Pulse number dependence of laser-induced periodic surface structures for femtosecond laser irradiation of silicon

The formation of nearly wavelength-sized laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) on single-crystalline silicon upon irradiation with single (N=1) and multiple (N≤1000) linearly polarized femtosecond (fs) laser pulses (pulse duration τ=130 fs, central wavelength λ=800 nm) in air is studied experimentally. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy are used for imaging of the ablated surface morphologies, both revealing LIPSS with periodicities close to the laser wavelength and an orientation always perpendicular to the polarization of the fs-laser beam. It is experimentally demonstrated that these LIPSS can be formed in silicon upon irradiation by single fs-laser pulses—a result that is additionally supported by a recent theoretical model. Two-dimensional Fourier transforms of the SEM images allow the detailed analysis of the distribution of the spatial frequencies of the LIPSS and indicate, at a fixed peak fluence, a monotonous decrease in their mean spatial period between ∼770 nm (N=1) and 560 nm (N=1000). The characteristic decrease in the LIPSS period is caused by a feedback-mechanism acting upon excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at the rough silicon surface which is developing under the action of multiple pulses into a periodically corrugated surface.