Dynamics of laser-induced vaporization for ultrafast deposition of amorphous silicon films

Abstract

Atomic vapor produced by a frequency-doubled, pulsed Nd:YAG laser with its beam focused on a silicon plate has been used to deposit amorphous silicon films on substrate at room temperature. Time-resolved measurements on the emission lines from vaporized Si show that the laser-irradiated surface is kept at temperatures high enough to maintain a significant amount of vaporization for approximately 40 ns after the 7-ns laser pulse. Since intense pulsed atomic beams are used, the silicon films grow at high speed in excess of 106 Å/s.