Laser-assisted nanostructuring of Silicon in liquid environment

Formation of surface nanostructures on a Silicon target immersed into liquids is experimentally studied under its ablation by femtosecond laser pulses. Nanotexturing of Silicon upon its exposure to delayed femtosecond pulses and double exposure method is investigated. Two different types of morphological features are observed, namely periodic ripples and nanostructures. Field emission scanning electron microscopy shows that the density of nanostructures as well as their morphology depends on such parameters as fluence and the delay time between pulses and reaches its maximum at delay of 1 ps. Two-dimensional homogenous array of nanostructures is formed by laser ablation in liquids using double-exposure method. Possible applications of generated nanostructures are discussed.