CuCl2-based liquid electrolyte precursor for laser-induced metal deposition

The possibility of the copper precipitation from the CuCl2-based liquid electrolyte precursor on the SiO2 substrates with Laser-induced Chemical Liquid phase Deposition (LCLD) method has been demonstrated. Focused beam of the CW Ar+ laser generated in multiwave regime was used for the initiation of the deposition process. Laser-assisted photothermal chemical reaction yields deposition of the metal structures on the substrate with high degree of adhesion. The experiments on the copper deposition from the CuCl2-based electrolyte solution were carried out for the first time at the different solution temperatures what permitted decreasing of the laser power threshold. The dependence of the characteristics of the copper deposits on the laser power, the scan velocity, the number of scans, the temperature of the electrolyte precursor was examined. The surface morphology and the chemical composition of the deposits were analyzed with scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The possibility of creation of the continuous copper deposits was demonstrated not only in multi-scan but also in a single-scan regime.