Chemically amplified laser direct-writing of aluminum

Laser microchemical direct writing has important advantages over other techniques for the deposition of thin-film patterns. Disadvantages, however, are lower throughput and the need to suppress competing processes such as gas phase nucleation of particles or substrate damage. Methods for increasing the overall speed of laser direct writing by microchemistry were investigated. A class of laser deposition techniques has emerged in which laser radiation is used only to enhance or to impede the initial nucleation of a thin film. In general, it is convenient to draw a distinction between nucleation barriers due to physical effects and those due to chemical effects. The first type of barrier is derived from surface tension. The laser deposits a pattern of heterogeneous catalyst to initiate a subsequent transformation that is chemically self-sustaining or autocatalytic. Experiments, in which the laser direct writing of patterned thin films of Al is chemically amplified by subsequent selective pyrolytic chemical vapor deposition are summarized.