On the detachment of thin ITO films from silicon substrate by microsecond laser irradiation

A method for the separation of thin ITO (indium-tin-oxide) films from a silicon substrate by pulsed laser irradiation is studied. The method enables the detachment of films with thicknesses of 360 nm and more without their destruction. The separation process consists in successive irradiation of the surface with single microsecond laser pulses at a wavelength of 650 nm. Upon being detached from silicon substrates, the films produced by high-frequency magnetron sputtering have a transmittance of 65% in the visible spectral range and a resistivity of $\sim$1.2 k$\Omega$/$\square$. The thermal stresses appearing in thin ITO films and leading to their detachment are estimated.