Nanoscale reshaping of resonant dielectric microstructures by light-driven explosions

This paper demonstrates the creation of deeply subwavelength features in silicon using localized laser-induced phase explosions within prefabricated silicon resonators. Employing short trains of mid-infrared laser pulses, the researchers achieved controllable formation of high aspect ratio (>10:1) nanotrenches as narrow as ~λ/80. The trench geometry's scalability with wavelength and control via laser pulse train parameters (intensity, polarization, number) are shown. Particle-in-cell simulations support the localized heating of silicon beyond its boiling point and subsequent phase explosion. This femtosecond-laser-assisted nanostructuring of engineered microstructures (FLANEM) expands nanofabrication techniques.

Maxim R. Shcherbakov, Giovanni Sartorello, Simin Zhang, Joshua Bocanegra, Melissa Bosch, Michael Tripepi, Noah Talisa, Abdallah AlShafey, Joseph Smith, Stephen Londo, François Légaré, Enam Chowdhury, Gennady Shvets