Patterning of nanoparticulate transparent conductive ITO films using UV light irradiation and UV laser beam writing

Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film is one of the most widely used as transparent conductive electrodes in all forms of flat panel display (FPD) and microelectronic devices. Suspension of already crystalline conductive ITO nanoparticles fully dispersed in alcohol was spun, after modifying with coupling agent, on glass substrates. The low cost, simple and versatile traditional photolithography process without complication of the photoresist layer was used for patterning ITO films. Using of UV light irradiation through mask and direct UV laser beam writing resulted in an accurate linear, sharp edge and very smooth patterns. Irradiated ITO film showed a high transparency (∼85%) in the visible region. The electrical sheet resistance decrease with increasing time of exposure to UV light and UV laser. Only 5 min UV light irradiation is enough to decrease the electrical sheet resistance down to 5 kΩ□.     

Fabrication and implementation of large-area organic light-emitting-diode devices on direct patterned backplanes

In this paper, we report on a new cost-effective fabrication technology for large-area organic light-emitting diode (OLED) devices that we have developed. We fabricated OLED lighting devices on a directly patterned backplane using a dry process without employing conventional photolithography patterning technology. The indium–tin-oxide (ITO) anode, metal cathode, insulator, and emissive organic layer patterns were all formed directly on the substrates during the sputtering and evaporation steps by using a shadow mask without using etching or lift-off methods. We fabricated and characterized green phosphorescent emission OLED devices with an emission area of 30 × 120 mm², based on backplanes formed by direct patterning technology. Application of direct patterning technology reduced the total number of processing steps to 4 from the 26 steps required by conventional photo-patterning technology, making it possible to reduce large-scale production cost. Although the process steps were reduced considerably, the typical characteristics were comparable to those of photo-patterned OLEDs. Furthermore, the lifetime of the OLEDs based on direct patterned backplane was observed to be 27,200 h, which is approximately 97% of the lifetime of conventionally patterned OLEDs.     

Diffractive structures holographically recorded in amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films

We propose and demonstrate the direct recording of submicrometer relief gratings in amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a -C:H) films by reactive ion etching (RIE) for use as diffractive optical components. The high refractive index of this film and its transparency in the IR make such structures promising candidates for IR-transmission diffractive optical components. The structures are holographically recorded in photoresist and then transferred to a thin aluminum layer that is used as a mask for RIE of the a -C:H films. The diffraction measurements of the structures recorded in these films demonstrated the feasibility of using the materials as diffractive optical components.     

太赫兹金属双光栅超厚胶光刻工艺

介绍了制备某太赫兹频率真空辐射光栅的超厚胶光刻工艺,针对工艺中的难点(大厚度和高深宽比)展开了深入分析。实验分析了基片处理、涂胶、前烘、曝光、后烘、显影等工艺过程对光刻的影响,通过优化工艺参数,解决了胶膜脱落、开裂,不同胶层间的结合,光栅沟槽间的光刻胶残留等问题,成功制备了厚度为700μm、深宽比为14的侧壁陡直、表面平整的双光栅结构胶膜。     

Fabrication of seeded substrates for layer transferrable silicon films

The layer transfer process is one of the most promising methods for low-cost and highly-efficient solar cells, in which transferrable mono-crystalline silicon thin wafers or films can be produced directly from gaseous feed-stocks. In this work,we show an approach to preparing seeded substrates for layer-transferrable silicon films. The commercial silicon wafers are used as mother substrates, on which periodically patterned silicon rod arrays are fabricated, and all of the surfaces of the wafers and rods are sheathed by thermal silicon oxide. Thermal evaporated aluminum film is used to fill the gaps between the rods and as the stiff mask, while polymethyl methacrylate(PMMA) and photoresist are used as the soft mask to seal the gap between the filled aluminum and the rods. Under the joint resist of the stiff and soft masks, the oxide on the rod head is selectively removed by wet etching and the seed site is formed on the rod head. The seeded substrate is obtained after the removal of the masks. This joint mask technique will promote the endeavor of the exploration of mechanically stable,unlimitedly reusable substrates for the kerfless technology.     

Selective ultrasonic imprinting for micropattern replication on predefined area

Conventional micro/nano patterning processes generally use rectangular patterned molds, so that the pattern replications are usually performed in a corresponding rectangular region. In this study, a selective patterning method based on ultrasonic imprinting is developed to replicate micropatterns on predefined areas with arbitrary profiles. To replicate micropatterns on predefined areas, the conventional ultrasonic imprinting process is modified by placing a profiled metal mask between a target film and an ultrasonic horn. Ultrasonic waves are then selectively transferred to the target film through the mask film, from which micropatterns can be replicated onto the predefined areas. For the implementation of the proposed selective imprinting process, the effects of the mask size and shape are experimentally investigated in terms of the replication characteristics of micropatterns. This selective imprinting process is further applied to micropattern replications on arbitrarily profiled areas. In these applications, the effects of the mask film and imprinting conditions are also discussed in terms of the replication quality in both the masked and the unmasked regions.     

Formation of two-dimensional periodic nanostructures on fused quartz,polyimide, and polycrystalline diamond by pulsed four-wave interference laser modification

Atomic force microscopy is used to examine the topography of submicron periodic structures formed on the surfaces of synthetic polycrystalline diamond and polyimide films. The films are deposited on fused quartz substrates by four-wave interference modification using a pulsed 308-nm UV XeCl excimer laser. It is demonstrated that a two-dimensional periodic relief with a submicron period can be formed on the diamond surface directly by laser evaporation in the absence of a photoresist. Depending on the exposure, two mechanisms of polyimide film modification are observed. At exposures less than 100 mJ/cm², the relief is formed due to swelling at the positions of interference maxima. At exposures greater than 100 mJ/cm², holes are formed in the films. A periodic relief on the fused quartz surface is formed by using a UV photoresist exposed to pulsed interference laser radiation and subsequent Ar ion etching.     

Laser-driven high-resolution patterning of indium tin oxide thin film for electronic device

We here introduce a laser-driven process to pattern transparent thin films on transparent substrates. This method utilizes a pre-patterned metal film as the dynamic release layer and the transparent thin film is selectively removed by a thermo-elastic force laser-induced in the underlying metal layer. High-fidelity indium tin oxide (ITO) thin film patterns were fabricated on plastic and glass substrates using a pulsed Nd:YAG laser. Tens of square centimeters could be patterned with several pulse shots. We fabricated a pentacene thin film transistor with ITO source and drain electrodes and observed a very low off-current level. This tells that the channel area between ITO electrodes was completely etched out by this laser-driven process. Combined with the absence of photoresist and chemical etching steps, this method provides a simple high-resolution route to pattern transparent thin films over large areas at low temperatures.     

利用相位掩膜技术制备光纤光栅的紫外曝光系统

光纤布拉格光栅在光纤系统中起着反射镜的作用,它在光纤通信和光纤传感技术中应用十分广泛[1].特别是近年发展起来的利用相位掩膜技术,对掺杂光纤芯径的紫外诱导轴向折射率变化来制备光栅[2],方法简单,适于大规模生产,更具有强大的生命力.伴随该技术的成熟与开发,已促进全光纤技术范围内的科学进步.     

3-D holographic lithography of organic-inorganic hybrids

Fabrications of ordered three-dimensional structures with submicron lattice constants were performed on organic-inorganic hybrids using a holographic lithography technique recently reported in the literature. The possibility of such a patterning has previously been demonstrated from single nanosecond laser pulse irradiation of thin films of epoxy photoresist and mixtures of methacrylate-alkoxy-silane with Zr or Ti alkoxides. In the present work, UV irradiation of similar hybrid resins were carried out through repeated laser pulses of low energy with a twofold objective: (i) to study the interference stability for future chemical gas phase decomposition experiments and (ii) to obtain patterning through large film thickness (e.g. 1 mm). The influence of several parameters on the structuration was examined from observations by scanning electron microscopy and optical diffraction. Many interdependent parameters were considered in different steps of the process, namely (i) hybrid resin preparations with required properties of stability, transparency and viscosity, (ii) film coating on different substrates, (iii) UV irradiation (energy and number of laser pulses), (iv) ultrasonic dissolution of monomer, and (v) sample drying. As results, different structuration resolutions were observed as a function of these parameters. But if the influence of a few parameters was easily understood and controlled, it has also appeared that it was not the case of all of them.     

Patterning thin metallic film via laser structured weakly bound template

A weakly bound buffer material is structured on a surface by interfering low power laser beams, as a template for patterning metallic thin films deposited on top. The excess buffer material and metal layer are subsequently removed by a second uniform laser pulse. This laser pre-structured buffer layer assisted patterning procedure is demonstrated for gold layer forming a grating on a single crystal Ru(1 0 0) under UHV conditions, using Xe as the buffer material. Millimeters long, submicron (0.65 μm) wide wires can be obtained using laser wavelength of 1.064 μm with sharp edges of less than 30 nm, as determined by AFM. This method provides an all-in-vacuum metallic film patterning procedure at the submicron range, with the potential to be developed down to the nanometer scale upon decreasing the patterning laser wavelength down to the UV range.     

Fabrication techniques for colymer/Si optical waveguide

In this paper fabrication techniques were investigated for polymer/Si optical waveguide. The aluminum film was used as photolithographic mask instead of photoresist to improve waveguide profile. The influence of aluminum metal cladding produced by sputtering process on the optical character of the device was discussed. The absorption loss was calculated and measured by using effective index method and cut-back method, respectively. Optimized etching parameters were given in reactive ion etching using oxygen, such as radio frequency power and gas flow rate. Measured near-field mode pattern indicated fabrication waveguide achieved single-mode transmission at wavelength 1.55 μm.     

Micro-patterning of NdFeB and SmCo magnet films for integration into micro-electro-mechanical-systems

The integration of high-performance RE-TM (NdFeB and SmCo) hard magnetic films into micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) requires their patterning at the micron scale. In this paper we report on the applicability of standard micro-fabrication steps (film deposition onto topographically patterned substrates, wet etching and planarization) to the patterning of 5-8 μm thick RE-TM films. While NdFeB comprehensively fills micron-scaled trenches in patterned substrates, SmCo deposits are characterized by poor filling of the trench corners, which poses a problem for further processing by planarization. The magnetic hysteresis loops of both the NdFeB and SmCo patterned films are comparable to those of non-patterned films prepared under the same deposition/annealing conditions. A micron-scaled multipole magnetic field pattern is directly produced by the unidirectional magnetization of the patterned films. NdFeB and SmCo show similar behavior when wet etched in an amorphous state: etch rates of approximately 1.25 μm/min and vertical side walls which may be attributed to a large lateral over-etch of typically 20 μm. Chemical-mechanical-planarization (CMP) produced material removal rates of 0.5-3 μm/min for amorphous NdFeB. Ar ion etching of such films followed by the deposition of a Ta layer prior to film crystallization prevented degradation in magnetic properties compared to non-patterned films.     

Patterning colloidal films via evaporative lithography

We investigate evaporative lithography as a route for patterning colloidal films. Films are dried beneath a mask that induces periodic variations between regions of free and hindered evaporation. Direct imaging reveals that particles segregate laterally within the film, as fluid and entrained particles migrate towards regions of higher evaporative flux. The films exhibit remarkable pattern formation that can be regulated by tuning the initial suspension composition, separation distance between the mask and underlying film, and mask geometry.     

Fabrication of multi-scale structures with multiple X-ray masks and synchrotron hard X-ray irradiations

Synchrotron hard X-ray irradiation can be utilized in lithography processes to manufacture precise structures. Due to the difficulty of precise X-ray mask fabrication in hard X-ray lithography, this X-ray process has been used mainly to fabricate precise microstructures. In this study, a technology is proposed for fabricating novel multi-scale patterns that include submicron-scale structures using hard X-rays. The required X-ray masks for submicron-sized patterning are fabricated by a simple UV lithography process and sidewall metal deposition. Above all, thanks to the high penetration capability of hard X-rays with sub-nanometer wavelengths, it is possible to employ multiple masks to fabricate a variety of patterns. By combining each sub-micron X-ray mask with typical micro-sized X-ray masks, a unique X-ray lithography is performed, and various multi-scale structures are fabricated. The usefulness of the proposed technology is demonstrated by the realization of these structures.     

The effect of laser patterning parameters on fluorine-doped tin oxide films deposited on glass substrates

The purpose of this study is to pattern the fluorine-doped tin oxide thin film deposited on the soda-lime glass substrates for touch screen applications by ultraviolet laser. The patterned film structures provide the electrical isolation and prevent the electrical contact from each region for various touch screens. The surface morphology, edge quality, three-dimensional topography, and profile of isolated lines and electrode structures after laser patterning were measured by a confocal laser scanning microscope. Moreover, a four-point probe instrument was used to measure the sheet resistance before and after laser patterning on film surfaces and also to discuss the electrical property at different laser spot overlaps. After laser patterning, a high overlapping area of laser spot was used to pattern the electrode layer on film surfaces that could obtain an excellent machined quality of edge profile. All sheet resistance values of film surfaces near the isolated line edge were larger than the original ones. Moreover, the sheet resistance values increased with increasing laser spot overlapping area.     

Poly－3BCMU薄膜光漂白的实验研究

报道了Ｐｏｌｙ－３ＢＣＭＵ薄膜光漂白过程的实验研究结果。测量了薄膜光漂白前后的可见及紫外光谱的变化，表明在光漂白过程中聚合物的长链被逐渐打断。实验表明，被漂白的聚合物薄膜可以被某些有机溶剂溶解，导致所谓的显影过程。实验研究了氧对光漂白过程的影响，并发现在Ｐｏｌｙ－３ＢＣＭＵ薄膜表面涂复光刻胶薄层可阻止氧分子向薄膜内的扩散，从而大大减缓光漂白过程。本文同时对光漂白在制备光波导元件中的应用进行了研究。     

Investigations of environmental induced effects on AlQ3 thin films by AFM phase imaging

Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) metal complex (AlQ₃) is a widely used light-emitting material in organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). The environmental stability is still a major problem with OLEDs and needs further improvement. In this report, an additional feature of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) was exploited with the aim to understand the environmental induced effects and physical phenomenon involved on AlQ₃ thin films. We have used phase imaging to identify the presence of other aggregation phases formed after annealing the thin film in different ambient and after white light exposure. An enhanced photoluminescence intensity is observed for the samples annealed in oxygen near 100 °C. The enhanced photoluminescence is understood in terms of formation of a new aggregation phase. The phase change and the fraction of new phase is estimated by phase images taken by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Light induced effects on AlQ₃ films exposed to white light in air and vacuum are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) for surface morphology and phases present. The AFM images indicate enhanced crystallinity for the vacuum exposed samples. The phase with increased lifetime and hence enhanced crystallinity for vacuum exposed films has also been found by time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) measurements. To the best of our knowledge, this study is applied for the first time on this material with the combination of topography and phase imaging in atomic force microscopy (AFM). The major aim was to take advantage of the additional feature of AFM-mode over the conventionally used.     

Laser-induced patterning of silver thin films using interference effects

Submicron patterning of the spatial arrangement of spherical silver nanoparticles on a substrate is reported. The patterned samples were obtained by irradiating a thin silver film in the quasipercolated state with short laser pulses. Light reached the sample through a slit on a highly reflecting silicon mask placed parallel to the surface of the sample and was reflected between the sample and the inner face of the mask. The incident and reflected light interfered on the sample’s surface creating a complicated pattern of thin lines along which spherical-shaped silver nano-particles are concentrated. We provide a simple model to explain the observed patterns and briefly discuss how could one control the shape and thickness of the patterned lines of nanoparticles.     

掺半导体玻璃波导的导波功率限制

首次利用阳极氧化法在掺半导体玻璃上制备了两端带有抛物耦合喇叭的4微米条宽沟道波导,用光栅耦合器将波长0.532微米的YAG倍频激光耦合进波导中,实现了输出光的功率限制.