Apparatuses and Methods for Stable Aerosol Deposition Using an Aerodynamic Lens System

The object of the invention is the provision of apparatuses and methods for maskless direct printing of continuous films or discreet structures on a substrate using aerodynamic focusing. The method uses an interchangeable and variable aerodynamic lens system and an annularly flowing sheath gas to produce a highly collimated micrometer-size stream of aerosolized droplets. The lens system is comprised of a multi-orifice lens or a single-orifice lens or lenses coupled to a converging fluid dispense nozzle. A combined annular sheath and aerosol flow is propagated through at least two orifices. A liquid atomizer with temperature control, variable continuous or pulsed excitation, and constant or variable frequency, is used to produce an aerosol size distribution that overlaps the functional range of the aerodynamic lens system. The combined flow through the lens system produces a narrow, highly stable subsonic jet that remains collimated for as much as one centimeter beyond the orifice of the nozzle. The method produces well-defined traces on a substrate with line widths in a range from approximately 10 to 1000 microns.