A UK start-up company is offering a reduced cost, environmentally superior alternative to conventional photolithography for deposited thin film coating patterning used in a wide range of electronic and photonic device applications.

Short summary A UK start-up is offering an all-dry peelable solid film lithography (PSFL) masking process for low temperature vapour deposited thin film coating patterning at 10µm. The process is a reduced cost, environmentally superior alternative. Electronics and optics manufacturers who use contact and track metallisation, thin film transistor and solar cell amorphous oxide semiconductors, high-k oxide dielectrics etc. are sought for commercial agreements with technical assistance and eventual licensing.

Full description In the UK, a startup company was created solely dedicated to developing the technology that is the subject matter of this offer. PSFL technology provides the simplicity and elegance of having a micro aperture patterned protective film mask that is easy to transfer to the workpiece and does not need to be chemically removed, but is physically peeled-off, from the substrate surface after use and which leaves no attachment layer or deposition coating residue. The PSFL mask retains the residual deposited coating on its exposed surface and removes it when the mask is cleanly peeled-off leaving no debris or contamination on the sample surface. Once the PSFL film mask has been peel removed from a sample surface as a whole sheet, the required patterned coating is revealed – as defined by the film mask precision laser cut patterned surface exposure apertures through which the coating deposits onto the substrate surface. PSFL is a single use recyclable solid plastic film aperture patterned masking technology for use with vacuum and vapour deposition processes for patterning thin film coatings deposited at < 140oC requiring patterned features of about 10µm (although it is believed that with suitable development features < 3µm can be achieved).

Advantages and innovations • All dry mask patterning process. • Efficient collection of mask residue for ease of handling and recycling (or precious metal reclaim if required). • No wet or dry etching of a whole area deposited coating required. • Pre-patterned, aligned, and transferred masks mean no substrate degradation or contamination due to on-sample mask patterning. • Reduced cost processing. • Remove the need for toxic and hazardous liquid or gaseous chemistry processing. • Single use recyclable film masks remove the need for master mask cleaning and storage. The overriding novelty of peelable solid film aperture patterned masks is in the elimination of any wet or dry etch processing of whole area vapour deposited thin film coatings to achieve the required coating pattern. PSFL technology enables eco-friendly processing with benefits to the environment because it removes dependence on, and treatment/disposal of, hazardous – and in some cases – toxic materials. PSFL dry single use solid plastic film masks promotes clean processing and enables easier residual mask material collection, handling, and disposal (recycling). Additional innovation has also been created in the mask-substrate attachment and removal processing, and in the manufacture of several thin film solid-state devices

Contact / source: NEXT EEN Widgets (europa.eu)