A review of laser beam applications for processing silicon

Abstract

The field of laser processing has expanded rapidly in recent years to become one of the most prolific areas of research in applied physics. This is mainly due to the novel conditions presented by typical laser treatments which have allowed previously unexplored regimes of material processing to be readily achieved. This paper will review the present status of research in the area of laser processing of silicon in its different forms and under various conditions which offer the prospect of important advances in microelectronics fabrication, and crystal growth in general. The principal features of the more common modes of laser processing will be described, in conjuction with the widely accepted interpretations of their associated kinetics. The present controversy regarding the behaviour of silicon under intense laser excitation has stimulated much theoretical interest in the subject, and this has additionally helped to bring about a better understanding of many related physical phenomena.