Laser processing of materials and structures for flat panel displays

In a first experiment, different harmonics of the Nd:YLF laser, ranging from IR to UV wavelength region, were used for cleaning of Nb-gated silicon field emitter tips to improve the emission efficiency. An increase of the emission current by about 30 percent after laser irradiation was observed only in case of UV laser irradiation at (lambda) equals 349 nm, indicating contaminants were successfully removed from the tip surface and the cleaning process was strongly wavelength dependent. In a second set of experiments, the effect of ex-situ and in-situ deposition of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on the field emitter arrays was studie. The thickness of the DLC film turns out to be a critical parameter for the improvement of the emission efficiency and stability. In a third set of experiments, maskless laser patterning of indium tin oxide films was studied. High process speeds in excess of 1 m/s could be achieved, making the process industrially viable. An essential requirement for residue-free patterning was found to be strong light absorption by the under-lying substrate.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.