The influence of non-ionic surfactants on laser-induced copper deposition

•Non-ionic surfactant influence on the process of laser-induced copper deposition was studied.•It was found that the non-ionic surfactant improves the topology of deposited copper conductors.•A mechanism for the surfactant influence on the deposition process was proposed. We describe the laser-induced chemical liquid phase deposition of copper using a solution containing a non-ionic surfactant on substrates comprising either an oxide glass or a glass-ceramic Sitall. Our results demonstrate that the addition of the surfactant to the deposition solution results in improved structural topology in the deposited copper layer. Our data confirm that the use of a non-ionic surfactant can reduce the negative influence of gas formation during the deposition process.