Inkjet printing and photonic sintering of silver and copper oxide nanoparticles for ultra-low-cost conductive patterns

Printing technologies to produce conductive films and electronic devices are well established and employ only inexpensive materials and devices as well as rapid post-processing methods. In this work, silver nanoparticle and copper-oxide nanoparticle ink was printed using a consumer inkjet printer on a large variety of commercially available substrates. The print quality was assessed by various methods. Self-sintering of the silver ink led to sheet resistances of less than 400 m 1 . Photonic sintering reduced the sheet resistance down to 55 m 1 within a few milliseconds, equivalent to 2.4 times that of bulk silver. Copper oxide ink was reduced by intense pulsed light and a sheet resistance of 335 m 1 , or 4.5 times that of bulk copper, was obtained. The parameters for sintering were optimized for both inks to achieve low resistivities within a few seconds without damaging the substrates. The production process can be reduced to a few minutes and is fully roll-to-roll compatible, thus providing a quick and ultra-low-cost manufacturing method to produce conductive patterns for wiring, printed circuit boards, antennas, sensor electrodes, light emitting diodes, and solar cells. Printing technologies to produce conductive films and electronic devices are well established and employ only inexpensive materials and devices as well as rapid post-processing methods.