Study on laser etching mechanism of aluminum thin film on polyimide

In order to study the laser etching mechanism for aluminum thin film on polyimide substrate, the etching process was simulated by the finite element analysis software ANSYS, and etching profile was predicted. A theoretical model was established by comparing the simulated etching results with calculated ones; it was presumed that the etching process was firstly a thermal dominant one, then a photochemical interaction dominant one, and finally a thermal one again. Key words: Laser etching, aluminum thin film, polyimide, etching profile.