Silicon microcolumn arrays grown by nanosecond pulsed-excimer laser irradiation
- 19 April 1999
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters
- Vol. 74 (16), 2322-2324
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.123838
Abstract
Arrays of high aspect ratio silicon microcolumns that protrude well above the initial surface have been formed by cumulative nanosecond pulsed-excimer laser irradiation of silicon. Microcolumn growth is strongly affected by the gas environment, being enhanced in air or other oxygen-containing ambient. It is proposed that microcolumn growth occurs through a combination of pulsed-laser melting of the tips of the columns and deposition of silicon from the intense flux of silicon-rich vapor produced by ablation of the surface regions between columns. The molten tips of the columns are strongly preferred sites for deposition, resulting in a very high axial growth rate. The growth process is conceptually similar to the vapor–liquid–solid method used to grow silicon whiskers. However, in the present case the pulsed-laser radiation fulfills two roles almost simultaneously, viz., providing the flux of silicon-containing molecules and melting the tips of the columns.Keywords
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