Formation mechanism of nanosecond-laser-induced microstructures on amorphous silicon film surfaces

Laser-induced microstructures have attracted significant research interest owing to their wide application potential for anti-reflective surfaces and optoelectronic devices. To elucidate the characteristics of laser-patterned microstructures, nanosecond-laser-induced micro-protrusions on amorphous silicon film surfaces were investigated via single-and multi-line irradiation experiments. For the former, the results reveal that the number of periodic micro-protrusions depends on the peak power intensity. In addition, the height and the base diameter of the micro-protrusions can be tailored by adjusting the peak power intensity and scanning distance of the laser, while increasing the peak power intensity also increases surface roughness. X-ray spectroscopy confirmed that the microstructures were mainly composed of silicon. The relationship between the formation mechanism and the size of the micro-protrusions is also discussed, with the results of this study providing valuable insights into the laser-induced microstructure formation.