Selective surface texturing using femtosecond pulsed laser induced forward transfer

Microdeposition of metal structure on quartz substrate using femtosecond pulsed laser induced forward transfer has been studied. A femtosecond laser having pulse duration of 150 fs and central wavelength spectrum of 400 nm was coupled to a two-axis acousto-optical deflector micromachining system, which provides selective deposition with spatial resolution of 2 μm. Experiments were conducted with air ambient. The laser irradiation spot was focused on the gold thin film (donor) through supporting quartz substrate. The removed material was transferred onto an acceptor, a quartz substrate, which was placed in near contact with the donor substrate. The transferred patterns were measured and investigated by the images obtained from scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The results reveal that to obtain the best deposition with maximum thickness, the laser fluency must be precisely controlled just above the ablation threshold.