Patterned deposition of thin SiOX-films by laser induced forward transfer

Well defined regions of silicon suboxide (SiOx) thin films deposited on fused silica substrates by vacuum evaporation are transferred to a receiver substrate by pulsed laser induced forward transfer. The receiver substrate (fused silica, polycarbonate or polydimethylsiloxane) is pressed against the coated donor substrate, and the SiOx (x ≈ 1) coating is irradiated through the donor substrate with a single excimer laser pulse. The irradiated area is defined by the projection of a mask, which is illuminated by the laser. Films with thickness ranging from 200 nm to 800 nm have been transferred this way. The process is a congruent transfer, i.e. the shape of the deposited film pad corresponds exactly to the ablated film area defined by the mask. Accurate edges without melt rims can be obtained at a laser fluence of about 500 mJ/cm2.