Drop-on-demand jet-based printing and deposition techniques benefit from increased printing resolution compared to inkjet printing. In this study, we present two sets of methods to improve the printing resolution and decrease the laser transfer threshold energy for blister-actuated laser-induced forward transfer (BA-LIFT). In one technique, we examine the steady meniscus formation by fabricating micrometer-sized holes onto the solid polyimide thin film substrate which hosts the donor liquid ink film to be printed. Due to the micrometer size of holes, surface tension effects are enhanced, a steady meniscus is formed at the air-ink interface, and the resulting focused jets are thinner and faster than regular jets. In the other set of techniques, we examine the transient meniscus formation by using Faraday waves to induce a transient meniscus at the air-ink interface. We show that focused jets may have different features compared to regular jets depending on the focusing method. We demonstrate experimentally and computationally that steady and transient meniscus formation enable jetting at lower laser pulse energies and leads to the ejection of smaller droplets.

Date Published: 13 March 2019
PDF
Proc. SPIE 10905, Laser Applications in Microelectronic and Optoelectronic Manufacturing (LAMOM) XXIV, 109050L (13 March 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2512297

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10905:
Laser Applications in Microelectronic and Optoelectronic Manufacturing (LAMOM) XXIV
Tetsuya Makimura; Gediminas Račiukaitis; Carlos Molpeceres, Editor(s)