Hollis, NH-Complex thin film patterning with sub-micron resolution is available in JP Sercel Associates’ (JPSA; www.jpsalaser.com) laser job shop facility. The company’s excimer laser patterning systems offer precise and clean processing of Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film on PET, and remove thin films of metal (such as Au) in patterns on a variety of substrates, including glass, hard ceramic, polymer, and porous polymer in a single pulse without damage to the substrate. Reportedly, high fidelity complex patterns can be quickly processed over large areas.
“With thin films of 0.2 to 0.5 micron, this process, under the right conditions, will delaminate a selected high-resolution area of virtually any metal, polymer, or dielectric thin film from any metal, dielectric, or polymer substrate using only a fraction of the laser energy that would be required to photo-ablate the equivalent volume of material,” says Jeffrey P. Sercel, company president. “This is a high-efficiency laser process with many advantages, including speed, energy savings, and higher throughput.”
Thin-film patterning is accomplished with masks, using direct-write methods or direct-writing with galvanometer scanning. The precise energy density and UV wavelength required for the process is dependent on the film material and thickness, the substrate, and the adhesion method between film and substrate.