Periodic nanostructures self-formed on silicon and silicon carbide by femtosecond laser irradiation

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) were formed on Si and SiC surfaces by irradiations with femtosecond laser pulses in air. Different kinds of self-organized structures appeared on Si and SiC at laser fluences slightly higher than the damage threshold, which was measured by confocal laser scanning microscope. The characteristic spatial periodicity of every observed structure was estimated reading the peak values of the 2D Fourier transform power spectra obtained from SEM images. The evolution of the spatial periodicity was finally studied with respect to both the laser fluence and the number of laser pulses. As already observed for metals, the behavior of the spatial periodicity on laser fluence can be related to the parametric decay of laser light into surface plasma waves. Our results suggest a wide applicability of the parametric decay model on different materials, making the model a useful tool in view of different applications of LIPSS.