Patterned deposition of thin SiOX-films by laser induced forward transfer

Well defined regions of silicon suboxide (SiOx) thin films deposited on fused silica substrates by vacuum evaporation are transferred to a receiver substrate by pulsed laser induced forward transfer. The receiver substrate (fused silica, polycarbonate or polydimethylsiloxane) is pressed against the coated donor substrate, and the SiOx (x≈1) coating is irradiated through the donor substrate with a single excimer laser pulse. The irradiated area is defined by the projection of a mask, which is illuminated by the laser. Films with thickness ranging from 200nm to 800nm have been transferred this way. The process is a congruent transfer, i.e. the shape of the deposited film pad corresponds exactly to the ablated film area defined by the mask. Accurate edges without melt rims can be obtained at a laser fluence of about 500mJ/cm2. •Laser induced forward transfer of silicon suboxide (SiOx) films is demonstrated.•The SiOx material remains in the solid state during transfer.•Woodpile patterns of thin film stripes are obtained by repeated transfer processes.