Laser patterning of thin films is used to create conducting and/or isolating paths in coated and multilayer materials. A range of techniques are employed to achieve the required result, whether to write electrical circuits in a metal-coated substrate, isolate areas of a transparent conducting oxide (TCO), or create conductive paths in printed layers or coatings that contain conducting particles.
Laser patterning offers a number of distinct advantages over other techniques:
• Versatility in the ability to address a range of conducting, insulating, semiconductor and hybrid materials
• Ultra-fine feature size with track or feature widths down to a few microns
• Direct writing capability, avoiding the need for masks and wet post-processing
• Ability to pattern 2D & 3D materials and components (including cylinders, spheres, complex surfaces)
• Register to existing features using vision systems for accurate alignment without the need for mechanical referencing
• Tune devices to optimize electrical performance
• Ability to make or break electrical continuity
