Experimental investigation of the jet-on-jet physical phenomenon in laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT).

Justinas Mikšys,Gert-Willem Römer,Matthias Feinaeugle,Gari Arutinov

doi:10.1364/oe.401825

Justinas Mikšys, Gert-Willem Römer + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1364/oe.401825

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Abstract

Understanding the physics behind the ejection dynamics in laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is of key importance in order to develop new printing techniques and overcome their limitations. In this work, a new jet-on-jet ejection phenomenon is presented and its physical origin is discussed. Time-resolved shadowgraphy imaging was employed to capture the ejection dynamics and is complemented with the photodiode intensity measurements in order to capture the light emitted by laser-induced plasma. A focus scan was conducted, which confirmed that the secondary jet is ejected due to laser-induced plasma generated at the center of the laser spot, where intensity is the highest. Five characteristic regions of the focus scan, with regards to laser fluence level and laser spot size, were distinguished. The study provides new insights in laser-induced jet dynamics and shows the possibility of overcoming the trade-off between the printing resolution and printing distance.

Highlights

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a direct-write technique, where ashort pulsed and focused laser beam is employed to deposit a small amount of the donor material onto the target substrate [1,2]
A detailed description of the LIFT ejection dynamics can be found in our previous work [33]
In order to understand the impact of the processing parameters on this effect, a focus scan was conducted

Summary

Introduction

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is a direct-write technique, where a (ultra)short pulsed and focused laser beam is employed to deposit a small amount of the donor material onto the target (receiver) substrate [1,2]. Combining a pulsed laser source with a galvanometer scanner allows LIFT to be a digital technique, where printing speed is characterized by the repetition rate of the laser source and can range up to millions deposits per second [3]. LIFT of silver particle-based inks and pastes, which are widely used as conductive materials in the field of printed electronics, have been successfully demonstrated as well [18,19,20]. In order to scale it up to industrial production rates, more fundamental understanding on the printing process and the role of the governing processing parameters (material and laser) is needed

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Conclusion