Patterning conductive films using variable focal plane to control feature size

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016001402-A1
Application number	US-201414768595-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 21, 2014
Priority date	Feb 21, 2013
Publication date	Jan 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A processing system directs a laser beam to a composite including a substrate, a conductive layer, and a conductive border. The location of a focus of the laser beam can be controlled to bring the laser beam into focus on the surfaces of the conductive materials. The laser beam can be used to ablatively process the conductive border and non-ablatively process the conductive layer by translating a focus-adjust optical system so as to vary laser beam diameter.

First claim

1 . An optical processing system comprising:
an objective lens situated to direct a processing optical beam to a target surface; a scanning system situated to scan the processing optical beam across the target surface; a focus-adjust optical system that includes a focus-adjust optical element and a focus actuator, the focus-adjust optical element situated to direct the optical beam to the objective lens, wherein the focus actuator is coupled to the focus-adjust optical element so as to translate the focus-adjust optical element along an axis of the objective lens so as to maintain a focus of the processing beam as the processing beam is scanned across the target surface; and a beam diameter actuator situated to translate the focus-adjust optical system so as to define a processing beam diameter at the target surface.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller coupled to the focus actuator so as to maintain the focus of the processing beam during scanning across the target surface.

3 . The system of claim 2 , further comprising a substrate stage that includes a stage actuator situated to position the target surface along the axis of the objective lens.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the controller is coupled to the beam diameter actuator and the stage actuator and the controller translates the focus adjust optical system and the substrate stage based on a selected beam diameter.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the beam diameter actuator produces stepwise translations of the focus adjust optical system.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the beam diameter actuator is translatable to at least two locations along the axis of the objective lens, the at least two locations associated with corresponding focused beam diameters having a larger to smaller beam diameter ratio of at least 2:1.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the beam diameter ratio is at least 5:1.

8 . The system of claim 1 , the beam diameter actuator is situated to translate the focus-adjust optical system so as to define at least two processing beam diameters corresponding to ablative processing and non-ablative processing, respectively.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the at least two processing beam diameters correspond to ablative processing of a conductive border and non-ablative processing of a silver nanowire or indium tin oxide conductive layer, or vice versa.

10 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising a laser that produces the optical beam, and a laser controller that selects optical beam powers based on the processing beam diameters.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the focus actuator is coupled to the focus-adjust optical element so as to translate the focus-adjust optical element along the axis of the objective lens so as compensate field curvature of the objective lens.

12 . A method, comprising:
translating a focus adjust optical element along an axis of an objective lens while processing a substrate with an optical beam from the objective lens so as to maintain a processing beam focus at a target; and selecting a processing beam diameter by translating the focus adjust optical element along the axis of the objective lens.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the processing beam diameter is selected from among at least two predetermined values, wherein the predetermined values have a larger to smaller beam diameter ratio of at least 1.5:1.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the target is a composite having a conductive layer and a conductive border, wherein the at least two predetermined values include first and second processing beam diameters selected for processing the conductive layer and the conductive border, respectively.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first and second processing beam diameters are selected so that the conductive layer is processed non-ablatively and the conductive border is processed ablatively or vice versa.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the processing beam diameters are selected to process one or more of a silver nanowire or indium tin oxide conductive layer and a silver paste conductive border.

17 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising translating the target along the axis of the objective lens based on the selected processing beam diameter.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein at least two processing beam diameters are selected for processing a conductive layer and a conductive border of a composite substrate, wherein the processing beam diameters are selected from among at least two predetermined values, wherein the predetermined values have a larger to smaller diameter ratio of at least 2:1.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the first and second processing beam diameters are selected so that the conductive layer is processed non-ablatively and the conductive border is processed ablatively or vice versa.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising selecting first and second optical beam powers corresponding to the first and second processing beam diameters.

Assignees

• Nlight Photonics Corp

Inventors

• Martinsen Robert J
• Dittli Adam
• Gross Ken

Classifications

• G06F2203/04112

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