Laser-transfer processing of functional ceramic films

Pulsed excimer laser irradiation through a UV-transparent fabrication substrate has been successfully employed to separate PZT thick films from their sapphire host substrates. Films of 20 μm in thickness were prepared by a hybrid particle sol–gel synthesis route. The microstructure, morphology and ferroelectric properties of the thick films after laser-transfer have been examined. Films were irradiated with a 248 nm, 15 ns pulse, and transferred to a platinised silicon substrate (Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si). A laser fluence of 250 mJ/cm2 was sufficient to delaminate the original PZT/sapphire interface. The pulsed energy density used here is lower than reported by other groups utilising a laser-transfer process for PZT. This is believed to be due to higher levels of porosity at the film/substrate interface in this study.