Femtosecond Laser-Pulse-Induced Surface Cleavage of Zinc Oxide Substrate

The induction of surface cleavage along the crystalline structure of a zinc oxide substrate (plane orientation: 0001) by femtosecond laser pulses (wavelength: 1030 nm) has been reported; a scanning electron microscope image of the one-pulse (pulse energy: 6–60 μJ) irradiated surface shows very clear marks from broken hexagons. This cleavage process differs from the general laser-induced melt process observed on the surfaces of narrower-bandgap semiconductors and other metal materials. This phenomenon is discussed using a multi-photon absorption model, and the pulse-energy dependence of the cleavage depth (less than 3 μm) is quantitatively analyzed. Laser-induced cleavage is found not to occur under multi-pulse irradiation; when more than four pulses are irradiated upon the same spot, the general laser-induced melt process becomes dominant. This cleavage–melt shift is considered to be caused by the enhancement of absorption due to the initial pulses, which is supported by our measurement of cathodoluminescence.