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PATTERNING OF OXIDE THIN FILMS BY UV-LASER ABLATION

J. Ihlemann1,*

Affiliation

  1. Laser-Laboratorium Göttingen e.V., Hans-Adolf-Krebs-Weg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany

Abstract

Excimer laser ablation at deep-UV wavelengths (248 nm, 193 nm) is used for the patterning of thin oxide films or layer stacks. The layer removal on extended areas as well as sub-µm structuring is possible. The ablation of SiO2, Al2O3, HfO2, and Ta2O5-layers and combinations of them has been investigated. Due to their optical, chemical, and thermal stability, these inorganic film materials are well suited for optical applications, even if UV transparency is required. In contrast to laser ablation of bulk material, in the case of thin films the layer-layer or layer-substrate boundaries act as predetermined breaking points, so that precise depth control and a very smooth surface can be achieved. For the fabrication of optical elements with this method, the film can be ablated on extended areas (1), or on a pixel base with pixel sizes of a few wavelengths (2), or at the resolution limit given roughly by the ablation laser wavelength (3). Typical optical elements belonging to these three ranges are (1) dielectric masks, (2) pixelated diffractive elements, and (3) gratings with high line density..

Keywords

Excimer laser, Ablation, Oxide film, Multilayer stack, Dielectric mask, Diffractive element.

Submitted at: May 16, 2005
Accepted at: May 26, 2005

Citation

J. Ihlemann, PATTERNING OF OXIDE THIN FILMS BY UV-LASER ABLATION, Journal of Optoelectronics and Advanced Materials Vol. 7, Iss. 3, pp. 1191-1195 (2005)