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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
Conical microstructures with nanoscale sharpness form on silicon films as a result of single-pulse, localized UV irradiation using a solid-state, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. Projection imaging of pinhole apertures was employed to obtain micron-sized irradiation spots on the surface of silicon-on-insulator samples. The formation of these structures requires melting of the silicon film and was followed at different laser fluence levels and irradiation spot sizes. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to characterize the structures. After fabricating small arrays of such micro-cones, the silicon top layer was selectively etched away in order to understand the role of the underlying silicon oxide. AFM images of such etched samples revealed that the topography of the oxide material below the cones had been significantly modified: bumps with heights that represent a significant fraction of the original Si cone height have formed. This suggests that substrate melting plays an important role in the mechanism of formation of the silicon cones.