Laser patterning of nanostructure-films
View Patent ↗A novel nanostructure-film patterning method is discussed, wherein a laser is employed to etch a nanostructure-film. The laser may be a solid state UV laser, and the nanostructure-film may be patterned while mounted and moving on a roll-to-roll apparatus.
1. A method for patterning a nanostructure-film, comprising:
etching a nanostructure-film with a laser,
wherein the nanostructure-film includes at least one interconnected network of carbon nanotubes.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the etching a nanostructure-film includes etching the nanostructure-film on a roll-to-roll apparatus moving at a rate of at least 1 meter/second.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the laser is a solid state UV laser.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the etching a nanostructure-film includes etching features of less than about 10 microns into the nanostructure-film.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein an etch-resolution in the nanostructure-film is less than about 10 microns.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the nanostructure-film is substantially electrically semiconducting.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the nanostructure-film is substantially electrically conductive.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the nanostructure-film is on a flexible substrate.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the nanostructure-film is optically transparent.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein
the carbon nanotubes are few-walled carbon nanotubes,
the flexible substrate is a plastic, and
the nanostructure-film is of a quality suitable for optoelectronic applications.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the etching a nanostructure film includes firing the laser in picosecond pulses.
12. A method of etching a nanotube network, comprising:
etching a nanotube network with a solid state UV laser.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the etching a nanotube network includes etching the nanotube network on a roll-to-roll apparatus moving at a rate of at least 2 meters/second.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the etching a nanotube network includes operating the solid state UV laser at a power of less than about 17 watts.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein an etch resolution in the nanotube network is less than about 5 microns.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the etching a nanotube network includes etching features of less than about 10 microns into the nanotube network.