Pulsed Laser Heating-induced Surface Rapid Cooling and Amorphization

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this work, hybrid atomistic-macroscale simulation is conducted to explore the crystallization process of Si surface in the situation of fast melting and solidification induced by ultrafast laser heating and heat conduction. Using the environment-dependent interatomic potential, samples containing 2,880 and 11,520 Si atoms are modeled to provide accurate details for the relationship between the finial crystal structure and the parameters of laser pulses. For different pulsed lasers, amorphous layers are found to form when the laser fluence exceeds a certain critical value. An empirical correlation Ec = 448.76 × (tg)0.56 is obtained to relate this critical fluence to the laser pulse width. It is found that the final thickness of amorphous layer is related to the fluence of the laser pulse with the same full width at half maximum (FWHM). Employing laser pulses with FWHM = 6.67 ns, the formation and recrystallization processes of a 12 nm thick amorphous layer is further investigated, which may have great potential in laser manufacture techniques for Si-associated structures.