Ultra-fast laser-based surface engineering of conductive thin films

Mur, Jaka (author), Petelin, Jaka (author), Schille, Jörg (author), Loeschner, Udo (author), Petkovšek, Rok (author)

Modern electronics facilitate the need for fast, efficient, and reliable methods for direct laser-based surface engineering of conductive thin film materials on flexible substrates. Recent advances in pulsed laser source development only incrementally increased the processing speeds, as those are limited by the available scanning systems. Our goal was to combine a high pulse repetition frequency high-power pulse-on-demand fiber laser source with an ultra-fast resonant scanner to achieve high throughput surface engineering. The enabling factor to compensate a resonant scanner’s sinusoidal movement were the laser’s intrinsic pulse-on-demand capabilities beyond simple pulse picking solutions. The high temporal resolution at full laser power was exploited for spatially controlled surface texturing, allowing a minimally 3 μm positioning accuracy throughout the scanner’s range at up to 60 m/s scan speed with a 10 μm laser spot size. We applied the setup to processing of ITO and metallic films on flexible substrates for touchscreens, position sensors, or EM shielding. Surface modification and patterning of the conductive layer was successfully demonstrated while keeping the underlying surface intact. We employed a simple laser ablation model in comparison to the experimental data to improve the understanding of the ablation process. The resulting surface topography was observed and analysed.

• Language: English
• Keywords: ultra-fast laser processing, surface engineering, intrinsic pulse-on-demand, resonant scanning
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FS - Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2020
• Number of pages: 7 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 509, art. 144911
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-128308
• UDC: 621.7.015:621.375.826(045)
• ISSN on article: 0169-4332
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2019.144911
• COBISS.SI-ID: 17002523
• Publication date in RUL: 08.07.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Applied surface science
• Shortened title: Appl. surf. sci.
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0169-4332
• COBISS.SI-ID: 3283215

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• Description: The most restrictive Creative Commons license. This only allows people to download and share the work for no commercial gain and for no other purposes.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: laserska obdelava, ultrakratki pulzi, površinski pojavi, pulz na zahtevo, resonančno skeniranje