Abstract
Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films on polycarbonate (PC) substrates were patterned using the laser direct-write (LDW) technique to form an isolation line. The effect of the LDW parameters (power, pulse repetition rate, and defocusing distance) on the isolation line width, depth and roughness of the PC within the line was investigated. Additionally, the Taguchi method of experimental design was applied to determine the optimal parameters of LDW. Results showed that increasing the power led to an increase in the isolation line width and decrease in the surface roughness of the PC within the line. The increase in the pulse repetition rate and defocusing distance caused a decrease in the isolation line width. The optimal parameters were found to be A2B3C3, consisting of power of 5 W, pulse repetition rate of 100 kHz, and defocusing distance of +3 mm. Under these parameters, we obtained an isolation line width of 48.4 μm, and a surface roughness of Ra 38 nm of the PC within the isolation line. We confirmed that the ITO films separated by the isolation lines attained electrical isolation.
Highlights
Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films are widely utilized in the flat panel display industry.On account of their excellent light penetration, conductivity, and infrared light reflectivity, ITO films have been considered for use in conductor applications in solar cells, touch panels, electronic ink panels [1], liquid crystal displays [2], flat panel displays [3], and other transparent electrodes [4]
To reduce the large amount of equipment investment required in semiconductor lithography technology and reduce chemical hazards to the environment, the laser direct-write (LDW) technique has been applied for the formation of circuit patterns on ITO films
In order to understand the effect of the laser on the ITO and PC, laser scanning was performed on the ITO and PC
Summary
Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films are widely utilized in the flat panel display industry.On account of their excellent light penetration, conductivity, and infrared light reflectivity, ITO films have been considered for use in conductor applications in solar cells, touch panels, electronic ink panels [1], liquid crystal displays [2], flat panel displays [3], and other transparent electrodes [4]. Indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films are widely utilized in the flat panel display industry. The traditional electrode patterning technique involves photolithography and chemical wet etching processes for the fabrication of film electrode patterns on a substrate. The whole process is complex and requires expensive semiconductor equipment. The wet etching process is generally accompanied by numerous issues, for instance, the need to treat chemical waste, under-cut effects, swelling, significant expense, and substrate [6]. To reduce the large amount of equipment investment required in semiconductor lithography technology and reduce chemical hazards to the environment, the laser direct-write (LDW) technique has been applied for the formation of circuit patterns on ITO films. Computer-aided laser scanning realizes high-speed manufacturing of arbitrary shapes [7]
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