Inkjet-Printed Metal-Colloid-Induced Crystallization of Amorphous Silicon

Abstract

We demonstrate for the first time the crystallization of amorphous Si induced by Ni colloid printing using inkjet printing technology. An electrostatic inkjet nozzle having a needle inside a capillary was built in house, which was able to eject very fine droplets according to the applied electric voltage. Dots of Ni colloidal solution were formed in the prescribed position. Enhanced crystallization was observed at the Ni-colloid-printed sites. The probability of crystallization decreased with the Ni concentration in the solution. At and above 4 mass % Ni concentration, fully enhanced crystallization occurred. Furthermore, the orientation of crystallized Si grains was determined by electron-backscattering pattern (EBSP) analysis. The dependence of crystallization behavior on the Ni concentration was also investigated.

Impact of Rapid Crystallization of Si Using Nickel-Metal-Induced Lateral Crystallization on Thin-Film Transistor Characteristics

“…On the other hand, the pattern of the Ni catalyst for MILC can be drawn by the inkjet technique. [25][26][27][28][29][30] The combination of rapid crystallization and inkjet patterning of the catalyst will enable highly effective production of poly-Si films for TFTs.…”

Electrostatic Inkjet Printing of Carbon Nanotube for Cold Cathode Application

“…The electrostatic ejection offers superior characteristic over others in terms of fineness in droplet size and drawn pattern. 5,6) In particular, the electrostatic ejection from the tip of a needle results in very fine droplets with good controllability. 5,6) In this work, therefore, the ejection from a needle-type electrostatic nozzle is investigated.…”

“…5,6) In particular, the electrostatic ejection from the tip of a needle results in very fine droplets with good controllability. 5,6) In this work, therefore, the ejection from a needle-type electrostatic nozzle is investigated. The ejection and patterning characteristics and field emission characteristic are described.…”

Droplet Ejection Behavior in Electrostatic Inkjet Driving

“…Fine dot patterning was also applied to single nucleation in the solid-phase crystallization of amorphous Si using Ni colloidal solution. 11,12) However, the mechanism of liquid ejection in electrostatic driving is not fully understood. In a previous report, 13) we have reported our finding that, when ejection was driven with a rectangularwave voltage, droplet ejection occurred not during the onstate of a rectangular wave but after the drop-down of voltage.…”