Slip on the surface of silicon wafers under laser irradiation: Scale effect

Abstract

The slip mechanism on the surface of silicon wafers under laser irradiation was studied by numerical simulations and experiments. Firstly, the slip was explained by an analysis of the generalized stacking fault energy and the associated restoring forces. Activation of unexpected {110} slip planes was predicted to be a surface phenomenon. Experimentally, {110} slip planes were activated by changing doping concentrations of wafers and laser parameters respectively. Slip planes were {110} when slipping started within several atomic layers under the surface and turned into {111} with deeper slip. The scale effect was shown to be an intrinsic property of silicon.