Introduction of Chalcogenide Glasses to Additive Manufacturing: Nanoparticle Ink Formulation, Inkjet Printing, and Phase Change Devices Fabrication

Abstract

Chalcogenide glasses are one of the most versatile materials that have been widely researched because of their flexible optical, chemical, electronic, and phase change properties. Their application is usually in the form of thin films, which work as active layers in sensors and memory devices. In this work, we investigate the formulation of nanoparticle ink of Ge–Se chalcogenide glasses and its potential applications. The process steps reported in this work describe nanoparticle ink formulation from chalcogenide glasses, its application via inkjet printing and dip-coating methods and sintering to manufacture phase change devices. We report data regarding nanoparticle production by ball milling and ultrasonication along with the essential characteristics of the formed inks, like contact angle and viscosity. The printed chalcogenide glass films were characterized by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The printed films exhibited similar compositional, structural, electronic and optical properties as the thermally evaporated thin films. The crystallization processes of the printed films are discussed compared to those obtained by vacuum thermal deposition. We demonstrate the formation of printed thin films using nanoparticle inks, low-temperature sintering and proof for the first time, their application in electronic and photonic temperature sensors utilizing their phase change property. This work adds chalcogenide glasses to the list of inkjet printable materials, thus offering an easy way to form arbitrary device structures for optical and electronic applications.

Praseodymium-Doped Ge20In5Sb10Se65 Films Based on Argon Plasma Cosputtering for Infrared-Luminescent Integrated Photonic Circuits

“…More recently, the additive manufacturing approach is also being explored, via the formulation of nanoparticle-based inks and inkjet printing for the deposition of thin films or 3D printing based on thin glass rods. 3,4 The applications of chalcogenide glasses in the midwave infrared (MWIR) and long-wave infrared (LWIR) spectral ranges are diverse and numerous given the combination of several optical properties enabling their use as infrared optical media. Based on the strong optical nonlinearities of these materials, supercontinuum laser sources spanning up to 13.3 μm 5 were fabricated.…”

“…Chalcogenide glasses can be shaped in a variety of ways: in addition to the basic synthesis generally obtained by conventional melting–quenching, the use of mechanical milling is becoming more widespread, various fiber-drawing techniques have also been developed, and the manufacture of amorphous films is essentially carried out via physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods. More recently, the additive manufacturing approach is also being explored, via the formulation of nanoparticle-based inks and inkjet printing for the deposition of thin films or 3D printing based on thin glass rods. , …”

Native Crystal Growth Revealed by a Joint Microscopy–Calorimetry Technique in (GeS2)0.1(Sb2S3)0.9 Thin Amorphous Films: A Critical Role of Internal Stress and Mechanical Defects

“…Note that chalcogenides are often used as optical elements (prisms, gratings, lenses, monochromators, or laser-tuned devices), (photoinduced) waveguides and optical fibers, optical amplifiers and lasers, photonic switches, thermal and hyperspectral imaging devices, temperature monitors, and chemical sensors in the infrared spectral region (due to their high transparency above ∼1 μm). In addition to their optical applications, the chalcogenide glasses are also known for being employed as optical and electrical memory materials, rewritable recording materials, solid electrolytes for batteries, sensitive electrochemical electrodes, ionic or superionic superconductors, transistors, or switches (owing to their semiconducting properties). − The second reason for the crystal growth rate studies in chalcogenide materials is the utilization of that information for controlled preparation of the crystalline phase. Such preparation can be either one-shot permanent formation of the chalcogenide ceramics and glass ceramics − or reversible, such as occurring in the state-of-the-art technologies based on the chalcogenide phase-change materials (nonvolatile memories, flexible displays, nanoscale switches, energy storage), − where the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation (induced by heating, lighting, or electrical means) represents a fundamental aspect of the device functionality.…”

Hybrid nanomaterial inks for printed resistive temperature sensors with tunable properties to maximize sensitivity

“…Printed electronics have been enhanced significantly by the progress of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as aerosol jet printing and inkjet printing. 1–4 Additionally, the formidable development in nanotechnology and nanomaterials has enabled new printable devices. Silver nanoparticle-based conductive inks have dominated the field of printed conductors due to their relatively low temperature processability, wide commercial availability, and good electrical conductivity after sintering.…”