Conductor microstructures by laser curing of printed gold nanoparticle ink
TL;DR: In this paper, the laser-based curing of printed nanoparticle ink to create microlines (resistors) of electrical resistivity approaching that of bulk gold was investigated, and a process that circumvents a serious drawback on the functionality of cured gold microlines is produced.
Abstract: The laser-based curing of printed nanoparticle ink to create microlines (resistors) of electrical resistivity approaching that of bulk gold was investigated. The present work relies on laser absorption in both the nanoparticle ink and the sintered gold layer, as well as the transport of thermal energy in the substrate and the resulting solvent vaporization and nanoparticle deposition and sintering. The morphology and electrical properties of the gold line can be controlled by modulating the spatial distribution of the laser beam intensity. Based on the understanding of the underlying physics, a process that circumvents a serious drawback on the functionality of cured gold microlines is produced. Microconductors with resistivity approaching that of bulk gold are produced, while loss of gold nanoparticles and cross sectional nonuniformities are avoided.
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TL;DR: The history of 3D printing is encompassed, various printing methods are reviewed, current applications are presented, and the future direction and impact this technology will have on laboratory settings as 3D printers become more accessible is offered.
Abstract: Nearing 30 years since its introduction, 3D printing technology is set to revolutionize research and teaching laboratories. This feature encompasses the history of 3D printing, reviews various printing methods, and presents current applications. The authors offer an appraisal of the future direction and impact this technology will have on laboratory settings as 3D printers become more accessible.
1,381 citations
TL;DR: This review primarily presents an overview of the investigations that have been conducted since 2003 into inkjet-printing polymers or metal-containing inks and mentions related activities.
Abstract: Inkjet printing is an attractive patterning technology, which has become increasingly accepted for a variety of industrial and scientific applications. This review primarily presents an overview of the investigations that have been conducted since 2003 into inkjet-printing polymers or metal-containing inks and mentions related activities. The first section discusses the droplet-formation process in piezoelectric drop-on-demand printheads and the physical properties that affect droplet formation and the resolution of inkjet-printed features. The second section deals with the issues that arise from printing polymers, such as printability and the output characteristics of devices made by this route. Finally, the challenges and achievements attached to inkjet printing metal-containing inks are discussed before concluding with a few remarks about the future of the field.
749 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors demonstrate that laser sintering of inkjet-printed metal nanoparticles enables low-temperature metal deposition as well as high-resolution patterning to overcome the resolution limitation of the current inkjet direct writing processes.
Abstract: All-printed electronics is the key technology to ultra-low-cost, large-area electronics. As a critical step in this direction, we demonstrate that laser sintering of inkjet-printed metal nanoparticles enables low-temperature metal deposition as well as high-resolution patterning to overcome the resolution limitation of the current inkjet direct writing processes. To demonstrate this process combined with the implementation of air-stable carboxylate-functionalized polythiophenes, high-resolution organic transistors were fabricated in ambient pressure and room temperature without utilizing any photolithographic steps or requiring a vacuum deposition process. Local thermal control of the laser sintering process could minimize the heat-affected zone and the thermal damage to the substrate and further enhance the resolution of the process. This local nanoparticle deposition and energy coupling enable an environmentally friendly and cost-effective process as well as a low-temperature manufacturing sequence to realize large-area, flexible electronics on polymer substrates.
724 citations
TL;DR: This is a review on recent developments in the field of conductive nanomaterials and their application in printed electronics, with particular emphasis on inkjet printing of ink formulations based on metal nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene sheets.
Abstract: This is a review on recent developments in the field of conductive nanomaterials and their application in printed electronics, with particular emphasis on inkjet printing of ink formulations based on metal nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene sheets. The review describes the basic properties of conductive nanomaterials suitable for printed electronics (metal nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene), their stabilization in dispersions, formulations of conductive inks, and obtaining conductive patterns by using various sintering methods. Applications of conductive nanomaterials for electronic devices (transparent electrodes, metallization of solar cells, RFID antennas, TFTs, and light emitting devices) are also briefly reviewed.
706 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the use of metal and metal oxide-containing inks in the preparation of contacts and interconnects is discussed, as well as the challenges associated with processing these types of inks and ways to successfully obtain the desired features.
Abstract: Printed electronics represent an emerging area of research that promises large markets due to the ability to bypass traditional expensive and inflexible silicon-based electronics to fabricate a variety of devices on flexible substrates using high-throughput printing approaches. This article presents a summary of work to date in the field of printed electronics and the materials chemistry involved. In particular, the focus is upon the use of metal- and metal oxide-containing inks in the preparation of contacts and interconnects. The review discusses the challenges associated with processing these types of inks and ways to successfully obtain the desired features.
670 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, the melting points of small gold particles have been measured using a scanning electron-diffraction technique and the experimental results are quantitatively in good agreement with two phenomenological models.
Abstract: Recently, small particles have been shown to exhibit a melting temperature which depends on the particle size. The various possible experimental methods have been compared and measurements of the melting points of small gold particles have been made using a scanning electron-diffraction technique. This method was applied to particles having diameters down to 20 \AA{}. Consideration of the size distribution over an entire sample makes it necessary to carry out a careful analysis of the experimental results in order to deduce the melting temperature of particles having a well-defined diameter. The experimental results are quantitatively in good agreement with two phenomenological models. The first model describes the equilibrium condition for a system formed by a solid particle, a liquid particle having the same mass, and their saturating vapor phase. The second model assumes the preexistence of a liquid layer surrounding the solid particle and describes the equilibrium of such a system in the presence of the vapor phase. In order to permit a better comparison between both models, a new expression for the thermodynamic equilibrium condition has been derived in the present work. In the case of the first model, the agreement was obtained using only the physical constants of massive gold. In applying the second model, however, one is compelled to assume the existence of a liquid layer having a thickness of about 6 \AA{}.
3,074 citations
TL;DR: Ink-jet printing was used to directly deposit patterned luminescent doped polyvinyl carbazol (PVK) films as mentioned in this paper, and light emitting diodes with low turn-on voltages were also fabricated in PVK doped with coumarin 6 (C6).
Abstract: Ink-jet printing was used to directly deposit patterned luminescent doped-polymer films. The luminescence of polyvinylcarbazol (PVK) films, with dyes of coumarin 6 (C6), coumarin 47 (C47), and nile red was similar to that of films of the same composition deposited by spin coating. Light emitting diodes with low turn-on voltages were also fabricated in PVK doped with C6 deposited by ink-jet printing.
821 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors reported a high-Q resonant inductive coil, linear and rotary electrostatic-drive motors, and in-plane and vertical electrothermal actuators.
Abstract: Reports a method to additively build three-dimensional (3-D) microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and electrical circuitry by ink-jet printing nanoparticle metal colloids. Fabricating metallic structures from nanoparticles avoids the extreme processing conditions required for standard lithographic fabrication and molten-metal-droplet deposition. Nanoparticles typically measure 1 to 100 nm in diameter and can be sintered at plastic-compatible temperatures as low as 300/spl deg/C to form material nearly indistinguishable from the bulk material. Multiple ink-jet print heads mounted to a computer-controlled 3-axis gantry deposit the 10% by weight metal colloid ink layer-by-layer onto a heated substrate to make two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D structures. We report a high-Q resonant inductive coil, linear and rotary electrostatic-drive motors, and in-plane and vertical electrothermal actuators. The devices, printed in minutes with a 100 /spl mu/m feature size, were made out of silver and gold material with high conductivity,and feature as many as 400 layers, insulators, 10:1 vertical aspect ratios, and etch-released mechanical structure. These results suggest a route to a desktop or large-area MEMS fabrication system characterized by many layers, low cost, and data-driven fabrication for rapid turn-around time, and represent the first use of ink-jet printing to build active MEMS.
666 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a hybrid structure consisting of an inkjet printed layer in conjunction with another uniform spin-coated polymer layer was proposed as an alternative to the regular ink-jet printed structure.
Abstract: Inkjet printing (IJP) technology is a popular technology for desktop publishing. Since some of the conducting (or conjugated) polymers are solution processable, IJP technology becomes an ideal method for printing polymer light-emitting diodes with high resolution. Unfortunately, the polymer film printed from an inkjet printer usually consists of pin-holes, and this intrinsic character makes it unsuitable for fabricating high quality polymer electronic devices, particularly for devices in the sandwich structure. In this letter, we submit a hybrid structure, which consists of an inkjet printed layer in conjunction with another uniform spin coated polymer layer, as an alternative to the regular inkjet printed structure. The uniform layer serves as a buffer layer to seal the pin-holes and the IJP layer is the layer consisting of the desired pattern, for example the red–green–blue dots for a multicolor display. To demonstrate, we applied this hybrid technology to fabricate efficient and large area polymer ligh...
484 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a direct comparison of theoretical predictions and experimental results on instabilities and various stages of dewetting of thin polystyrene films, prepared on silicon wafers with three different nanosized (∼1 nm) coatings, dewet spontaneously above the glass transition temperature by the growth of cylindrical holes with wavy rims.
406 citations