LAUSR

Abstract This paper describes a 172-nm vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light treatment in ambient air towards the formation of nanocrystalline zinc oxide (ZnO) micropatterns. Thin layers of zinc acetate (Zn(OAc)2) as a precursor are spun on substrates, and subsequently treated by the VUV irradiation. The VUV treatments lead to an organic-free ZnO films with wurtzite crystalline structures, determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The nanocrystalline ZnO patterns with a fine feature of 1 μm are fabricated on cycloolefin polymer (COP) substrates via the precise VUV lithography. This one-step ZnO crystallizing and patterning process is suited for polymer substrates because the potentially damaging procedures involving acidic etchants and thermal treatments are no longer needed. The present method proves to be a simple, effective, controllable patterning approach, which might be recommended for the future fabrication of flexible devices.