Gravure-offset-printing technique for the fabrication of solid films

Abstract

The development of the modified thick-film technique, gravure-offset printing, was studied. It is a printing technique which has been developed to fill the gap between thin and thick film technologies when considering the conductor line widths. Several factors of the technique which affect the fabrication of solid films were considered. These factors include printing plates, silicone rubber pads, printing inks, printing parameters and substrates. After optimising, the technique was used to print narrow conductor lines on ceramic (also on low-temperature co-fired ceramic, LTCC) and glass substrates. The narrowest width of Au and Ag conductors was 50 μm and their typical fired thickness was around 2 μm. Some sensor and high-frequency applications realised by the gravure-offset-printing technique are also discussed.