Femtosecond laser pattering of ITO film on flexible substrate

펨토초 레이저를 이용한 플렉시블 ITO 패터닝 연구

Indium tin oxide (ITO) provides high electrical conductivity and transparency in the visible and near IR (infrared) wavelengths. Thus, it is widely used as a transparent electrode for the fabrication of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diode displays (OLRDs), photovoltaic devices, and other optical applications. Lasers have been used for removing coating on polymer substrate for flexible display and electronic industry. In selective removal of ITO layer, laser wavelength, pulse energy, scan speed, and the repetition rate of pulses determine conditions, which are efficient for removal of ITO coating without affecting properties of the polymer substrate. ITO coating removal with a laser is more environmentally friendly than other conventional etching methods. In this paper, pattering of ITO film from polymer substrates is described. The Yb:KGW femtosecond laser processing system with a pulse duration of 250fs, a wavelength of 1030nm and a repetition rate of 100kHz was used for removing ITO coating in air. We can remove the ITO coating using a scanner system with various pulse energies and scan speeds. We observed that the amount of debris is minimal through an optical and a confocal microscope, and femtosecond laser pulses with 1030nm wavelength are effective to remove ITO coating without the polymer substrate ablation.