Laser photoetching of doped poly(tetrafluoroethylene), substituted-PTFE, and polyimide films

Both poly(tetrafluoroethylene) and polyimides are important materials in microelectronic industry for packaging and other applications, and the fabrication of images in these materials is desirable. Doped Teflon and functionally substituted Teflon (Nafion) films were photo-ablated using excimer and Nd lasers, and their photochemistry was studied. Although photoablation of polyimide with the XeCl excimer laser has been used in manufacturing, it is not known that dyed polyimide can be photoablated readily at 532 nm with the 2nd harmonic of a Nd laser, as reported here. © 1991.