Direct Writing of Silicon Oxide Nanopatterns Using Photonic Nanojets

Abstract

The ability to create controllable patterns of micro- and nanostructures on the surface of bulk silicon has widespread application potential. In particular, the direct writing of silicon oxide patterns on silicon via femtosecond laser-induced silicon amorphization has attracted considerable attention owing to its simplicity and high efficiency. However, the direct writing of nanoscale resolution is challenging due to the optical diffraction effect. In this study, we propose a highly efficient, one-step method for preparing silicon oxide nanopatterns on silicon. The proposed method combines femtosecond laser-induced silicon amorphization with a subwavelength-scale beam waist of photonic nanojets. We demonstrate the direct writing of arbitrary nanopatterns via contactless scanning, achieving patterns with a minimum feature size of 310 nm and a height of 120 nm. The proposed method shows potential for the fabrication of multifunctional surfaces, silicon-based chips, and silicon photonics.

Keywords

• femtosecond laser processing
• photonics nanojet
• nanometer-scale pattern
• semiconductor materials