Impact of the solvent properties on the morphology of the silicon surface generated by laser ablation under a solvent film

An improvement in Silicon ablation by lasers is achieved when laser ablation takes place under a thin liquid film. Therefore it is necessary to investigate the effects of the liquid on the silicon surface during laser irradiation. Different types of microstructures observed on the silicon [100]-surface of a Si-wafer after nanosecond-pulsed laser irradiation under liquid films of molecular solvents are presented to complete our understanding of the Laser Chemical Processing (LCP). Water and perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are hitherto employed as liquid media due to their high thermal and chemical stability in the LCP. Here we report on results obtained with a new reactor that allows studying the stability of solvents occurring during the laser irradiation and the effects of solvents on the silicon surface during and after laser irradiation.