Submicrometre periodic surface structures in InP induced by nanosecond UV laser pulses

We report fabrication of submicrometre size laser-induced periodic surface structures (ripples) on single crystalline InP by nanosecond (ns) pulsed Nd : YAG laser beam irradiation of fourth harmonic wavelength (266 nm) in HF electrolyte. The ripples are orientated parallel to the laser polarization direction and power spectral density analysis reveals reduction in the spatial period of the ripples with increasing number of laser shots. The formation of periodic structures in the presence of electrolyte is empirically explained on the basis of photoelectrochemical etching and variation of periodicity with refractive index change on laser energy and number of laser pulses. From the analysis of energy dispersive x-ray, photoluminescence (PL) and micro-Raman spectroscopy measurements on the rippled surface we conclude that the ripple structures are capped with a thin layer of In2O3. Further, a blue shift of 0.328 eV compared with the band-edge luminescence of InP is estimated from the PL spectrum of the structure fabricated with 200 laser shots. The blue shift of the PL peak is attributed to the quantum confinement effect in the nanometre size structures in the rippled surface. Micro-Raman spectra show good crystalline quality of the surface at lower number of laser shots and its degradation caused by oxidation at the higher number of shots.