Direct and stand-off fabrication of black silicon with enhanced absorbance in the short-wavelength infrared region using femtosecond laser filament

Yue Su, Xuepeng Zhan, Hongwei Zang, Yao Fu, Aiwu Li, Huailiang Xu, See Leang Chin, Pavel Polynkin

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

We report on the experimental demonstration of a technique for rapid fabrication of black silicon with enhanced absorption in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR) region, directly in the ambient air, and at a standoff distance of about 1 m. Our approach is based on the irradiation of a surface of the crystalline silicon, coated by a 100-nm-thick aluminum film, by femtosecond laser pulses that are propagating in the air in the self-channeling regime known as laser filamentation. By adjusting the processing parameters, we achieve up to 50% absorptivity enhancement in the SWIR spectral range between 1.5 and 2.5 μm wavelength, compared to the case when no aluminum coating is applied prior to the laser processing under the otherwise same conditions. Microscopic and elemental analyses of the processed samples suggest that the absorptivity enhancement is due to both the changes in the morphology of the microstructures formed on the sample surface by the laser irradiation and the modification of the energy-band structure of silicon, as a result of aluminum implantation. Our technique could enable rapid and cost-effective fabrication of silicon-based opto-electronic devices for applications in the infrared spectral range.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number223
JournalApplied Physics B: Lasers and Optics
Volume124
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2018

Keywords

  • Absorptivity enhancement
  • Aluminum coating
  • Black silicon
  • Femtosecond laser filamentation
  • Infrared

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
  • General Physics and Astronomy

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Direct and stand-off fabrication of black silicon with enhanced absorbance in the short-wavelength infrared region using femtosecond laser filament'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this