Laser-induced backward transfer of conducting aluminum doped zinc oxide to glass for single-step rapid patterning

Depositing conductive patterns on glass normally involves several steps. This study presents a single-step method to directly deposit aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) conductive patterns on glass substrates by using laser-induced backward transfer (LIBT) from a bulk donor material with a nanosecond pulsed laser system. Lines, squares, and electrode patterns were successfully fabricated under various laser fluences at ambient atmospheric pressures and room temperature. The geometric dimension, surface morphology, wettability, and electrical property of the transferred patterns were examined with a 3D confocal laser scanning microscope, a stylus surface profilometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), an optical fluid contact angle analyzer, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and a four-point probe instrument. After the LIBT process, the lowest sheet resistance was 24.8 Ω/sq for square patches with a 1.95 μm average film thickness, and surface roughnesses of Ra =0.33 μm, and Rrms =0.42 μm with a 124° water contact angle. The average sheet resistance of electrode structure patterns was 34.7 Ω/sq under the 3.95 J/cm2 of laser fluence and a 10 mm/s of scanning speed.