On the role of surface plasmon polaritons in the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures upon irradiation of silicon by femtosecond-laser pulses

Journal Article · Sun Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 2009 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3261734· OSTI ID:21361941

Bonse, Joern; Krueger, Joerg ^[1]; Rosenfeld, Arkadi ^[2]

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1. BAM Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung, Fachgruppe VI.4 Oberflaechentechnologien, Unter den Eichen 87, D-12205 Berlin (Germany)
2. Max-Born-Institut fuer Nichtlineare Optik und Kurzzeitspektroskopie (MBI), Max-Born-Strasse 2a, D-12489 Berlin (Germany)

The formation of nearly wavelength-sized laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) on single-crystalline silicon upon irradiation with single or multiple femtosecond-laser pulses (pulse duration tau=130 fs and central wavelength lambda=800 nm) in air is studied experimentally and theoretically. In our theoretical approach, we model the LIPSS formation by combining the generally accepted first-principles theory of Sipe and co-workers with a Drude model in order to account for transient intrapulse changes in the optical properties of the material due to the excitation of a dense electron-hole plasma. Our results are capable to explain quantitatively the spatial periods of the LIPSSs being somewhat smaller than the laser wavelength, their orientation perpendicular to the laser beam polarization, and their characteristic fluence dependence. Moreover, evidence is presented that surface plasmon polaritons play a dominant role during the initial stage of near-wavelength-sized periodic surface structures in femtosecond-laser irradiated silicon, and it is demonstrated that these LIPSSs can be formed in silicon upon irradiation by single femtosecond-laser pulses.

• OSTI ID: 21361941
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 106; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
AIR
CRYSTALS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITATION
FLUIDS
GASES
IRRADIATION
LASERS
MATERIALS
MONOCRYSTALS
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PERIODICITY
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
PLASMONS
POLARIZATION
POLARONS
PULSES
QUASI PARTICLES
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SOLID-STATE PLASMA
VARIATIONS
WAVELENGTHS