Printing polymer optical waveguides on conditioned transparent flexible foils by using the aerosol jet technology

Abstract

The optical data transfer is considered as the future of signal transfer due to its various advantages compared to conventional copper-based technologies. The Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) technology offers the opportunity to print materials with high viscosities, such as liquid transparent polymer adhesives (epoxy resins), on almost any possible substrate material and even in third dimension. This paper introduces a new flexible and comparatively cost-effective way of generating polymer optical waveguides through AJP.Furthermore, the conditioning of the substrate material and the printing process of planar waveguides are presented. In the first step, two lines with hydrophobic behavior are applied on foil material (PMMA, PVC, PI) by using a flexographic printing machine. These silicone based patterns containing functional polymer form barriers for the core material due to their low surface energy after curing. In the second step, the core material (liquid polymer, varnish) is printed between the barrier lines. Because of the hydrophobic behavior of the lines, the contact angle between the substrate surface and the liquid core material is increased which yields to higher aspect ratio. The distance between the barrier lines is at least 100 µm, which defines the width of the waveguide. The minimum height of the core shall be 50 µm. After UV-curing of the core polymer, the cladding material is printed on the top. This is also applied by using the AJP technology. Various tests were performed to achieve the optimal surface properties for adequate adhesion and machine process parameters.

A review of aerosol jet printing—a non-traditional hybrid process for micro-manufacturing

“…By increasing the aspect ratio of the AJP structures, POWs with a significantly improved attenuation of 0.7 dB/cm were achieved. The repeatability of both the flexographic and AJP process has been identified as key challenges for printed POWs [63].…”

The future of short-range high-speed data transmission: printed polymer optical waveguides (POW) innovation, fabrication, and challenges

“…The core is also UV-cured. [8] As the printing of the cladding material on top of the core is still a challenging task, this point is discussed in the following chapter. An additional UV-curing step has to be made before preparation.…”

“…Figure 2. Process chain for manufacturing of POW by the OPTAVER process with its two main printing technologies, Aerosol Jet and Flexographic Printing [6,7] The OPTAVER process for producing polymer optical waveguides offers some major advantages compared to most state of the art methods of manufacturing (see [8]). The 3-D capability is one of the most interesting points for future applications when thinking of curved surfaces like the door of a car or the back of an interior panel in an airplane.…”

Systematic Design of a Graphene Ink Formulation for Aerosol Jet Printing

“…14 These operational properties give AJP an advantage over other additive manufacturing techniques provided functional inks can be designed with the appropriate fluid viscosity, particle size, and stability needed for the atomization process and subsequent printing. Validating this broad materials compatibility, dispersions or solutions of metals, 15 ceramics, 16 polymers, 17 and small molecules have been formulated into inks and printed with this method. Provided an ink can be atomized, it is relatively straightforward to achieve basic deposition.…”