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Optical far- and near-field femtosecond laser ablation of Si for nanoscale chemical analysis

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Abstract

Extending spatial resolution in laser-based chemical analysis to the nanoscale becomes increasingly important as nanoscience and nanotechnology develop. Implementation of femtosecond laser pulses arises as a basic strategy for increasing resolution since it is associated with spatially localized material damage. In this work we study femtosecond laser far- and near-field processing of silicon (Si) at two distinct wavelengths (400 and 800 nm), for nanoscale chemical analysis. By tightly focusing femtosecond laser beams in the far-field, we were able to produce sub-micrometer craters. In order to further reduce the crater size, similar experiments were performed in the near-field through sub-wavelength apertures, resulting in the formation of sub-30-nm craters. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was used for chemical analysis with a goal to identify the minimum crater size from which spectral emission could be measured. Emission from sub-micrometer craters (full width at half maximum) was possible, which are among the smallest ever reported for femtosecond LIBS.

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Acknowledgments

This research has been supported by the Chemical Science Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, U.S. Department of Energy, under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The authors are pleased to acknowledge helpful discussions with Paul Berdahl of LBNL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Vassilia Zorba, Xianglei Mao & Richard E. Russo

  2. Applied Spectra, 46661 Fremond Blvd., Fremont, CA, 94538, USA

    Richard E. Russo

Authors
  1. Vassilia Zorba
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  2. Xianglei Mao
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  3. Richard E. Russo
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Correspondence to Richard E. Russo.

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Zorba, V., Mao, X. & Russo, R.E. Optical far- and near-field femtosecond laser ablation of Si for nanoscale chemical analysis. Anal Bioanal Chem 396, 173–180 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3136-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-009-3136-7

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