Photoresist-free lithographic patterning of solution-processed nanostructured metal thin films

A study was conducted to demonstrate photoresist-free lithographic patterning of solution-processed nanostructured metal thin films. The approach used in the study utilizes the interaction of a pulsed laser with solution-processed metal thin films. The study demonstrated that silver thin films deposited on transparent substrates can be directly patterned by a Nd:YAG-pulsed laser, without using a photoresist layer. It was observed that a laser pulse impinging on the film/substrate interface generates a thermoelastic force into the film and that a moderate cohesion of the nanostructured film enables the localized desorption of material upon irradiation by a spatially modulated laser beam. It was also demonstrated that the method uses the same type of optical modulation as in conventional lithography, without depending on photoresist or vacuum processes.