecular-dynamics scheme. Under femtosecond laser irradiation, isochoric heating and rapid adiabatic expansion of the material provide a natural pathway to phase explosion. This is not observed under slower, nonadiabatic cooling with picosecond pulses where fragmentation of the hot metallic fluid is the only relevant ablation mechanism.     

Numerical study of femtosecond laser-assisted atom probe tomography

We investigate the mechanisms of a laser-assisted atom probe tomography technique. In this method, a sub-wavelength tip is subjected both to a very strong static electric field and to a femtosecond laser pulse. As a result, ions are ejected from the tip one by one. By using femtosecond lasers, one can analyze not only metals but also semiconductors and dielectric materials. To better understand the ejection process, a numerical model is developed based on the drift-diffusion approach. The model accounts for such effects as field penetration, hole and electron movement, and laser absorption. For the given value of the dc field, a substantial band bending and an increase in hole density at the surface of the silicon tip are observed. This bending effect changes silicon absorption coefficient at the surface and significantly increases recombination time of laser-induced carriers.     

266 nm飞秒激光烧蚀单晶硅的分子动力学模拟

 基于Stillinger-Weber(SW)势和“x-分区”模型,用分子动力学方法模拟了266 nm飞秒激光烧蚀单晶硅的过程,给出了烧蚀过程的物理图像,烧蚀过程中材料内部缺陷的产生与发展最终导致整层材料被移除。对比研究了烧蚀材料中不同区域粒子的运动轨迹,结果体现了在固、液、气不同状态下粒子的运动特征。模拟了激光诱导应力波的传播,其速度为8.18 km/s。     

Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation of 3CSiC thin film on silicon

A femtosecond pulsed Ti:sapphire laser (pulse width=120 fs, wavelength=800 nm, repetition rate=1 kHz) was employed to perform laser ablation of 1-m-thick silicon carbide (3CSiC) films grown on silicon substrates. The threshold fluence and ablation rate, useful for the micromachining of the 3CSiC films, were experimentally determined. The material removal mechanisms vary depending on the applied energy fluence. At high laser fluence, a thermally dominated process such as melting, boiling and vaporizing of single-crystal SiC occurs. At low laser fluence, the ablation is a defect-activation process via incubation, defect accumulation, formation of nanoparticles and final vaporization of boundaries. The defect-activation process reduces the ablation threshold fluence and enhances lateral and vertical precision as compared to the thermally dominated mechanism. Helium, as an assistant gas, plays a major role in improving the processing quality and ablation rate of SiC thin films due to its inertness and high first ionization energy. PACS 79.20.Ds; 42.62.Cf; 42.70.Qs; 61.72; 61.46     

Synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes by pyrolysis of melamine

Femtosecond laser material processing as micromachining and nanoparticles fabrication require a careful control of the fluences deposited on the samples. In many cases, best results are obtained by using fluences slightly above the Laser Ablation Threshold (LAT), therefore its accurate determination is an important requirement. LAT can be obtained by measuring the intensity of the acoustic signal generated during the ablation process as a function of the laser fluence. In this work femtosecond laser ablation thresholds of commercially polished stainless steel plates, white high impact polystyrene, frosted glass, antique rag papers and silicon oxynitride thin films were determined by using laser ablation induced photoacoustics (LAIP). Results were compared with similar data previously obtained by using a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser.     

Projection ablation of glass-based single and arrayed microstructures using excimer laser

Ablation of single and arrayed microstructures using an excimer laser is studied. The single feature microstructures are fabricated for evaluating the ablation mechanism, threshold fluence, and associated material removing (ablation) rate. The morphology changes during ablation are investigated with the focus on the formation of the ablation defects, debris or recast. The possibility of removing these defects is also evaluated and demonstrated. The present study concentrates on the borosilicate glass, although ablation of polyimide and silicon are performed and discussed for comparison. Polyimide and silicon are the most popular polymer or semiconductor material used in the electronics industry. The arrayed microstructures are ablated to demonstrate the fact that, by repetition of a simple-patterned mask associated with synchronized laser pulses and substrate movement, arrayed and more complex structures can be cost-effectively manufactured. The potential applications of these arrayed microstructures are discussed and illustrated. A low-cost replication technique that uses the arrayed microstructure presently machined as the forming mold for making electroforming nickel microneedles is specifically presented. Finally, the potential areas of using excimer laser in micromachining of glass-based structures for future research are also briefly covered.     

The influence of substrate temperature on femtosecond laser micro-processing of silicon,stainless steel and glass

We report the influence of substrate temperature on femtosecond laser ablation of silicon, stainless steel, and glass. Remarkable decrease in surface roughness was observed under high substrate temperature for silicon and stainless steel. While the ablation efficiency of glass as a typical wide band-gap material is scarcely altered at 900 K, the efficiency for stainless steel as a conductor apparently increased about 20% accompanied to the elevation of substrate temperature from 300 to 900 K. Silicon wafer results in slight increase of the ablation efficiency with decreasing the ablation threshold. Considering that the melting temperature of glass is much lower than those of silicon and steel, the observations from this work suggests that the material ablation caused by the ultrafast laser irradiation could not be explained in term of only laser-induced thermal excitation.     

Doping of silicon with carbon during laser ablation process

The effect of laser ablation on properties of remaining material in silicon was investigated. It was found that laser cutting of wafers in the air induced the doping of silicon with carbon. The effect was more distinct when using higher laser power or UV radiation. Carbon ions created bonds with silicon atoms in the depth of the material. Formation of the silicon carbide type bonds was confirmed by SIMS, XPS and AES measurements. Modeling of the carbon diffusion to clarify its depth profile in silicon was performed. Photochemical reactions of such type changed the structure of material and could be the reason of the reduced machining quality. The controlled atmosphere was applied to prevent carbonization of silicon during laser cutting. PACS 52.38.Mf; 82.50.Hp; 82.80.Ms; 82.80.Pv     

Role of volatile liquids in debris and hole taper angle reduction during femtosecond laser drilling of silicon

The absence of debris or spatters on the periphery of laser micromachining area is critical in semiconductor applications due to reduction of line width and line space of silicon (Si) devices. We studied the role of different types of volatile liquid films in reducing debris formation during femtosecond (fs) laser drilling of Si. It was found that more volatile liquids, i.e. liquids with lower boiling points and lower number of carbon atoms in the molecular formula, were more effective in reducing debris formation during the fs laser drilling process. Plasma confinement in liquid and shock waves are believed to be the main causes for the reduction of the formation of debris. The more volatile liquids also led to reduction in hole taper angles.     

Micro-ablation on silicon by femtosecond laser pulses focused with an axicon assisted with a lens

Micro-ablation of crystalline silicon was performed by irradiating a silicon substrate with femtosecond laser pulses of wavelengths 786 nm or 393 nm focused using a conical axicon assisted with a convex lens. Focusing the laser beam close to the tip of the axicon by means of the lens significantly improved the efficiency of concentration of laser pulse energy at the central spot of the resulting Bessel-Gaussian intensity distribution. As a result, micron-sized holes were formed with the diameter determined by the ablation threshold in the calculated fluence profile. It is possible to predict hole size from the laser pulse energy and the wavelength. Crystalline particles, a few tens of nanometers in size, were formed near the ablated zone.     

飞秒激光烧蚀0Cr18Ni9不锈钢精度的影响因素

为了研究影响飞秒激光烧蚀0Cr18Ni9不锈钢精度的因素,采用飞秒激光对0Cr18Ni9不锈钢进行了切割和打孔实验。利用光学显微镜、光学金相显微镜等设备,对不锈钢烧蚀区形貌和切缝显微组织进行检测,基于烧蚀过程中CCD实时采集到的不锈钢表面的激光光斑图样,采用COMSOL Multiphysic数值模拟软件,模拟了烧蚀过程中激光束的发散传播行为,并计算了光束发散角。结果表明:当激光重复频率为5kHz时,厚度为160μm的0Cr18Ni9不锈钢切缝和孔边缘被明显烧黑,切缝处晶粒明显长大,存在热影响区;烧蚀过程中,由飞秒激光超高功率密度所致的金属-空气混合等离子体使光束沿传播方向上发生散射,发散角在6°～10°之间。热影响区的存在和混合等离子体的行为是影响飞秒激光烧蚀0Cr18Ni9不锈钢精度的主要因素。