Epitaxy and defects in laser-irradiated, single-crystal bismuth

Abstract

The (0001), (1010), and (2110) faces of Bi have been pulsed laser irradiated at 0.5–0.8 J/cm2 with a Q-switched ruby laser. Nomarski interference contrast microscopy, channeling, and selective chemical etching have been used to investigate the response of the material to the laser irradiation. The response of Bi is shown to be strongly orientation dependent. The χmin and half-angle for the Bi (0001) surface have been measured and compared to theoretical values. The Bi(0001) surface has been shown to regrow epitaxially without an increase in the disorder. In contrast, the epitaxial regrowth of the Bi(1010) and Bi(2110) surfaces show a marked increase in disorder after irradiation. The levels of damage show a strong correlation to the critical resolved shear stress characteristics in the particular crystallographic orientation studied.