Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 1992
Periodic line structures with periods ranging from 166 nm to 950 nm have been produced in polyimide by direct ablation with a KrF (248 nm) laser using holographic techniques. Taking advantage of the large nonlinearity in the laser ablation process, linewidths ranging from 30 nm to several hundred nanometers could be obtained. These techniques were combined with the ability to induce electrical conductivity in polyimide to produce an array of 500 nm wide electrically conducting wires. The conductivity of these wires was similar to that found in macroscopic regions of laser induced conductivity.