Laser Printing of Functional Materials

Chapter 7Laser-Induced Forward Transfer of Metals

David A. Willis

Southern Methodist University, Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 3101 Dyer Street, Dallas, TX, 75205, USA

7.1 Introduction, Background, and Overview

Laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) of metals is a physical microdeposition process that uses a laser beam as an energy source for transferring material from a “donor” substrate to a “target” substrate, as shown in Figure 7.1. The donor substrate is a transparent material such as glass and oriented such that the donor material is in close proximity to the target substrate. The two substrates are separated by a gap, Δz, which can range from zero (contact mode) to hundreds of microns, with ...