Flexible hybrid circuit fully inkjet-printed: Surface mount devices assembled by silver nanoparticles-based inkjet ink

Abstract

Nowadays, inkjet-printed devices such as transistors are still unstable in air and have poor performances. Moreover, the present electronics applications require a high degree of reliability and quality of their properties. In order to accomplish these application requirements, hybrid electronics is fulfilled by combining the advantages of the printing technologies with the surface-mount technology. In this work, silver nanoparticle-based inkjet ink (AgNP ink) is used as a novel approach to connect surface-mount devices (SMDs) onto inkjet-printed pads, conducted by inkjet printing technology. Excellent quality AgNP ink-junctions are ensured with high resolution picoliter drop jetting at low temperature ($150 C). Electrical, mechanical, and morphological characterizations are carried out to assess the performance of the AgNP ink junction. Moreover, AgNP ink is compared with common benchmark materials (i.e., silver epoxy and solder). Electrical contact resistance characterization shows a similar performance between the AgNP ink and the usual ones. Mechanical characterization shows comparable shear strength for AgNP ink and silver epoxy, and both present higher adhesion than solder. Morphological inspections by field-emission scanning electron microscopy confirm a high quality interface of the silver nanoparticle interconnection. Finally, a flexible hybrid circuit on paper controlled by an Arduino board is manufactured, demonstrating the viability and scalability of the AgNP ink assembling technique. Published by AIP Publishing.

Laser‐Induced Forward Transfer: A Digital Approach for Printing Devices on Regular Paper

“…Before printing, c‐paper was placed in a conventional oven for 60 min at 150 °C to evaporate any organic substance that might affect ink adhesion to the substrate. [ 50 ] Depending on the experiment, consecutive prints were made on top of each other; in this case, a fresh donor film was prepared for each run. Finally, once the ink was deposited, it was baked in a conventional air circulated oven at 120 °C for 30 min as indicated by the ink provider.…”

“…However, when printing conductive inks, they are no longer an option: the low‐viscosity ink leaks through the cellulose fibers of paper and the resulting lines are by no means conductive. [ 49,50 ] The solution is then coated paper (c‐paper). It consists of a base layer of cellulose fibers planarized with multiple thinner layers of different materials that smooth and seal its surface ( Figure a).…”

Technological Capabilities of Printed Electronics: Features, Elements and Potentials for Smart Interactive Packaging

“…Due to increasing technological demands, PE has demonstrated a substantial potential to produce novel and commercially viable technologies that distinguish from others due to their unique characteristics related to conformability, large-area, low cost and wide range manufacturability [17]. Reference [8] contributes with the authors and refers to PE as a fast expanding technology that enables the fabrication of low-cost, large-area and flexible electronics, like OLED displays, batteries, RFID tags, antennas and etc. Several researches [7] [18] [19] name the technology's compatibility with roll-to-roll fabrication as the leading influencer to scale up the production processes on flexible substrates to high volumes and large areas at low costs.…”

“…Therefore a viable option for manufacturing low-end products at high volumes is offered by Printed Electronics technology [7]. PE is an increasingly expanding technology that enables the fabrication of low-cost and large-area electronics due to efficient and effective roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing [8]. Consequently, PE is considered as a potential enabler to produce and incorporate sophisticated, but low-cost, light-weight and flexible electronics devices into packaging design to enhance consumers' experience or functionality of the packed products.…”

Review of Recent Inkjet-Printed Capacitive Tactile Sensors

“…A capacitive touch control pad was fabricated via a hybrid approach on a paper, kapton and glass substrate [ 75 ]. Here, a Dimatix DMP-2831 printer was used to inkjet-print 40 wt.…”