Title: Micromachining of silicon with excimer laser in air and water medium

Authors: Alok Kumar Das, Partha Saha

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur 721302, India

Abstract: Laser micromachining of silicon was performed by KrF excimer laser, utilising the beam energy density (fluence) in the range of 1.33-5 J/cm². Experiments were conducted on silicon wafer surface both in air and water medium. A qualitative study of the surface topography was carried out from the micrographs of the different machined spots. A mathematical model was developed to represent the process. The ablation/etch depth is found to increase rapidly with increase in laser fluence after a threshold value. The variation is nonlinear, irrespective of the surface topography and it gets a saturation value at higher fluence.

Keywords: laser micromachining; KrF excimer lasers; laser fluence; silicon micromachining; silicon wafers; surface topography; mathematical modelling; ablation depth; etch depth.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2010.034285

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2010 Vol.21 No.1/2, pp.42 - 53

Published online: 31 Jul 2010 *

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