Recent advances of direct printing or elemental and compound microstructures by Laser Induced Forward Technique (LIFT) using a femtosecond UV laser will be presented. LIFT Is a technique enabling the direct controlled transfer of thin film materials between substrates. For example an ultrashort UV laser has been used to transfer molecular material (E.g. InO_x) onto glass substrates in order to form optical diffractive structures. The LIFT process enables reproduction of the metal and oxide's structural and physical properties. Subsequent ultraviolet illumination by a 325nm HeCd laser has induced dynamic refractive index changes of the InO_x grating. This optical behavior is similar to the holographic recording behavior of the InO_x thin films. Similar experiments with metals and other molecular materials will be presented and discussed. The use of laser-based methods, in the fabrication of optically activated microstructures, opens new applications possibilities in the area of optoelectronics.

Date Published: 25 February 2002
PDF: 3 pages
Proc. SPIE 4426, Second International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication, (25 February 2002); doi: 10.1117/12.456833

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4426:
Second International Symposium on Laser Precision Microfabrication
Isamu Miyamoto; Yong Feng Lu; Koji Sugioka; Jan J. Dubowski, Editor(s)