Low-Thermal-Budget Photonic Processing of Highly Conductive Cu Interconnects Based on CuO Nanoinks: Potential for Flexible Printed Electronics

In the developing field of printed electronics, nanoparticle based inks such as CuO show great promise as a low-cost alternative to other metal-based counterparts (e.g., silver). In particular, CuO inks significantly eliminate the issue of particle oxidation before and during the sintering process that is prevalent in Cu-based formulations. We report here the scalable and low-thermal-budget photonic fabrication of Cu interconnects employing a roll-to-roll (R2R)-compatible pulse-thermal-processing (PTP) technique that enables phase reduction and subsequent sintering of ink-jet-printed CuO patterns onto flexible polymer templates. Detailed investigations of curing and sintering conditions were performed to understand the impact of PTP system conditions on the electrical performance of the Cu patterns. Specifically, the impact of energy and power of photonic pulses on print conductivity was systematically studied by varying the following key processing parameters: pulse intensity, duration, and sequence. Through optimization of such parameters, highly conductive prints were obtained in