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In many spectroscopic studies, particularly by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, it has been generally assumed that the existence of sub-oxide transition regions at Si&z.sbnd;SiO 2 interfaces were not strongly dependent on synthesis chemistries and processing conditions. This paper presents experimental evidence for a kinetically-limited phase transition at Si&z.sbnd;SiO 2 interfaces at approximately 900°C that can minimize and to a large degree eliminate significant interfacial sub-oxide transition regions. The paper emphasizes a connection between (i) differences in photoluminescence from SiO x bulk films before and after 900°C annealing and (ii) differences in electrical performance of Si&z.sbnd;SiO 2 interfaces and optical second harmonic generation from Si&z.sbnd;SiO 2 interfaces, also before and after 900°C annealing

In this paper, the optical characterization of a film of amorphous As–S chalcogenides evaporated on glass substrates will be performed using variable angle of incidence spectroscopic ellipsometry (VASE) and near-normal incidence spectroscopic reflectometry (NNSR). The spectral dependences of the ellipsometric parameters and reflectance of the chalcogenide thin film mentioned is measured within the near-UV, visible and near-IR spectral regions. For interpreting these optical quantities the new dispersion model of the spectral dependences of the optical constants of amorphous solids is employed. This model is based on the modified Lorentz oscillator. Within this model the concepts of the band gap and Urbach tail are respected.

In this paper, fabrication of beta-ironsilicide (β-FeSi2)-base metal–insulator–semiconductor diode devices is described. β-FeSi2films have been prepared by co-sputtering of Fe and Si followed by thermal annealing. The [202] X-ray diffraction peak of β-FeSi2was observed at 2θ=29° when both the Fe–Si chemical composition and annealing temperature were optimized. The prepared β-FeSi2films have been thermally oxidized in an O2gas atmosphere. Using the techniques above, we fabricated Al/oxidized-FeSi2/β-FeSi2/p-Si structured devices, which displayed diode properties.

In this paper, properties of the Zn1−XBeXSe crystals grown from the melt by the high-pressure Bridgman method are reported. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been used for determination of the complex dielectric function of Zn1−XBeXSe. On the basis of the photon energy dependence of the dielectric function, the energy gaps of alloys containing different beryllium concentrations have been evaluated. Measurements of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra allowed to find the excitonic gap in the investigated alloys. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) with simultaneous argon ion sputtering has been used for determination of surface composition. AES investigations allowed to make predictions concerning distribution of particular elements in the samples.

The alkali antimonide compounds are widely applied in light detection devices. The strong optical absorption and the low electron affinity make the photon–electron conversion very efficient in these materials. In this paper, we present the results of a photoemission spectroscopy study of K3Sb films of 100Å with and without an extra layer of 0.1ml Cs. The shallow Sb 4d core levels show a chemical shift for K3Sb, which is only very slightly affected by the extra Cs layer. The results are explained as a consequence of charge accumulation at the K3Sb surface, which is induced by the Cs surface states.

Oxide layers only a few atomic layers thick are important in electronic devices and heterogeneous catalysis. This has led to the need to understand better the evolution of the oxide stoichiometry with thickness in such situations. This paper shows that a high-stability quartz-crystal microbalance can provide absolute measurements of changes in the stoichiometry of oxides as they evolve one molecular layer at a time. In the case of ultra-thin antimony oxides grown on a gold substrate, the compound SbAuO was observed for Sb deposits of less than 1.6 atomic layers. This oxide acts as a transition layer between the gold and subsequent oxide layers which are Sb2O3.

Si wafers covered with a native oxide were used as substrates for growth of 12.5nm of evaporated Au (Au/SiOx), and self-assembly of a dendrimer monolayer followed by the same thickness of Au (Au/dendrimer/SiOx). This paper presents evidence for very significant improvements in Au film quality when grown on a self-assembled monolayer of amine-terminated poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers (generation G8) on SiOx. An increase in surface hardness from 1.7 to 3GPa, a decrease in surface roughness from about 1.2 to 0.4nm and better adhesion are shown with a combination of XPS, X-ray reflectivity (XRR), AFM, and nanoindentation. The improvement in film quality may be explained by penetration of the deposited Au into the dendrimer adlayer. This interpenetration is confirmed by AFM profilometry and XPS analysis.

With the emitter/gap-potential/tip structure, we have studied the hot electron (HE) transmission properties used in scanning hot electron microscopy (SHEM). The rational and practical gap potential profile between two electrodes has been constructed based on the electrostatic image force and the jellium model. The transmission probability calculated using the constructed potential profile in this paper differs from that using conventional profiles appreciably. Dependencies of the transmission probability on the gap separation, HE energy, and the tunnel voltage have been made clear.

This paper presents the theoretical and experimental results for oxide thin film growth on titanium films previously deposited over glass substrate. Ti films of thickness 0.1μm were heated by Nd:YAG laser pulses in air. The oxide tracks were created by moving the samples with a constant speed of 2mm/s, under the laser action. The micro-topographic analysis of the tracks was performed by a microprofiler. The results taken along a straight line perpendicular to the track axis revealed a Gaussian profile that closely matches the laser’s spatial mode profile, indicating the effectiveness of the surface temperature gradient on the film’s growth process. The sample’s micro-Raman spectra showed two strong bands at 447 and 612cm−1associated with the TiO2structure. This is a strong indication that thermo-oxidation reactions took place at the Ti film surface that reached an estimated temperature of 1160K just due to the action of the first pulse. The results obtained from the numerical integration of the analytical equation which describes the oxidation rate (Wagner equation) are in agreement with the experimental data for film thickness in the high laser intensity region. This shows the partial accuracy of the one-dimensional model adopted for describing the film growth rate.

In this paper we will report about the development of an innovative way to self-assemble aromatic molecules as monolayers on a Si(100) surface through the formation of a direct SiC bond, these systems acting as chemical sensors for gases. Specifically, we will present an investigation on how donor/acceptor groups substituted on the benzene ring tailor the gas-surface interaction. The new sensors were obtained by wet chemistry nucleophilic attack onto halogenated silicon surfaces. Infrared multiple internal reflection (MIR) experiments and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy analyses confirmed the formation of SiC bonds. Gases were detected by measuring the electrical conductivity changes at 308K in the presence of trace amounts of oxidants (SOx, CO and NOx, 0.5–5.0ppm) in Ar. An analysis of the sensor response showed that gas-ring interactions actually modulate the π-system of the aromatic ring. A correlation between gas composition and surface conductance was found. In order to provide a consistent interpretation of these resistivity changes, computer simulations have been carried out. We successfully modeled the supramolecular interactions between the organic fragments and the gas, finding that this interaction unbalances the charge distribution in the aromatic fragment, creating in turn a depletion/accumulation layer at the Si surface which can be held responsible for the conductivity modulation experimentally observed.

In this paper we consider a three-dimensional heat diffusion model to explain the growth of oxide films which takes place when a laser beam is shined on and heats a metallic layer deposited on a glass substrate in a normal atmospheric environment. In particular, we apply this model to the experimental results obtained for the dependence of the oxide layer thickness on the laser density power for growth of TiO2films grown on Ti-covered glass slides. We show that there is a very good agreement between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions from our proposed three-dimensional model, improving the results obtained with the one-dimensional heat diffusion model previously reported. Our theoretical results also show the occurrence of surface cooling between consecutive laser pulses, and that the oxide track surface profile closely follows the spatial laser profile indicating that heat diffusive effects can be neglected in the growth of oxide films by laser heating.

We show in this paper how the combination of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and X-ray diffraction under grazing incidence (GIXD) is fruitful for the study of ordered interfaces between thick organic films and crystals. In the case of 4-8-alkyl-4′-cyanobiphenyl (8CB) on molybdenum disulphide (MoS2), the commensurability of the adsorbed network has been determined, as well as the intracrystallographic cell structure. This latter one evidences the fine structure of the network characterized by the formation of pair associations in one lamella over two, which reflects the influence of microscopical interactions on the adsorbed structure.

Gallium oxide thin film has properties of n-type semiconductor and it is stable at high temperature. The resistivity of Ga2O3changes with the concentration of oxygen in the thin film. An oxygen sensor was made on the basis of this principle. Gallium oxide thin film was deposited on the Si substrate from a sintered powder target by a rf magnetron sputtering using Ar as the sputtering gas. The sputtering condition is a very important factor to control the oxygen content of the Ga2O3thin film and hence the response characteristics of the sensor. In this present paper, an attention was paid on the sputtering pressure of Ar during the film deposition. It has been found that electrical conductivity, gas sensitivity and rising response time of the thin film depends on sputtering pressure of Ar during the deposition process. It has also been clarified that gallium oxide thin film deposited in lower sputtering pressure shows better electrical conductivity and rising response time, whereas the thin film deposited in high sputtering pressure shows higher gas sensitivity. The difference in characteristics of the deposited thin films may be considered due to the surface structure as revealed from the AFM observation.

This paper reports on the laser machining of ceramic materials by the ablation of a low temperature pigmented polymer binding material. Through initial compacting and infiltration of various blends of ceramic powder with a low temperature polymer binding material (with added pigments) it is possible to ablate the composite material with much reduced energy requirement compared to that for solid ceramic blocks. It was found that out of three different black pigments tested (graphite plasticiser, ink and powder paint) the powder paint proved to be the best form of pigmentation to be added to the composite mixture in order to achieve increased laser beam absorptivity and machinability. The variation of laser beam absorptivity with the amount of pigment was established. It was found that the laser beam absorption could be increased from 12% without any pigment to over 90% with just over 1% pigment.

In this paper, we report the growth of thin tantalum pentoxide films on Si (100) and quartz by photo-induced chemical vapour deposition (photo-CVD) using a 222nm excimer lamp. The properties of the films formed have been studied using ellipsometry, UV spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that the films can be deposited at substrate temperatures as low as 25°C. The kinetic study of the reaction processing indicated that at low deposition temperatures between 25 and 100°C, the deposition process is a condensation-controlled mechanism whilst at high deposition temperatures between 100 and 400°C a reaction-controlled mechanism is dominant during the growth with an activation energy of 0.08eV, which is much lower than that of 2.2eV for thermal-CVD processing. The influence of the deposition temperature on the film properties and its optimisation are discussed. At temperatures above 100°C the film thickness increased with temperature while it decreased as the temperature is below 100°C. The refractive index and the optical band-gap of the films were found to be around 2.09±0.05 and 4.10±0.05eV, respectively, while an optical transmittance between 85 and 98% in the visible region of the spectrum was obtained at different thicknesses.

This paper reports on the laser machining of 316L stainless steel by the ablation of a low temperature polymer binding material. This investigation compares the effect of powder geometry on laser machinabilty. It was found that only spherical powders can be effectively removed using this technique, whilst irregular powders formed mechanical interlock due to compaction which hindered the material removal, hence the formation of doss.

Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method of thin films fabrication requires appropriate choice of technological parameters. These are: substrate temperature, the energy density of the laser radiation, its wavelength, the pulse duration, the distance target–substrate, etc. Exact analysis of the influence of these parameters on the layer growth is too difficult to be performed. Therefore, the computer simulation of the layer growth is very promising method for determining the growth parameters. In the paper, the growth of Si and CdTe films on the (001) substrate surface was simulated by the Monte Carlo method. The model for layer growth included: surface diffusion, adsorption and desorption of adatoms, kinetic energy distribution of atoms or ions in the plasma plume and its space and time structure. Results obtained have been compared with some experimental data.

The principle underlying the operation of excimer lamps relies on the radiative decomposition of excimer states created by a dielectric barrier discharge in a rare gas or a mixture of rare gas–halogen. In excimer lamp technology, no electrodes are in direct contact with the discharge gases, thus avoiding any reaction between the discharge and the electrodes or contamination of the gas with evaporated electrode material, as well as electrode corrosion which can occur in conventional lamps leading to short operational lifetimes. Therefore, an investigation of the lifetime of these lamps is of vital importance before any industrial application can be seriously considered. In this paper, the detailed lifetime of 172, 222, and 308nm excimer lamps as well as overall efficiency, stability, and any output fluctuations, have been investigated. It was found that efficiency increased as input power decreased. It was noted however that colour centres were formed within the first 60h of operation for 172nm excimer lamps which reduced their output intensity during their time. By contrast, 100% of the original UV intensity output by the 222 and 308nm lamps was still maintained after up to 4000h operating time. These results are compared with the lifetime of conventional mercury lamps.

In this paper, the effects of ultraviolet (UV) annealing on films deposited by photo-induced chemical vapour deposition (photo-CVD) have been investigated using ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements. It was found that SiO2could be formed at UV annealing temperatures above 350°C and its thickness (several nm) depends on annealing time, temperature and annealing gas such as N2and O2as well as the Ta2O5thickness. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and HF etching confirmed that the SiO2formed on the surface of the Ta2O5after the UV annealing step. Results show that the active oxygen species play an important role in the improvement of layer properties during UV annealing.

Based on experimental results, an analytical model of multipulse excimer laser drilling in polymers is developed in this paper. It is shown that the adequate account of the mechanism of radiation propagation and absorption inside the keyhole is important for the good agreement of theory and experiment. The controlling factors of drilling are revealed. Keyhole profile and depth versus incident fluence are calculated for top-hat beam. The matching conditions for laser fluence, parameters of optical scheme and material parameters are derived in an explicit analytical form, allowing to produce deep narrow keyholes with practically parallel side walls and aspect ratios as high as 300–600.

Alumina, as well as alumina/silica mixtures are well characterised materials used in a multitude of applications from insulators, crucibles to vacuum system windows. In this paper we present the application of a high power diode laser (HPDL) to surface treat the material from its sintered form into an amorphous, glass type glaze. The process has been monitored using a high speed motion analysis system. The laser treated glaze material is robust and exhibits good adherence to the bulk ceramic. The samples are analysed via XRD, EDX and optical microscopy. This technique could have potential applications in vacuum sealing or surface treatment of ceramic workpieces.

The aim of this paper is to present results concerning the morphology, structure, mechanical and electrical characteristics of the new proposed Cu–Sn metallurgical alloy, which may be used in electronic joins. By proper choice of process temperature and pressure, Cu coated surfaces are soldered using Sn as pre-form. The main results achieved indicate that the formation of Cu3Sn phase begins at a temperature of about 473K and that the Sn thickness (dSn) needed is slightly above 7μm. Due to join wettability, higher temperatures (between 523 and 573K) and dSnabove 35μm are required to form joins within the specifications of the electronic industry.

Yttrium implanted and unimplanted low manganese and low manganese–carbon steel samples were analyzed at T=700°C and under an oxygen partial pressure PO2=0.04 Pa for 24 h to show the yttrium implantation effect on sample high temperature oxidation resistances. Sample oxidation weight gains were studied by thermogravimetry and structural analyses were performed by in-situ high temperature X-ray diffraction (XRD) with the same experimental conditions. The aim of this paper is to show the initial nucleation stage of the main compounds induced by oxidation at high temperature according to the initial sample treatment (yttrium implanted or unimplanted). The results obtained by in-situ high temperature XRD will be compared to those by thermogravimetry to a better understanding of the weight gain curves observed during the oxidation test at 700°C and PO2=0.04 Pa. This study allows us to show the improved corrosion resistance of yttrium implanted low manganese and low manganese–carbon steel at high temperature.

Semiconductor interface electronic properties are strongly influenced by the presence of defects. Throughout the long history of interface investigation, the study of interface defect electronic properties has been seriously hindered by the fundamental experimental difficulty of probing subsurface structures. A new method, ballistic-electron-emission microscopy (BEEM), has been developed which not only enables probing of subsurface interface properties, but also provides nanometer-resolution imaging capabilities. BEEM employs scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and a unique spatially localized ballistic electron spectroscopy method. The imaging of subsurface interface structure and spectroscopic measurement of local Schottky barrier height have been demonstrated by BEEM. Recent BEEM results include the first direct observation of a multiphase defect structure at the important Au-GaAs(100) Schottky barrier interface. This paper describes the application of BEEM to a study of the influence of GaAs(100) substrate conditions on the formation of this defect structure at the Au-GaAs(100) interface.

In this paper, we review some recent STM data on the early stages of metal deposition on Si(111)7×7 surfaces. We consider first the case of room temperature substrate deposition where nucleation starts at the faulted part of the 7×7 unit cell. In the case of high temperature substrate (a few 100°C), √3 phases of Group III elements are presented and compared to existing structural models.

Recent developments in the epitaxial growth of metallic and semiconducting silicides on silicon are reviewed. The structural, electronic and electrical properties of these silicide-silicon interfaces are examined with the aid of results obtained with a large variety of in-situ and ex-situ surface techniques. The paper will focus on two topics: (i) recent progress on the epitaxial growth of thin metallic CoSi2films on Si(111), (ii) epitaxial growth of thin semiconducting β-FeSi2films on Si(111), (100) and (100) vicinal faces.

This paper briefly reviews the present knowledge of the chemistry and adhesion of metal-polymer interfaces formed on PMDA-ODA polyimide. The nature of chemical bonding was deduced from electronic structures observed by photoemission spectroscopies and interpreted by molecular orbital calculations. Bonding at the initial coverages of the metals studied are well described by the formation of metal-polymer complexes as a result of delocalized charge transfer from the metal to the polymer repeat unit. The adhesion energies of several interfaces have been measured using a stretch deformation method. The results of these interface studies show a good overall correlation of chemistry to the microstructure and adhesion characteristics of the metal-polymer interface.

Amorphous silicon may be transformed into crystalline silicon via a self-sustained process driven by the latent heat released upon crystallization. This is called explosive crystallization and is found to occur under rapid-heating conditions such as laser annealing. In this paper we compare different kinds of explosive crystallization, with emphasis on pulsed-laser induced explosive crystallization of ion-implanted amorphous silicon. It is shown that explosive crystallization of amorphous surface layers yields randomly oriented fine-grain polycrystalline silicon while explosive crystallization of amorphous layers buried beneath a crystalline top layer results in epitaxially aligned single-crystal silicon. The results are used to discuss ultra-rapid crystal nucleation and growth.

This paper presents some aspects of the crystallization by ArF excimer laser pulses (λ = 193 nm, τ = 20 ns) of various energy densities (in the range 90–400 mJ cm-2) of a-Si: H films deposited by chemical vapour deposition on amorphous SiO2substrates. The classical division of the crystallized material into a large grain layer and a fine grain layer is found with these experimental conditions but also we show that a layer with bubbles appears between the two crystallized zones. A comparison with the calculation of temperature leads us to think that crystallization cannot occur if the temperature reached at a given depth is below a temperature Tmin. This temperature may be related to the nucleation rate in a-Si.

The paper considers to what extent theoretical calculation of the laser induced temperature profile in a substrate can be used to predict the morphology and structure of silicon tracks deposited by pyrolytic LCVD. The micron scale tracks are deposited from silane using a focussed argon ion laser onto a substrate consisting of 1000 Å SiO2upon a 300 μm thick, 100 mm diameter, [100] silicon wafer. The influence of various experimental parameters such as scan speed, laser power, gas pressure and gas composition on the temperature profile and on the deposited silicon track is investigated.

In the paper the results of a theoretical investigation of the nucleation and growth process of laser-plasma deposited thin films are presented. A kinetic approach has been used to establish direct relation between experimental conditions (laser flux density, substrate temperature) and film properties (thickness, structure). It has been shown that some qualitative experimental investigations of the deposition process confirm the general conclusions of the developed theoretical model.

The paper presents a Nd-glass laser system comprising a high-performance beam shaping and homogenizing system which provides a rectangular laser beam having residual intensity fluctuations of less than 1% and 2% on the macroscopic and the microscopic scale, respectively. Two examples illustrate the high quality of the beam: First, p-n junctions of 0.3 depth were formed exhibiting an excellent electrical quality which was proved by EBIC measurements. Second, on the basis of the high degree of homogeneity the energy dependence of silicide formation could be precisely determined. By RBS and TEM investigations the conditions of heteroepitaxial growth of NiSi2were studied.

This paper reviews the production of a-Si:H by photo-enhanced chemical vapour deposition using a novel windowless, internal hydrogen discharge lamp. The absence of highly charged species bombarding the film surface in the photoCVD process means that we have the potential to produce material with a lower defect state density and cleaner interfaces. Our technique avoids the problems of mercury contamination and window fogging. High quality a-Si:H has been produced at a growth rate of 4 Å/s, with an optical bandgap of 1.75 eV, dark conductivity of 10-10-10-11S/cm and AM1 conductivity of 10-4S/cm, giving a photoconductivity ratio of 6–7 orders. We are currently investigating the manufacture of TFTs using our photoCVD produced material to compare their performance with more conventionally produced PECVD devices.

Laser ablation is a very promising and relatively straightforward technique for the deposition of thin high Tcsuperconducting films. This method, however, can be limited by its ability to deposit layers uniformly over wide areas. This is due to a very highly forward directed ablation profile characteristic of the atomic removal process. In this paper, we show that a simple geometric modification of the deposition conditions can result in improved uniformity in the film growth over more extended areas, in our case of around 3 cm2.

Growth modes of W(110) and Mo(110) epitaxial thin films grown with pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on (112̄0) sapphire were studied. The films properties were studied both in reciprocal space using reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and X-ray diffraction and in real space using atomic force microscope (AFM). The conventionally used high temperature growth process, usually considered to be the best process – according to reciprocal space characterization – to minimize in-plane crystallites twinning and mosaicity, is proved to yield three-dimensional growth and rough surfaces. A sample continuously wedged up to a thickness of 600 Å was studied and only partial islands coalescence was observed. An alternative optimized growth process is proposed, based on 200°C deposition, subsequent annealing, and further high temperature deposition, that enables the elimination of in-plane twinned-crystallites while yielding to nearly perfect W(110) or Mo(110) surfaces, from both crystallographically and geometrically points of view. Throughout the paper we discuss information gained respectively from RHEED and AFM characterization, and analyse their relationships and complementarity. The comparison with MBE grown films suggests that what we report on is not a PLD-specific behavior. Eventually we report on a R(15×6) Mo surface reconstruction, which had never been observed before to our knowledge.

In this paper, we demonstrate the possibility of obtaining a modification of GaAs toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at the rest potential in an acidic solution of the (SiW12O40)4−heteropolyanion (HPA). This phenomenon is the consequence of a chemical modification of the GaAs surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results and profile measurements clearly demonstrate that GaAs is oxidised by this Keggin HPA. The constant etching rate is 10 nm h−1. At the same time, on the GaAs surface, a deposit is formed that is composed presumably of As0and WO3. Thus, the Keggin structure (SiW12O40)4−, usually stable, is not preserved on the surface of GaAs.

This paper presents some preliminary results on simulations of the absorption of high fluence laser radiation by a target surface. We show the role of absorbing defects and their concentration as well as the influence on target roughness of places that absorb radiation more strongly than others. We then develop a mesoscopic model, and find that the grain boundary width (including any atmosphere of defects or space charge region) is an important parameter.

Zirconia is widely used as a solid electrolyte due to its high ionic conductivity and as a biocompatible material, and tailoring its properties is of great importance. In the present paper, experimental results are presented on modifications of surface properties of ZrO2ceramics doped with 3% of Y2O3exposed to radiation of either an excimer KrF (λ=248 nm) or ArF laser (λ=248 nm), pulse duration of 15–20 ns in air. The modification of porosity of irradiated areas and its diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) are studied as a function of laser beam parameters. The morphology of laser treated zirconia ceramics along with its microhardness and roughness are shown to depend significantly on the laser fluence. The catalytic activity of laser treated zirconia ceramics towards the electroless deposition of Cu and Ni is analyzed with respect to DRS modifications.

In this paper the effect of the illumination of a surface by a pulsed laser beam was studied. Al layers and intrinsic and doped amorphous silicon films were illuminated in vacuum, in the presence of different gases and under a DC plasma. The wavelength of the pulsed beam ranged from 308 to 348 nm. Applied bias influenced strongly the measured signal when performing experiments in a gas atmosphere. While no photoemission was detected on both intrinsic and p-type amorphous Si:H, a signal was obtained on n-type a-Si:H if a gas atmosphere is present.

A typical electroplating production line for the deposition of silver pattern on copper leadframes in the semiconductor industry involves twenty to twenty five steps of cleaning, pickling, plating, stripping etc. This complex production process occupies large floor space and has also a number of problems such as difficulty in the production of rubber masks and alignment, generation of toxic fumes, high cost of water consumption and sometimes uncertainty on the cleanliness of the surfaces to be plated. A novel laser patterning process is proposed in this paper which can replace many steps in the existing electroplating line. The proposed process involves the application of high speed laser etching techniques on leadframes which were protected with polymer coating. The desired pattern for silver electroplating is produced by laser ablation of the polymer coating. Excimer laser was found to be most effective for this process as it can expose a pattern of clean copper substrate which can be silver plated successfully. Previous working of Nd:YAG laser ablation showed that 1.06 μm radiation was not suitable for this etching process because a thin organic and transparent film remained on the laser etched region. The effect of excimer pulse frequency and energy density upon the removal rate of the polymer coating was studied.