Nanostructuring the SiOₓ layers by using laser-induced self-organization

Abstract

The processes of laser-induced transformation of SiOₓ oxide layers into the nanocomposite ones were studied. The possibility of phase separation in the form of Si nanocrystals surrounded by corresponding SiO₂ oxide matrix under irradiation by nanosecond pulses of YAG:Nd⁺³-laser were shown. Laser radiation at the fundamental wavelength, λ₁ = 1064 nm, and second harmonic, λ₂ = 532 nm, was applied at researches. The size and surface concentration of nanofragments depend on the intensity and wavelength of the laser irradiation and have been determined from experimental data based on atomic force microscopy, infrared transmission spectra, and electrophysical measurements. SiOₓ nanocomposite layers containing Si nanoparticles, the size of which depends on laser beam intensity and wavelength, have been obtained. The processes of nanoparticle formation occur mainly through the generation and mass transfer of interstitial atoms in the solid mode (before the melting point threshold) due to the effect of laser thermal shock.