Modification and Ablation of Thin Silicon-on-Insulator Films by fs-Laser

Silicon-on-insulator (SOI) thin layers provide a platform for the fabrication of devices with all dimensions into nanoscale. Modification of the top silicon layer is done by doping to change the type and degree of conductivity. It is expected that an additional control can be obtained by fs-laser irradiation, tuned at fluences that can induce amorphization or ablation of silicon. Here, we show results of fs-laser irradiation on thin undoped and highly-doped SOI layers, showcasing the capability of this technique to produce various modifications, from heating to ablation. Combined with CMOS-compatible techniques for nanodevice fabrication, this method could become a valuable approach to control doping and patterning of nanoscale Si.