Morphological and Optical Transformation of Gas Assisted Direct Laser Written Porous Silicon Films

• Published in: Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) Germany), 2023-08, Vol.19 (32), p.e2300655-n/a
• Main Authors: Fletcher, Jesse, Parish, Giacinta, Dell, John, Keating, Adrian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Direct laser writing; Electrical resistivity; Engineers; Fluence; laser writing; Lasers; mesoporous silicon; Micromachining; Nanotechnology; Optical properties; Oxidation; Porous silicon; Refractivity; Silicon films; Thermal conductivity; thin films
• ISSN: 1613-6810; 1613-6829
• DOI: 10.1002/smll.202300655

Direct laser writing (DLW) of mesoporous porous silicon (PS) films is shown to selectively create spatially separated nitridized and carbonized features on a single film. Nitridized or carbonized features are formed during DLW at 405 nm in an ambient of nitrogen and propane gas, respectively. The range of laser fluence required to create varying feature sizes while avoiding damage to the PS film is identified. At high enough fluence, nitridation using DLW has been shown as an effective method for laterally isolating regions on the PS films. The efficacy in preventing oxidation once passivated is investigated via energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy. Changes in composition and optical properties of the DL written films are investigated using spectroscopic analysis. Results show carbonized DLW regions have a much higher absorption than as‐fabricated PS, attributed to pyrolytic carbon or transpolyacetylene deposits in the pores. Nitridized regions exhibit optical loss similar to previously published thermally nitridized PS films. This work presents methods to engineer PS films for a variety of potential device applications, including the application of carbonized PS to selectively engineer thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity and of nitridized PS to micromachining and selective modification of refractive index for optical applications. Direct laser writing of mesoporous porous silicon films to selectively create spatially separated nitridized or carbonized features on a single film as a method of engineering porous silicon films for device applications including thermal and electrical traces via carbonization and micromachining and modification of refractive index using nitridation.