Graphene-mediated blister-based laser-induced forward transfer of thin and ultra-thin ZrO2

• Published in: Applied physics. A, Materials science & processing Vol. 130; no. 10
• Main Authors: Baloglu, Ahmet Burak, Kodu, Margus, Kozlova, Jekaterina, Kahro, Tauno, Jaaniso, Raivo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aluminum oxide; Blistering; Bonding strength; Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Condensed Matter Physics; Gas sensors; Graphene; Lasers; Layered materials; Machines; Manufacturing; Metal oxides; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Processes; Substrates; Surfaces and Interfaces; Thin Films; Zirconium dioxide; Metal oxide; Graphene; ZrO; Blister-based laser-induced forward transfer
• ISSN: 0947-8396; 1432-0630
• DOI: 10.1007/s00339-024-07909-6

Blister-based laser-induced forward transfer (BB-LIFT) is a promising high precision and resolution printing technique for the fast, solvent- and mask-free transfer of functional layered materials onto micro-devices. It utilizes a protective metal (blister) layer sandwiched between the laser-transparent substrate and the material to be transferred. The metal layer absorbs the incident laser pulse, creating a rapidly expanding blister that propels the overlying material onto a target substrate. We show that BB-LIFT of thin and ultrathin (30 and 3 nm) ZrO 2 films is realized only with a “graphene release layer” applied between the Al blister layer and the ZrO 2 donor layer. Without such intercalation, ZrO 2 is inseparable from the blister layer due to the strong oxide bonding with aluminum oxides formed during the preparation. The ZrO 2 transfer was confirmed through high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, affirming the critical role of graphene as a release layer. The promotion of mechanically strong, flexible graphene as a release layer can be generalized in BB-LIFT applications if thin films of fragile, polycrystalline, or amorphous metal oxides must be printed for gas sensors, catalytic, or other applications.