Silicon crystallinity control during laser direct microstructuring with bursts of picosecond pulses

Mur, Jaka (author), Pirker, Luka (author), Osterman, Natan (author), Petkovšek, Rok (author)

Laser ablation and modification using bursts of picosecond pulses and a tightly focused laser beam are used to manufacture structures in the bulk silicon. We demonstrate precise control of the surface crystallinity as well as the structure depth and topography of the processed areas, achieving homogeneous surface properties. The control is achieved with a combination of a well-defined pulse energy, systematic pulse positioning on the material, and the number of pulses in a burst. A custom designed fiber laser source is used to generate bursts of 1, 5, 10, and 20 pulses at a pulse repetition rate of 40 MHz and burst repetition rate of 83.3 kHz allowing for a fast and stable processing of silicon. We show a controlled transition through different laser-matter interaction regimes, from no observable changes of the silicon at low pulse energies, through amorphization below the ablation threshold energy, to the ablation with either complete, partial or nonexistent amorphization. Single micrometer-sized areas of desired shape and crystallinity were defined on the silicon surface with submicron precision, offering a promising tool for applications in the field of optics.

• Language: English
• Keywords: silicon, crystallinity, light-matter interaction, laser processing, direct laser microstructuring, bursts of pulses, picosecond pulses, lasers, fiber, laser materials processing, microstructure fabrication
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering; FMF - Faculty of Mathematics and Physics
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2017
• Number of pages: Str. 26356-26364
• Numbering: Vol. 25, no. 21, art. 306977
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128313
• UDC: 535:621.375.826(045)
• ISSN on article: 1094-4087
• DOI: 10.1364/OE.25.026356
• COBISS.SI-ID: 15709467

Copyright

“© 2017 Optical Society of America. Users may use, reuse, and build upon the article, or use the article for text or data mining, so long as such uses are for non-commercial purposes and appropriate attribution is maintained. All other rights are reserved.” (Datum opombe: 12. 6. 2023)

• Publication date in RUL: 08.07.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Optics express
• Shortened title: Opt. express
• Publisher: Optical Society of America
• ISSN: 1094-4087
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8636438

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: silicij, kristaliničnost, interakcija svetloba-snov, laserska obdelava, direktno lasersko mikrostrukturiranje, paketi pulzov, pikosekundni pulzi