Transparent and electrically conductive metal nanowire networks are possible replacements for costly indium tin oxide (ITO) films in many optoelectronic devices. ITO films are regularly patterned using pulsed lasers so similar technologies could be used for nanowire coatings to define electrode structures. Here, the effects of laser irradiation on conducting silver nanowire coatings are simulated and then investigated experimentally for networks formed by spray deposition onto transparent substrates. The ablation threshold fluence is found experimentally for such nanowire networks and is then related to film thickness. An effective model using finite-element heat transfer analysis is examined to look at energy dissipation through these nanowire networks and used to understand mechanisms at play in the laser-material interactions. It is demonstrated that the three-dimensional nature of these coatings and the relative ratios of the rates of lateral to vertical heat diffusion are important controlling parameter affecting the ablation threshold.
Excimer laser micromachining has developed into a mature production method and many industrial applications such as the drilling of ink-jet printer nozzles, production of sensors and the manufacture of display panels now routinely use excimer laser microprocessing in production environments. The important concepts of excimer laser micromachining systems are described and the novel methods which have been developed in this area are presented. In particular, techniques for the production of complex, multi-level 3D microstructures are described and examples of such features are used to illustrate the relevant applications. Furthermore, some initial micromachining results from a sub-nanosecond, sOlid-state fibre laser are presented to highlight the rapidly-growing area oflaser microprocessing using ultra-short pulse lasers.
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