Graphene-mediated blister-based laser-induced forward transfer of thin and ultra-thin ZrO2

Blister-based laser-induced forward transfer (BB-LIFT) is a promising high precision and resolution printing technique for the fast, solvent- and mask-free transfer of functional layered materials onto micro-devices. It utilizes a protective metal (blister) layer sandwiched between the laser-transparent substrate and the material to be transferred.

The metal layer absorbs the incident laser pulse, creating a rapidly expanding blister that propels the overlying material onto a target substrate. We show that BB-LIFT of thin and ultrathin (30 and 3 nm) ZrO2 films is realized only with a “graphene release layer” applied between the Al blister layer and the ZrO2 donor layer. Without such intercalation, ZrO2 is inseparable from the blister layer due to the strong oxide bonding with aluminum oxides formed during the preparation.