Formation of Highly Ordered Platinum Nanowire Arrays on Silicon via Laser-Induced Self-Organization

Abstract

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) provide an elegant solution for the generation of highly ordered periodic patterns on the surface of solids. In this study, LIPSS are utilized for the formation of periodic platinum nanowire arrays. In a process based on laser-stimulated self-organization, platinum thin films, sputter-deposited onto silicon, are transformed into nanowire arrays with an average periodicity of 538 nm. The width of the platinum nanowires is adjustable in a range from 20 nm to 250 nm by simply adjusting the thickness of the initial platinum thin films in a range from 0.3 nm to 4.3 nm. With increasing width, platinum nanowires show a rising tendency to sink into the surface of the silicon wafer, thus indicating alloying between platinum and silicon upon LIPSS-formation by a nanosecond-pulsed laser. The Pt/silicon wires may be etched away, leaving a complementary nanostructure in the silicon surface.

Laser-Induced Au Catalyst Generation for Tailored ZnO Nanostructure Growth

“…For higher N the particle density converges to a value of about 3 particles/μm 2 as a result of the self-regulated 2D-LIPSS formation. Upon increasing N the size of 2D-LIPSS nanoparticles increases to a maximum of ~124 nm ( N = 498) before slightly diminishing, as expected for LIPSS generation [ 28 ]. This decrease in the pNPs’ size is explained by the partly ablation of the gold layer upon high energy doses, leading to the formation of small re-condensed Au-NP.…”

“…Additionally to the well-examined nanosecond (ns)-laser-induced changes for the Au catalysts, a change in the Si-surface through amorphization and oxidation, occurring during the 2D-LIPSS generation (ca. N > 100), may further influence the interfacial energy σ [ 27 , 28 ]. The laser-induced formation of a passivating SiO 2 layer, well-known in ns-laser LIPSS formation literature [ 27 , 33 , 34 ], plays a significant role in the laser pulse-modified growth of ZnO nanostructures.…”

Highly Regular LIPSS on Thin Molybdenum Films: Optimization and Generic Criteria

“…[ 50 ]). However, the dewetting effect upon LIPSS formation has to depend strongly on the film thickness and irradiation conditions [ 51 ]. It should be also noted that, in the ablative regimes, hydrodynamic instabilities contribute to an enhancement of the LIPSS profiles [ 52 , 53 ].…”

Laser-Driven One- and Two-Dimensional Subwavelength Periodic Patterning of Thin Films Made of a Metal–Organic MoS2 Precursor

“…Unfortunately, LIPSS studies as of today are usually limited to very few materials classes such as metals, ,,− semiconductors, and polymers. − Our research expands the spectrum of suitable substances by introducing organometallic precursor thin films. We show that highly ordered one- and two-dimensional (1D and 2D) structures can be generated from an organometallic precursor with selectable periodicity.…”