Film-free laser microprinting of complex materials

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) is probably the most extended laser printing technique. It allows printing a broad range of materials with a high degree of precision and spatial resolution [1]. In the case of the LIFT of liquids, a laser beam is focused and absorbed at the interface between a transparent substrate and a thin film of a solution containing the donor material which is going to be deposited on the receptor substrate. The LIFT of liquids faces, however, an intrinsic drawback related to the preparation of the liquid donor material in thin-film form, being rather difficult to obtain uniform, thickness-controlled and stable liquid films, especially when large areas or very high resolutions are involved.