Excimer laser ablation of Langmuir-Blodgett films

Photoablation of several Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films on Silicon substrates was performed at the excimer laser wavelength of 248 nm. This is a fast, solvent-free, one-step method for structuring thin organic films. Structures were produced both by projection of a mask and also using direct writing of the laser beam, yielding feature sizes on the order of microns. Spectral analysis of the remaining material showed no change compared to the unexposed material, suggesting that no degradation has occurred. This technique appears to be viable for use in the lithography of LB films.