Self-developing photoetching of poly(ethylene terephthalate) films by far-ultraviolet excimer laser radiation

Abstract

Radiation of 193-nm (ArF excimer laser) wavelength can cause the etching of surfaces of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films in a controlled manner without any subsequent processing. Etch rates of 1200 Å/pulse of 370 mJ/cm2 were realized in air. The reaction can be attributed to (ijk) the high absorption cross section of the films for the radiation which results in the energy being trapped in the first 2700 Å, (ii) the high efficiency for bond breaking at these photon energies, and (iii) the formation of numerous small fragment molecules which promotes their volatization. The process is observed in a vacuum but is considerably modified in the presence of air.

UV laser ablation of parylene films from gold substrates

“…5 It has become an area of interest in various fields including the microelectronics industry, bioengineering and chemistry. 6 Laser ablation of parylene was performed as early as 1991 and has more recently been used in developing high aspect ratio three-dimensional multi-electrode MEMS arrays and to remove parylene from the tips of biomedical microelectrodes.…”

Modification of the wettability characteristics of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) by means of CO2, Nd:YAG, excimer and high power diode laser radiation

“…In the case of polymer materials, excimer laser radiation has been shown to be a very effective means of enhancing their wettability characteristics. First demonstrated in 1982 by Srinivasan and MayneBanton [21], the excimer laser is typically used to remove thin surface layers of polymers. In recent years this technique has been applied to precisely control and later the surface characteristics of a number of polymer materials.…”

Ablation and surface modification of polymers with ultraviolet laser radiation.

“…1. Historically, in the early days of ablation, only the fast ablation regime has been identified as promising for applications (etching) and studied with a basic point of view [4]. In this regime, the surface modification is minor [5] as compared with other regimes, because radiation energy is filtered by the ablating layer (screening phenomenon described by [3).…”