49.3: Mechanism and Advanced Application of Rapid Laser Processing on SnO2 Thin Films for FPD Manufacture

A Nd:YAG laser processing on a SnO2-system thin films for FPD manufacturing is investigated as an alternative to photolithographic etching on ITO. Because of the difficulty in realizing a low energy process on SnO2 due to a high melting point, we experimentally found the proper deposition condition and composition of SnO2-system thin films. By considering two physical mechanisms, namely, plasmon oscillation and inverse bremsstrahlung process, we achieved satisfactory laser processing using only 2 J/cm2 of laser energy. This result leads to the possibility of high-speed electrode patterning suitable for FPD mass production.