Overlapping Limitations for ps-Pulsed LIFT Printing of High Viscosity Metallic Pastes

Abstract

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique has been used for printing a high viscosity (250 Pa·s) commercial silver paste with micron-size particles (1–4 µm). Volumetric pixels (voxels) transferred using single ps laser pulses are overlapped in order to obtain continuous metallic lines. However, interference problems between successive voxels is a major issue that must be solved before obtaining lines with good morphologies. The effects of the laser pulse energy, thickness of the donor paste film, and distance between successive voxels on the morphology of single voxels and lines are discussed. Due to the high viscosity of the paste, the void in the donor film after a printing event remains, and it negatively affects the physical transfer mechanism of the next laser pulses. When two laser pulses are fired at a short distance, there is no transfer at all. Only when the pulses are separated by a distance long enough to avoid interference but short enough to allow overlapping (≈100 µm), is it possible to print continuous lines in a single step. Finally, the knowledge obtained has allowed the printing of silver lines at high speeds (up to 60 m/s).