The Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) group is led by Prof. Rob Eason. The group’s interests span the complete range of the LIFT technique from fundamental studies to applications driven device development.
Fig. 1 – Schematic of the LIFT process.
LIFT involves the pixellated transfer of material from a thin film coated onto the rear side of a transparent support substrate. Transfer is induced by focussing one or more laser pulses onto the support-film interface, where heating and phase change of the film provide the propulsion to propel material to a receiving substrate placed nearby. The technique is particularly interesting due to its simplicity and versatility for micropatterning of a range of materials onto unconventional substrates and geometries.
Fig. 2 – Illustration of the kinds of compound structures that can be easily produced with LIFT.
The group is very active in a number of areas relating to LIFT. We collaborate with groups both within the university (in the ORC, Electronics and Computer Science, Physics and Astronomy, and Maths), and across Europe (in Belfast, Athens, and Switzerland). Our work is primarily based in the ORC’s FAST lab facility at the moment, investigating what is achievable with LIFT using femtosecond duration pulses. With the arrival of a nanosecond-pulsed excimer laser in Autumn 2009, the research focus will expand to include nanosecond vs. femtosecond LIFT comparative studies and an increased focus on real-world devices in collaboration with local industrial partners.
Current active research areas include:
Fig. 3 – SEM micrographs of the smallest structures ever produced with LIFT.
Fig. 4 – Lines of fused silica deposited onto a Si wafer by LISE.
Fig. 5 – Optically transparent gadolinium gallium oxide LIFTed with femtosecond pulses.
Fig. 6 – Time-resolved shadowgraphs of LIFT of ytterbium: yttrium aluminium garnet.
Fig. 7 – Schematic and results of cellular model of nanodroplet transfer by LIFT.
Key research breakthroughs:
We have recently proposed and demonstrated the use of ultrafast Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) as a rapid prototyping method for the fabrication of waveguides in nonlinear optical material such as lithium niobate. Direct laser printing of predefined titanium metal patterns followed by the thermal in-diffusion of the deposited metal was used to fabricate titanium in-diffused channel waveguides and X-couplers with propagation losses as low as 0.8 dB/cm. Details of this simple and novel lab-based waveguide fabrication process are presented in the following journal article that is available online with the journal Applied Physics A Materials Science and Processing
Laser-induced-forward-transfer: a rapid prototyping tool for fabrication of photonic devices
C. L. Sones, K. S. Kaur, P. Ganguly, D. P. Banks, Y. J. Ying, R. W. Eason and S. Mailis.
Research Facilities:
Our work is primarily based in the ORC’s FAST lab facility at the moment, investigating what is achievable with LIFT using femtosecond duration pulses. With the arrival of a nanosecond-pulsed excimer laser, the research focus has expanded to include nanosecond vs. femtosecond LIFT comparative studies and an increased focus on real-world devices in collaboration with local and European academic and industrial partners.
Collaborations:
Internal (ORC and UoS):
• Electronics Systems and Devices Group, ECS
• Energy Technology Group, SES
Academic:
• CNRS, Laboratoire Lasers, Plasmas et Procédés Photoniques Campus de Luminy, Marseille Cedex, France
• Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
• National Technical University of Athens
• EMPA - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
• CNR Instituto Di Acustica E Sensoristica O M Corbino, Italy
• ARMINES/EMSE – CMP-GC, France
• National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, Romania
Industry:
• Laser Micromachining Limited, UK
Work with us
If you would like to find out more about our LIFT group or would be interested in working with us please contact Professor Rob Eason.
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