Abstract
Fine gold lines were deposited from a flowing plating solution. Plating experiments were conducted under potentiostatic conditions with an argon ion laser focused on a nickel-plated copper-zinc cathode substrate. All deposits were examined using a scanning electron microscope and a profilometer. The effects of the laser scan rate, laser power, and the cathode potential on the properties of deposits, the deposition rate, and pattern size were studied. Laser-plated lines have a dense structure, good adhesion to the substrate, and a low electrical resistivity of 5-15× 10-6Ωcm. Scanning of the laser beam enhances charge transfer, resulting in deposition rates as high as 30μm/s and line writing speeds as high as several hundreds of μm/s for incident laser power levels of 3W. Line widths increase exponentially with increasing cathode potential and increase linearly with increasing laser power.
