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Low-reflectance laser-induced surface nanostructures created with a picosecond laser

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Abstract

Using high-speed picosecond laser pulse irradiation, low-reflectance laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) have been created on polycrystalline silicon. The effects of laser fluence, scan speed, overlapping ratio and polarization angle on the formation of LIPSS are reported. The anti-reflective properties of periodic structures are discussed, and the ideal LIPSS for low surface reflectance is presented. A decrease of 35.7 % in average reflectance of the silicon wafer was achieved over the wavelength range of 400–860 nm when it was textured with LIPSS at high scan speeds of 4000 mm/s. Experimental results of broadband reflectance of silicon wafers textured with LIPSS have been compared with finite difference time domain simulations and are in good agreement, showing high predictability in reflectance values for different structures. The effects of changing the LIPSS profile, fill factor and valley depth on the surface reflectance were also analyzed through simulations.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided for this study by the National Science Foundation (Grant Nos. CMMI-1030786 and CMMI-1300930).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Laser-based Manufacturing, School of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Shashank Sarbada & Yung C. Shin

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Zhifeng Huang & Xiulin Ruan

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  1. Shashank Sarbada
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  2. Zhifeng Huang
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Correspondence to Yung C. Shin.

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Sarbada, S., Huang, Z., Shin, Y.C. et al. Low-reflectance laser-induced surface nanostructures created with a picosecond laser . Appl. Phys. A 122, 453 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-016-0004-0

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