Experimental study on the direct planar metallization on glass by the particle sputtering in laser-induced plasma-assisted ablation

Laser-induced plasma-assisted ablation (LIPAA) is an efficient and low-cost method for processing the metallic pattern on glass. In this study, the metallic sacrificed target was used in the LIPAA process, the feasibility of direct planar metallization on the glass substrate was explored. For this purpose, the morphology and chemical composition of the planar metallization layer on glass substrate, which was fabricated by line-by-line LIPAA, was characterized in detail, and the corresponding metallization regime was clarified. The experimental results indicate that gap distance between the glass specimen and metallic sacrificed substrate has a significant influence on the homogeneity, thickness, compactness, and chemical composition of the metallization layer. In addition, with a small gap distance, the periodic behaviors of generation, accumulation, blockage and spray of the metallic oxide powders between the gap bring about stripes embedded in the metallization layer. Moreover, based on the prepared metallization layer by line-by-line LIPAA, the patterned circuit was fabricated on the glass by laser patterning method and its conductivity was enhanced by successive chemical reduction. The comprehensive performance test for the patterned circuit in terms of morphology, adhesion strength, conductivity demonstrate that the line-by-line LIPAA method presents a great potential for preparing the patterned circuit on glass.