Direct, parallel nanopatterning of silicon carbide by laser nanosphere lithography

Abstract

A technique to create nanopatterns on hard-to-machine bulk silicon carbide (SiC) with a laser beam is presented. A monolayer of silica (SiO2) spheres of 1.76-µm and 640-nm diameter are deposited on the SiC substrate and then irradiated with an Nd:YAG laser of 355 and 532 nm. The principle of optical near-field enhancement between the spheres and substrate when irradiated by a laser beam is used for obtaining the nanofeatures. The features are then characterized using a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. The diameter of the features thus obtained is around 150 to 450 nm and the depths vary from 70 to 220 nm.