Ultrafast dynamics of femtosecond laser-induced high spatial frequency periodic structures on silicon surfaces

Femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures(LIPSS)have been extensively studied over the past few decades.In particular,the period and groove width of high-spatial-frequency LIPSS(HSFL)is much smaller than the diffraction limit,making it a useful method for efficient nanomanufacturing.However,compared with the low-spatial-frequency LIPSS(LSFL),the structure size of the HSFL is smaller,and it is more easily submerged.Therefore,the formation mechanism of HSFL is complex and has always been a research hotspot in this field.In this study,regular LSFL with a period of 760 nm was fabricated in advance on a silicon surface with two-beam interference using an 800 nm,50 fs femtosecond laser.The ultrafast dynamics of HSFL formation on the silicon surface of prefabricated LSFL under single femtosecond laser pulse irradiation were observed and analyzed for the first time using collinear pump-probe imaging method.In general,the evolution of the surface structure undergoes five sequential stages:the LSFL begins to split,becomes uniform HSFL,degenerates into an irregular LSFL,undergoes secondary splitting into a weakly uniform HSFL,and evolves into an irregular LSFL or is submerged.The results indicate that the local enhancement of the submerged nanocavity,or the nanoplasma,in the prefabricated LSFL ridge led to the splitting of the LSFL,and the thermodynamic effect drove the homogenization of the splitting LSFL,which evolved into HSFL.

Recent progress on fabrication, spectroscopy properties, and device applications in Sn-doped CdS micro-nano structures

One-dimensional semiconductor materials possess excellent photoelectric properties and potential for the construction of integrated nanodevices. Among them, Sn-doped CdS has different micro-nano structures, including nanoribbons,nanowires, comb-like structures, and superlattices, with rich optical microcavity modes, excellent optical properties, and a wide range of application fields. This article reviews the research progress of various micrometer structures of Sn-doped CdS, systematically elaborates the effects of different growth conditions on the preparation of Sn-doped CdS micro-nano structures, as well as the spectral characteristics of these structures and their potential applications in certain fields. With the continuous progress of nanotechnology, it is expected that Sn-doped CdS micro-nano structures will achieve more breakthroughs in the field of optoelectronics and form cross-integration with other fields, jointly promoting scientific, technological, and social development.

Hierarchical microstructures with high spatial frequency laser induced periodic surface structures possessing different orientations created by femtosecond laser ablation of silicon in liquids

High spatial frequency laser induced periodic surface structures(HSFLs)on silicon substrates are often developed on flat surfaces at low fluences near ablation threshold of 0.1 J/cm2,seldom on microstructures or microgrooves at relatively higher fluences above 1 J/cm^2.This work aims to enrich the variety of HSFLs-containing hierarchical microstructures,by femtosecond laser(pulse duration:457 fs,wavelength:1045 nm,and repetition rate:100 kHz)in liquids(water and acetone)at laser fluence of 1.7 J/cm^2.The period of Si-HSFLs in the range of 110–200 nm is independent of the scanning speeds(0.1,0.5,1 and 2 mm/s),line intervals(5,15 and 20μm)of scanning lines and scanning directions(perpendicular or parallel to light polarization direction).It is interestingly found that besides normal HSFLs whose orientations are perpendicular to the direction of light polarization,both clockwise or anticlockwise randomly tilted HSFLs with a maximal deviation angle of 50°as compared to those of normal HSFLSs are found on the microstructures with height gradients.Raman spectra and SEM characterization jointly clarify that surface melting and nanocapillary waves play important roles in the formation of Si-HSFLs.The fact that no HSFLs are produced by laser ablation in air indicates that moderate melting facilitated with ultrafast liquid cooling is beneficial for the formation of HSFLs by LALs.On the basis of our findings and previous reports,a synergistic formation mechanism for HSFLs at high fluence was proposed and discussed,including thermal melting with the concomitance of ultrafast cooling in liquids,transformation of the molten layers into ripples and nanotips by surface plasmon polaritons(SPP)and second-harmonic generation(SHG),and modulation of Si-HSFLs direction by both nanocapillary waves and the localized electric field coming from the excited large Si particles.

Investigation on Surface Plasmon Polaritons and Localized Surface Plasmon Production Mechanism in Micro-Nano Structures

The simulation mechanism of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs)and localized surface plasmon(LSP)in different structures was studied,including the Au reflection grating(Au grating),Au substrate with dielectric ribbons grating(Au substrate grating),and pure electric conductor(PEC)substrate with Au ribbons grating(Au ribbons grating).And the characteristics of the Smith-Purcell radiation in these structures were presented.Simulation results show that SPPs are excited on the bottom surface of Au substrate grating grooves and LSP is stimulated on the upper surface both of Au ribbons grating grooves and Au grating grooves.Owing to the irreconcilable contradiction between optimizing the grating diffraction radiation efficiency and optimizing the SPPs excitation efficiency in the Au substrate grating,only 40-times enhancement of the radiation intensity was obtained by excited SPPs.However,the LSP enhanced structure overcomes the above problem and gains much better radiation enhancement ability,with about 200-times enhancement obtained in the Au ribbons grating and more than 500-times enhancement obtained in the Au grating.The results presented here provide a way of developing miniature,integratable,tunable,high-power-density radiation sources from visible light to ultraviolet rays at room temperature.

Advanced Functional Electromagnetic Shielding Materials:A Review Based on Micro‑Nano Structure Interface Control of Biomass Cell Walls

Research efforts on electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding materials have begun to converge on green and sustainable biomass materials.These materials offer numerous advantages such as being lightweight,porous,and hierarchical.Due to their porous nature,interfacial compatibility,and electrical conductivity,biomass materials hold significant potential as EMI shielding materials.Despite concerted efforts on the EMI shielding of biomass materials have been reported,this research area is still relatively new compared to traditional EMI shielding materials.In particular,a more comprehensive study and summary of the factors influencing biomass EMI shielding materials including the pore structure adjustment,preparation process,and micro-control would be valuable.The preparation methods and characteristics of wood,bamboo,cellulose and lignin in EMI shielding field are critically discussed in this paper,and similar biomass EMI materials are summarized and analyzed.The composite methods and fillers of various biomass materials were reviewed.this paper also highlights the mechanism of EMI shielding as well as existing prospects and challenges for development trends in this field.

Preparation and electrochemical lithium storage performance of porous silicon microsphere composite with metal modification and carbon coating

This work adopts a multi⁃step etching⁃heat treatment strategy to prepare porous silicon microsphere com⁃posite with Sb⁃Sn surface modification and carbon coating(pSi/Sb⁃Sn@C),using industrial grade SiAl alloy micro⁃spheres as a precursor.pSi/Sb⁃Sn@C had a 3D structure with bimetallic(Sb⁃Sn)modified porous silicon micro⁃spheres(pSi/Sb⁃Sn)as the core and carbon coating as the shell.Carbon shells can improve the electronic conductivi⁃ty and mechanical stability of porous silicon microspheres,which is beneficial for obtaining a stable solid electrolyte interface(SEI)film.The 3D porous core promotes the diffusion of lithium ions,increases the intercalation/delithia⁃tion active sites,and buffers the volume expansion during the intercalation process.The introduction of active met⁃als(Sb⁃Sn)can improve the conductivity of the composite and contribute to a certain amount of lithium storage ca⁃pacity.Due to its unique composition and microstructure,pSi/Sb⁃Sn@C showed a reversible capacity of 1247.4 mAh·g^(-1) after 300 charge/discharge cycles at a current density of 1.0 A·g^(-1),demonstrating excellent rate lithium storage performance and enhanced electrochemical cycling stability.

A comparison study on the electronic structures, lattice dynamics and thermoelectric properties of bulk silicon and silicon nanotubes

In order to investigate the mechanism of the electron and phonon transport in a silicon nanotube （SiNT）, the elec- tronic structures, the lattice dynamics, and the thermoelectric properties of bulk silicon （bulk Si） and a SiNT have been calculated in this work using density functional theory and Boltzmann transport theory. Our results suggest that the thermal conductivity of a SiNT is reduced by a factor of 1, while its electrical conductivity is improved significantly, although the Seebeck coefficient is increased slightly as compared to those of the bulk Si. As a consequence, the figure of merit （ZT） of a SiNT at 1200 K is enhanced by 12 times from 0.08 for bulk Si to 1.10. The large enhancement in electrical conductivity originates from the largely increased density of states at the Fermi energy level and the obviously narrowed band gap. The significant reduction in thermal conductivity is ascribed to the remarkably suppressed phonon thermal conductivity caused by a weakened covalent bonding, a decreased phonon density of states, a reduced phonon vibration frequency, as well as a shortened mean free path of phonons. The other factors influencing the thermoelectric properties have also been studied from the perspective of electronic structures and lattice dynamics.

Ring Structures of Silicone Oligomers:a Density Functional Theory Study

Silicones can be cross-linked to materials with a wide variety of properties.In this work,the ringed oligomers of [SiO(OH)_2]nas well as the stacked structures of trimer and the linear strands of the dimer and trimer were investigated systematically at B3 LYP/6-311 + + G(d,p) level combined with the conductor-like screening model(CPCM).This theoretical model reveals that,(1) SiO(OH)_2 will condense to stable ringed structures with SiO tetrahedrons;(2) in the ringed octamer [SiO(OH)_2]8,the macrocycle begins to pucker drastically;(3) from the linear strands of SiO rings it can be seen that the longer the chain is,the greater the energies decrease;(4) in [SiO(OH)_2]n(n ≥5) and in the strands of ringed oligomers,the highest occupied molecular orbitals(HOMOs) are primarily the n orbitals of the lone-pair electrons of oxygen atoms,so there are no delocalized π bonds.

Potential application of functional micro-nano structures in petroleum

This paper takes micro-nano motors and metamaterials as examples to introduce the basic concept and development of functional micro nano structures, and analyzes the application potential of the micro-nano structure design and manufacturing technology in the petroleum industry. The functional micro-nano structure is the structure and device with special functions prepared to achieve a specific goal. New functional micro-nano structures are classified into mobile type(e.g. micro-nano motors) and fixed type(e.g. metamaterials), and 3 D printing technology is a developed method of manufacturing. Combining the demand for exploration and development in oil and gas fields and the research status of intelligent micro-nano structures, we believe that there are 3 potential application directions:(1) The intelligent micro-nano structures represented by metamaterials and smart coatings can be applied to the oil recovery engineering technology and equipment to improve the stability and reliability of petroleum equipment.(2) The smart micro-nano robots represented by micro-motors and smart microspheres can be applied to the development of new materials for enhanced oil recovery, effectively improving the development efficiency of heavy oil, shale oil and other resources.(3) The intelligent structure manufacturing technology represented by 3 D printing technology can be applied to the field of microfluidics in reservoir fluids to guide the selection of mine flooding agents and improve the efficiency of mining.

Laterally Electrostatically Driven Poly 3C-SiC Folded-Beam Resonant Microstructures

Micromachined comb-drive electrostatic resonators with folded-cantilever beams were designed and fabricated. A combination of Rayleigh＇s method and finite-element analysis was used to calculate the resonant frequency drift as we adjusted the device geometry and material parameters. Three micromachined lateral resonant resonators with different beam widths were fabricated. Their resonant frequencies were experimentally measured to be 64.5,147.2, and 255.5kHz, respectively, which are in good agreement with the simulated resonant frequency. It is shown that an improved frequency performance could be obtained on the poly 3C-SiC based device structural material systems with high Young＇s modulus.

Dependence of R-G Currenton Bulk Traps Characteristics and Silicon Film Structure in SOI Gated-Diode

The dependence of the Recombination- Generation( R- G) current on the bulk trap characteristics and sili- con film structure in SOI lateral p+ p- n+ diode has been analyzed num erically by using the simulation tool,DESSIS- ISE.By varying the bulk trap characteristics such as the trap density and energy level spectrum systematically,the dependence of the R- G current on both of them has been dem onstrated in details.Moreover,the silicon film doping concentration and thickness are changed to make silicon body varies from the fully- depletion m ode into the partial- ly- depletion one.The influence of the transfer of silicon body characteristics on the R- G currenthas also been care- fully examined.A better understanding is obtained of the behavior of bulk trap R- G current in the SOI lateral gat- ed- diode.

DESIGN AND PREPARATION OF SILICON NITRIDE COMPOSITE WITH HIGH FRACTURE TOUGHNESS AND NACRE STRUCTURE

A new way of designing and preparing silicon nitride ceramic composite with high fracture toughness and nacre structure has been proposed. To mimic the laminated structure of nacre, Si_3N_4 matrix ceramic layer can be obtained through compacting rolling method. To mimic the secondary toughening of nacre structure, SiC whisker is added into Si_3N_4 and acts as the secondary toughening phase. Boron nitride (BN)is selected to mimic the organic layer in nacre so as to form the weak interfaces between Si_3N_4 layers. Alumina is added into BN to adjust the bonding strength of the interface.The Si_3N_4 sheets are stacked into the die after coating with BN. After the removal of the organic matter in them, the green body is hot pressed at 1820℃for 1.5 hours under N_2 atmosphere. The fracture toughness of the so-made Si_3N_4 composite at room temperature is 20.36MPa m￣(1/2), the three-point bending strength at room temperature is 651.47MPa. The crack spreads and deflects along the interface between BN and Si_3N_4 layer and extends through the BN layer into Si_3N_4 layer. The improvement of the fracture toughness may be due to the staircase-shape-like crack which provides the long crack path, the fracture and deformation of Si_3N_4 layer, and the pullout of SiC whiskers from the Si_3N_4 layer.

Micro-nanostructural designs of bifunctional electrocatalysts for metal-air batteries

Water-based rechargeable metal-air batteries play an important role in the storage and conversion of renewable electric energy.However,the sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and oxygen evolution reaction(OER)have limited the practical application of rechargeable metal-air batteries.Most of reviews were focused on single functional electrocatalysts while few on bifunctional electrocatalysts.It is indispensable but challenging to design a bifunctional electrocatalyst that is active and stable to the two reactions.Recently,attempts to develop high active bifunctional electrocatalysts for both ORR and OER increase rapidly.Much work is focused on the micro-nano design of advanced structures to improve the performance of bifunctional electrocatalyst.Transition-metal materials,carbon materials and composite materials,and the methods developed to prepare micro-nano structures,such as electrochemical methods,chemical vapor deposition,hydrothermal methods and template methods are reported in literatures.Additionally,many strategies,such as adjustments of electronic structures,oxygen defects,metal-oxygen bonds,interfacial strain,nano composites,heteroatom doping etc.,have been used extensively to design bifunctional electrocatalysts.To well understand the achievements in the recent literatures,this review focuses on the micro-nano structural design of materials,and the related methods and strategies are classed into two groups for the improvement of intrinsic and apparent activities.The fine adjustment of nano structures and an in-depth understanding of the reaction mechanism are also discussed briefly.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a new type of austempered boron alloyed high silicon cast steel

In the present paper, a new type of austempered boron alloyed high silicon cast steel has been developed, and its microstructures and mechanical properties at different temperatures were investigated. The experimental results indicate that the boron alloyed high silicon cast steel comprises a dendritic matrix and interdendritic eutectic borides in as-cast condition. The dendritic matrix is made up of pearlite, ferrite, and the interdendritic eutectic boride is with a chemical formula of M2B （M represents Fe, Cr, Mn or Mo） which is much like that of carbide in high chromium white cast iron. Pure ausferrite structure that consists of bainitic ferrite and retained austenite can be obtained in the matrix by austempering treatment to the cast steel. No carbides precipitate in the ausferrite structure and the morphology of borides remains almost unchanged after austempering treatments. Secondary boride particles precipitate during the course of austenitizing. The hardness and tensile strength of the austempered cast steel decrease with the increase of the austempering temperature, from 250℃ to 400 ℃. The impact toughness is 4-11 J.cm^-2 at room temperature and the impact fracture fractogragh indicates that the fracture is caused by the brittle fracture of the borides.

EFFECTS OF Sn AND Sb ON STRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC PROPERTIES OF HIGH INDUCTION ORIENTED SILICON STEEL

Effects of Sn and Sb on the structure and magnetic properties of high induction oriented silicon steel have been investigated.The heats with Sn or Sb possess rather fine primary and secondary gram sizes.Sn or Sb promotes the finer AlN particles,increases the amount of pre- cipitated AlN after normalizing and strengthens the ability of inhibition.After decarburizing annealing,the texture components of{110}〈115〉and〈110〉〈001〉tend to increase and form more secondary grain nuclei.

Superamphiphobic, light-trapping FeSe2 particles with a micro-nano hierarchical structure obtained by an improved solvothermal method

Wettability and the light-trapping effect of FeSe2 particles with a micro-nano hierarchical structure have been inves- tigated. Particles are synthesized by an improved solvothermal method, wherein hexadecyl trimetbyl ammonium bromide （CTAB） is employed as a surfactant. After modifying the particles with heptadecafluorodecyltrimethoxy-silane （HTMS）, we find that the water contact angle （WCA） of the FeSe2 particles increases by 6.1~ and the water sliding angle （WSA） decreases by 2.5~ respectively, and the diffuse reflectivity decreases 29.4% compared with similar FeSe2 particles synthe- sized by the conventional method. The growth process of the particles is analyzed and a growth scenario is given. Upon altering the PH values of the water, we observe that the superhydrophobic property is maintained quite consistently across a wide PH range of 1-14. Moreover, the modified particles were also found to be superoleophobic. To the best of our knowledge, there is no systematic research on the wettability of FeSe2 particles, so our research provides a reference for other researchers.

Effects of Phenyl Content and Molecular Structure on the Refractive Index of Organic Silicon Polymer

The effects of phenyl content and group distribution on the refractive index of phenyl silicone oil were investigated by synthesis and characterization of silicone oils of different molecular structures.A group contribution function model was established to predict the refractive index. The results showed that refractive index of phenyl silicone oil increased as its phenyl content increased. A linear equation had been established to describe the quantitative relationship between the refractive index and phenyl content.Refractive index values from the group contribution function model showed good consistency with experimental results.

Probing Structure, Thermochemistry, Electron Affinity and Magnetic Moment of Dysprosium-doped Silicon Clusters DySi_n(n = 3～10) and Their Anions with Double-hybrid Density Functional Theory

The equilibrium geometries, electronic structures and electronic properties including adiabatic electron affinity（AEA）, vertical detachment energy（VDE）, simulated photoelectron spectroscopy, HOMO-LUMO gap, charge transfer, and magnetic moment for DySi_n（n = 3~10） clusters and their anions were systematically investigated by using the ABCluster global search technique combined with the B3 LYP and B2 PLYP density functional methods. The results showed that the lowest energy structure of neutral DySi_n（n = 3~10） can be regarded as substituting a Si atom of the ground state structure of Si_（n＋1） with a Dy atom. For anions, the extra electron effect on the structure is significant. Starting from n = 6, the lowest energy structures of DySi_n~？（n = 3~10） differ from those of neutral. The ground state is quintuplet electronic state for DySi_n（n = 3~10） excluding DySi_4 and DySi_9, which is a septet electronic state. For anions, the ground state is a sextuplet electronic state. The reliable AEA and VDE of DySi_n（n = 3~10） are reported. Analyses of HOMO-LUMO gaps indicated that doping Dy atom to silicon clusters can improve significantly their photochemical reactivity, especially for DySi_9. Analyses of NPA revealed that the 4 f electrons of Dy in DySi_4, DySi_9, and DySi_n~？ with n = 4 and 6~10 participate in bonding. That is, DySi_nbelongs to the AB type. The 4 f electrons of Dy atom provide substantially the total magnetic moments for DySi_n and their anions. The dissociation energies of Ln（Ln = Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, Ho, and Dy） fromLn Sin and their anions were evaluated to examine the relative stabilities.

Sub-micron-structure machining on silicon by femtosecond laser

Sub-micron-structure machining on silicon substrate was studied by direct writing system of femtosecond laser with the central wavelength of 800 nm, pulse duration of 120 fs and repetition rate of 1 kHz. Three kinds of experiments were conducted: 1) the effect of photoresist on silicon; 2) machinability of different orientations of silicon; and 3) the size of micro-structure and the cross-section shape. Photoresist SU8 was coated onto silicon substrates in thicknesses of 100 μm. SU8 remained on the silicon substrate while the silicon under the machined SU8 was removed after laser machining. Orientations of (100), (110), and (111) silicon substrates were machined with the laser power of 60 μW and the scanning speed of 3 mm/min. Spike morphologies were observed on all three orientations of silicon substrates without obvious directional difference of these spikes on different silicon substrates. In addition, the ablation threshold energies were also similar. In the consideration of ablation energy, one numerical model of the machining parameters has been proposed to simulate the cross-section of the micro-structure. The predicted shape by simulation can fit the profile of the cross-section shape well.

STRUCTURE EFFECTS OF SILICON AND CARBON BY CLUSTER MASS SPECTRA

Microclusters from different structures of silicon and carbon are studied by SIMS under UHV conditions in the mass range below M=200. The sputtered mass spectra of ions Sin+, Cn+ and Cn were obtained from the 10 keV O2+ primary beam bombardment. Comparisons of each spectrum in each group have shown the strong structure effects on the cluster patterns. A brief discussion on the results has been given.