TY - JOUR A1 - Bonse, Jörn A1 - Rosenfeld, A. A1 - Grebing, C. A1 - Steinmeyer, G. A1 - Mailman, N. A1 - Botton, G.A. A1 - Haugen, H.K. T1 - Ablation and structural changes induced in InP surfaces by single 10 fs laser pulses in air N2 - Ablation of single-crystalline (100) indium phosphide wafer surfaces with single 10 fs Ti:sapphire laser pulses in air has been studied by means of complementary cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, scanning force microscopy, and optical microscopy. A local protrusion of ~70 nm height is generated within the ablation craters for fluences exceeding 0.78 J/cm². This morphological feature has been studied in detail, revealing the material structure of the laser-affected zone and its spatial extent. The resolidified layer (60-200 nm thick) consists of polycrystalline grains (5-15 nm diameter) and is covered by an ~10 nm thick amorphous top layer. Interestingly, the sharp boundary of the solidified layer to the unaffected crystal underneath exhibits a Gaussian-like shape and does not follow the shape of the surface topography. Evidence is presented that the central crater protrusion is formed by near-surface optical breakdown, and that the absorption in the material transiently changes during the femtosecond-laser pulse. KW - Femtosecond laser ablation KW - Optical breakdown KW - Transmission electron microscopy KW - Semiconductor KW - Indium phosphide KW - Scanning force microscopy KW - Time-resolved measurements PY - 2009 UR - http://link.aip.org/link/?JAPIAU/106/074907/1 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3236630 SN - 0021-8979 SN - 1089-7550 VL - 106 SP - 074907-1 - 074907-7 PB - American Institute of Physics CY - Melville, NY AN - OPUS4-20083 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -