We report the formation of highly oriented, uniform, and spherical nanoparticles of 3C–SiC as a result of Coulomb explosion during the interaction of near-infrared ultrafast laser pulses with 3C–SiC thin films grown on Si substrate. Experiments were performed at laser fluences well below the single shot, thermal modification threshold.

1.
C.
Watson
and
T.
Tombrello
,
Radiat. Eff.
89
,
263
(
1985
).
2.
R.
Stampfli
and
K. H.
Bennemann
,
Appl. Phys. A: Mater. Sci. Process.
60
,
191
(
1996
).
3.
T.
Schenkel
,
A. V.
Hamza
,
A. V.
Barnes
,
D. H.
Schneider
,
J. C.
Banks
, and
B. L.
Doyle
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
81
,
2590
(
1998
).
4.
I. S.
Bitenskii
,
M. N.
Murakhmetov
, and
E. S.
Parilis
,
Sov. Phys. Tech. Phys.
24
,
618
(
1979
).
5.
R. E.
Walkup
and
Ph.
Avouris
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
56
,
524
(
1986
).
6.
E.
Wu
,
R. J.
Friauf
, and
T. P.
Armstrong
,
Surf. Sci.
249
,
350
(
1991
).
7.
H. P.
Cheng
and
J. D.
Gillaspy
,
Phys. Rev. B
55
,
2628
(
1997
).
8.
A. A. Valuev, M. Terasawa, T. Sekioka, Z. A. Insepov, and I. Yamada, Computational Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 455 (2002).
9.
D. H.
Schneider
,
M. A.
Briere
,
J.
McDonald
, and
J.
Biersack
,
Radiat. Eff. Defects Solids
127
,
113
(
1993
).
10.
R.
Stoian
,
D.
Ashkenasi
,
A.
Rosenfeld
, and
E. E. B.
Campbell
,
Phys. Rev. B
62
,
13167
(
2000
).
11.
J. M.
Liu
,
R.
Yen
,
H.
Kurz
, and
N.
Bloembergen
,
Appl. Phys. Lett.
39
,
755
(
1981
).
12.
J.
Solis
,
F.
Vega
,
C. N.
Afonso
,
E.
Georgiou
,
D.
Charalambidis
, and
C.
Fotakis
,
J. Appl. Phys.
74
,
4271
(
1993
).
13.
S. H. Nam, C. H. Bae, and S. M. Park, The Seventh International Conference on Laser Ablation, Oct. 5–10, 2003, Hersonissos, Crete, Greece; http://www.iesl.forth.gr/cola03/presentations/show.asp?Sp type=Oral
14.
C. A.
Zorman
,
A. J.
Fleischman
,
A. S.
Dewa
, and
M.
Mehregany
,
J. Appl. Phys.
78
,
5136
(
1995
).
15.
Y. Y.
Dong
,
C.
Zorman
, and
P.
Molian
,
J. Micromech. Microeng.
13
,
680
(
2003
).
16.
Y. Y.
Dong
and
P.
Molian
,
Appl. Phys. A: Mater. Sci. Process.
77
,
839
(
2003
).
17.
M.
Mehregany
,
C. A.
Zorman
,
N.
Rajan
, and
C. H.
Wu
,
Proc. IEEE
86
,
1594
(
1998
).
18.
M.
Henyk
,
R.
Mitzner
,
D.
Wolfframm
, and
J.
Reif
,
Appl. Surf. Sci.
154–155
,
249
(
2000
).
19.
W.
Marine
,
L.
Patrone
,
B.
Luk’yunchuk
, and
M.
Sentis
,
Appl. Surf. Sci.
154–155
,
345
(
2000
).
20.
R.
Miotello
and
R.
Kelly
,
Appl. Phys. A: Mater. Sci. Process.
S67
,
69
(
1999
).
21.
N. M.
Bulgakova
and
A. V.
Bulgakov
,
Appl. Phys. A: Mater. Sci. Process.
73
,
199
(
2001
).
22.
A. H.
Chin
,
R. W.
Schoenlein
,
T. E.
Glover
,
P.
Balling
,
W. P.
Leemans
, and
C. V.
Shank
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
83
,
336
(
1999
).
23.
L.
Huang
,
J. P.
Callan
,
E.
Glezer
, and
E.
Mazur
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
80
,
185
(
1998
).
24.
J. A.
Kash
,
J. C.
Tsang
, and
J. M.
Hvam
,
Phys. Rev. Lett.
54
,
2151
(
1985
).
25.
C.
Rischel
,
A.
Rousse
,
I.
Uschmann
,
P.-A.
Albouy
,
J.-P.
Geindre
,
P.
Audebert
,
J.-C.
Gauthier
,
E.
Förster
,
J.-L.
Martin
, and
A.
Antonetti
,
Nature (London)
390
,
490
(
1997
).
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.