Localized in-situ deposition: a new dimension to control in fabricating surface micro/nano structures via ultrafast laser ablation

Abstract

Controllable fabrication of surface micro/nano structures is the key to realizing surface functionalization for various applications. As a versatile approach, ultrafast laser ablation has been widely studied for surface micro/nano structuring. Increasing research efforts in this field have been devoted to gaining more control over the fabrication processes to meet the increasing need for creation of complex structures. In this paper, we focus on the in-situ deposition process following the plasma formation under ultrafast laser ablation. From an overview perspective, we firstly summarize the different roles that plasma plumes, from pulsed laser ablation of solids, play in different laser processing approaches. Then, the distinctive in-situ deposition process within surface micro/nano structuring is highlighted. Our experimental work demonstrated that the in-situ deposition during ultrafast laser surface structuring can be controlled as a localized micro-additive process to pile up secondary ordered structures, through which a unique kind of hierarchical structure with fort-like bodies sitting on top of micro cone arrays were fabricated as a showcase. The revealed laser-matter interaction mechanism can be inspiring for the development of new ultrafast laser fabrication approaches, adding a new dimension and more flexibility in controlling the fabrication of functional surface micro/nano structures.

Key words： Ultrafast laser ablation; Laser micro/nanofabrication; Surface micro/nano structures; In-situ deposition; Micro-additive fabrication

References

1 Wang,D., Sun,Q., Hokkanen,M., Zhang, C., Lin,F., Liu,Q., Zhu,S., Zhou,T., Chang, Q., He,B., Zhou,Q., Chen,L., Wang,Z., Ras, R., Deng,X.: Design of robust superhydrophobic surfaces. Nature 582(7810), 55–59 (2020)

2 Barad,H.-N., Kwon,H., Alarcón-Correa,M., Fischer,P.: Large area patterning of nanoparticles and nanostructures: current status and future prospects. ACS Nano 15(4), 5861–5875 (2021)

3 Cao,L., Zheng,M., Wang,J., Li, S., Xu,J., Xiao,R., Huang,T.: Alloy-type lithium anode prepared by laser microcladding and dealloying for improved cycling/rate performance. ACS Nano 16(10), 17220–17228 (2022)

4 Tian,Z., Wang,L., Zhu,D., Chen, C., Zhao,H., Peng,R., Zhang,H., Fan,P., Zhong, M.: Passive anti-icing performances of the same superhydrophobic surfaces under static freezing, dynamic supercooled-droplet impinging, and icing wind tunnel tests. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 15(4), 6013–6024 (2023)

5 Jiang,G., Wang,L., Tian,Z., Chen, C., Hu,X., Peng,R., Li,D., Zhang,H., Fan, P., Zhong,M.: Boosting water evaporation via continuous formation of a 3D thin film through triple-level super-wicking routes. Mater. Horiz.Horiz 10(9), 3523–3535 (2023)

6 Yong,J., Chen,F., Yang,Q., Huo, J., Hou,X.: Superoleophobic surfaces. Chem. Soc. Rev. 46(14), 4168–4217 (2017)

7 Fan,P., Pan,R., Zhong,M.: Ultrafast laser enabling hierarchical structures for versatile superhydrophobicity with enhanced Cassie-Baxter stability and durability. Langmuir 35(51), 16693–16711 (2019)

8 Cui,M., Huang,T., Peng,Z., Xing, L., Zhou,Z., Guo,L., Wang,J., Xu,J., Xiao, R.: High-efficiency and low-intensity threshold femtosecond laser direct writing of precise metallic micropatterns on transparent substrate. Adv. Mater. Technol. 8(8), 2201610 (2023)

9 Huang,L., Xu,K., Yuan,D., Hu, J., Wang,X., Xu,S.: Sub-wavelength patterned pulse laser lithography for efficient fabrication of large-area metasurfaces. Nat. Commun.Commun. 13(1), 5823 (2022)

10 Xie,J., Qiao,M., Zhu,D., Yan, J., Deng,S., He,G., Luo,M., Zhao,Y.: Laser induced coffee-ring structure through solid-liquid transition for color printing. Small 19(6), 2205696 (2022)

11 Ahmmed,K., Grambow, C., Kietzig,A.-M.: Fabrication of micro/nano structures on metals by femtosecond laser micromachining. Micromachines 5(4), 1219–1253 (2014)

12 Wang,M., Zhao,K., Wu,J., Li, Y., Yang,Y., Huang,S., Zhao,J., Tweedle,T., Carpenter, D., Zheng,G., Yu,Q., Chen,K.: Femtosecond laser fabrication of nanograting-based distributed fiber sensors for extreme environmental applications. Int. J. Extrem. Manuf. 3(2), 025401 (2021)

13 Bonse,J., Gräf, S.: Maxwell meets marangoni—a review of theories on laser-induced periodic surface structures. Laser Photonics Rev. 14(10), 2000215 (2020)

14 Li,N., Fan,P., Zhu,Q., Cui, B., Silvain,J., Lu,Y.: Femtosecond laser polishing of additively manufactured parts at grazing incidence. Appl. Surf. Sci. 612, 155833 (2023)

15 Zhang,D., Liu,R., Li,Z.: Irregular LIPSS produced on metals by single linearly polarized femtosecond laser. Int. J. Extrem. Manuf. 4(1), 015102 (2021)

16 Geng,J., Yan,W., Shi,L., Qiu, M.: Surface plasmons interference nanogratings: wafer-scale laser direct structuring in seconds. Light. Sci. Appl. 11(1), 189 (2022)

17 Zhang,D., Gökce, B., Barcikowski,S.: Laser synthesis and processing of colloids: fundamentals and applications. Chem. Rev. 117(5), 3990–4103 (2017)

18 Ou,G., Fan,P., Ke,X., Xu, Y., Huang,K., Wei,H., Yu,W., Zhang,H., Zhong, M., Wu,H., Li,Y.: Defective molybdenum sulfide quantum dots as highly active hydrogen evolution electrocatalysts. Nano Res. 11(2), 751–761 (2017)

19 Wu,Z., Lyu,Y., Zhang,Y., Ding, R., Zheng,B., Yang,Z., Lau,S., Chen,X., Hao, J.: Large-scale growth of few-layer two-dimensional black phosphorus. Nat. Mater. 20(9), 1203–1209 (2021)

20 Qiu,P., Guo,Y., Huang,L., Li, J., Huang,J., Wang,M., Zhang,Z., Xu,S.: Patterned laser ablation of microgrooves with controllable cross-sections. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2300333 (2023)

21 Zhu,Q., Fan,P., Li,N., Carlson, T., Cui,B., Silvain,J., Hudgins, J., Lu,Y.: Femtosecond-laser sharp shaping of millimeter-scale geometries with vertical sidewalls. Int. J. Extrem. Manuf. 3(4), 045001 (2021)

22 Guay,J.-M., Lesina, A., Côté,G., Charron,M., Poitras, D., Ramunno,L., Berini,P., Weck,A.: Laser-induced plasmonic colours on metals. Nat. Commun.Commun. 8(1), 16095 (2017)

23 Meng,G., Jiang,L., Li,X., Xu, Y., Shi,X., Yan,R., Lu,Y.: Dual-scale nanoripple/nanoparticle-covered microspikes on silicon by femtosecond double pulse train irradiation in water. Appl. Surf. Sci. 410, 22–28 (2017)

24 Luo,X., Liu,W., Chen,C., Jiang, G., Hu,X., Zhang,H., Zhong,M.: Femtosecond laser micro-nano structured Ag SERS substrates with unique sensitivity, uniformity and stability for food safety evaluation. Opt. Laser Technol. 139, 106969 (2021)

25 Liu,R., Zhang,D., Li,Z.: Femtosecond laser induced simultaneous functional nanomaterial synthesis, in situ deposition and hierarchical LIPSS nanostructuring for tunable antireflectance and iridescence applications. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 89, 179–185 (2021)

26 Chen,T., Wang,W., Tao,T., Pan, A., Mei,X.: Broad-band ultra-low-reflectivity multiscale micro–nano structures by the combination of femtosecond laser ablation and in situ deposition. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 12(43), 49265–49274 (2020)

27 Hamad,S., Moram,S., Yendeti,B., Podagatlapalli, G., Nageswara Rao,S.V.S., Pathak,A., Mohiddon, M., Soma,V.: Femtosecond laser-induced, nanoparticle-embedded periodic surface structures on crystalline silicon for reproducible and multi-utility SERS platforms. ACS Omega 3(12), 18420–18432 (2018)

28 Long,J., He,Z., Ou,D., Huang, Y., Wang,P., Ren,Q., Xie,X.: Formation of dense nanostructures on femtosecond laser-processed silicon carbide surfaces. Surf. Interfaces 28, 101624 (2022)

29 Wang,Z., Nandyala, D., Colosqui,C., Cubaud,T., Hwang,D.: Glass surface micromachining with simultaneous nanomaterial deposition by picosecond laser for wettability control. Appl. Surf. Sci. 546, 149050 (2021)

30 Ji,Y., Zhang,Y., Zhu,J., Geng, P., Halpert,J., Guo,L.: Splashing-assisted femtosecond laser-activated metal deposition for mold-and mask-free fabrication of robust microstructured electrodes for flexible pressure sensors. Small 19(24), 2207362 (2023)

31 Fan,P., Bai,B., Zhong,M., Zhang, H., Long,J., Han,J., Wang,W., Jin,G.: General strategy toward dual-scale-controlled metallic micro–nano hybrid structures with ultralow reflectance. ACS Nano 11(7), 7401–7408 (2017)

32 Yang,J., Li,J., Du,Z., Gong, Q., Teng,J., Hong,M.: Laser hybrid micro/nano-structuring of Si surfaces in air and its applications for SERS detection. Sci. Rep. 4(1), 6657 (2014)

33 Ou,G., Fan,P., Zhang,H., Huang, K., Yang,C., Yu,W., Wei,H., Zhong,M., Wu, H., Li,Y.: Large-scale hierarchical oxide nanostructures for high-performance electrocatalytic water splitting. Nano Energy 35, 207–214 (2017)

34 Joy,N., Kietzig, A.M.: Influence of re-deposited nanoparticles on the surface elemental composition of femtosecond laser machined copper surfaces. Surf. Interfaces 41, 103173 (2023)

35 Pan,A., Mei,X., Wang,W., Xia, Y., Su,Y., Zhao,S., Chen,T.: In-situ deposition of oxidized porous metal nanoparticles on the surface of picosecond laser-induced micro/nano structures: A new kind of meta-surface equipped with both super-hydrophobicity and anti-reflectivity. Chem. Eng. J. 460, 141582 (2023)

36 Shugaev,M.V., Wu,C., Armbruster,O., Naghilou,A., Brouwer, N., Ivanov,D.S., Derrien,T.J.-Y., Bulgakova, N.M., Kautek,W., Rethfeld,B., Zhigilei, L.V.: Fundamentals of ultrafast laser–material interaction. MRS Bull. 41(12), 960–968 (2016)

37 Cheng,J., Liu,C., Shang,S., Liu, D., Perrie,W., Dearden,G., Watkins, K.: A review of ultrafast laser materials micromachining. Opt. Laser Technol. 46, 88–102 (2013)

38 Gu,D., Shi,X., Poprawe,R., Bourell, D.L., Setchi,R., Zhu,J.: Material-structure-performance integrated laser-metal additive manufacturing. Science 372, 932 (2021)

39 Wang,H., Zhang,W., Ladika,D., Yu, H., Gailevičius,D., Wang,H., Pan, C.F., Nair,P.N.S., Ke,Y., Mori,T., Chan,J., Ruan, Q., Farsari,M., Malinauskas,M., Juodkazis, S., Gu,M., Yang,J.K.W.: Two-photon polymerization lithography for optics and photonics: fundamentals, materials, technologies, and applications. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2214211 (2023)