Product Code: ICA11_N301

Laser Transfer Processes for Digital Microfabrication
Authors:
Alberto Pique, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington DC USA
Ray Auyeung, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington
Heungsoo Kim, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington
Kristin Metkus, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington
Nicholas Charipar, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington
Andrew Birnbaum, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington
Scott Mathews, Naval Research Laboratory; Washington
Presented at ICALEO 2011

The direct printing of patterns and structures of functional materials for the rapid prototyping of electronic, optical and sensor devices has been demonstrated using laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) processes. These processes, also known as laser direct-write or LDW, offer unique advantages and capabilities for digital microfabrication. A key advantage of laser forward transfer techniques is their compatibility with a wide range of materials, surface chemistries and surface morphologies. These processes have been demonstrated in the fabrication of a variety of microelectronic elements such as interconnects, passives, antennas, sensors, power sources and embedded circuits. Overall, laser forward transfer is perhaps the most flexible digital microfabrication process available in terms of materials versatility, substrate compatibility and range of speed, scale and resolution. Recently, laser forward transfer of thin film-like structures with excellent lateral resolution and thickness uniformity using metallic nanoinks has been shown at NRL using a technique named laser decal transfer. The high degree of control in size and shape achievable with laser decal transfer has been applied to the digital microfabrication of 3-dimensional stacked assemblies and freestanding structures for MEMS applications. This talk will describe the unique advantages and capabilities of laser decal transfer of electronic nanoinks, discuss its applications and explore its role in the future of digital microfabrication.

This work was sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.