Product Code: ICAL06_M503

Nanoscale Analysis of Laser Ablated Thin Films used in Industrial Manufacturing of Flat Panel Displays
Authors:
Jozef Wendland, Powerlase Ltd; Crawley Great Britain
Matt Henry, Powerlase Limited; West Sussex Great Britain
Paul Harrison, Powerlase Ltd; Crawley Great Britain
Presented at ICALEO 2006

Flat panel display manufacturing has recently been revolutionized by the industrial uptake of laser direct write techniques to replace lithography for patterning active thin films on glass. The use of diode pumped, high average power, nanosecond pulsed, kilohertz repetition rate infrared lasers to directly pattern electrically active thin films on glass substrates has eliminated as many as five production stages in the manufacture of flat panel displays. Such lasers are now available in average powers nearing one kilowatt, which allows sufficient productivity to take this process from the lab into industry. One key issue of concern is quantifying the removal of the thin films and how that relates to beam homogeneity and energy density on the workpiece. In this paper the authors attempt to quantity the removal of the thin films from glass by comparing advanced analytical techniques such as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) with optical microscopy for a range of laser parameters. This analysis is put into context of the wider laser direct write technique of thin films on glass; particularly that of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) for the manufacture of Plasma Display Panels (PDPs).