Advances in Blister‐Actuated Laser‐Induced Forward Transfer (BA‐LIFT)

Blister-actuated laser-induced forward transfer (BA-LIFT) is a laser printing technique that enables the deposition of liquid droplets with lateral resolution down to a few micrometers. This chapter explains the developments in the BA-LIFT process. Time-resolved imaging studies are presented along with the advances in the modeling of the BA-LIFT. BA-LIFT offers a platform to print liquids and suspensions by relying on the mechanical impulse created through the rapid expansion of a thin polymer layer. In BA-LIFT, direct laser-ink interaction is prevented with the utilization of the polymer layer. The chapter explores three different cases. The first case deals with a traditional titanium dynamic release layer (DRL) layer, BA-LIFT is the second case, and the third case represents BA-LIFT where the blister ruptures due to excessive incident laser energy. The jet formation mechanism in BA-LIFT is the rapid mechanical deformation due to the expanding blister.