Abstract
Copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticle (NP) ink is a potential candidate for low-cost alternatives to other metal-based nano-particle inks (e.g., Au, Ag.) in printed electronics. To obtain Cu patterns from CuO NP ink, CuO NP inks should be converted to Cu particles, and be fused to form a connected conductive line. For this purpose, photonic sintering methods have been widely used, which generate the heat required for sintering via the absorption of light. In this study, we used continuous wave (CW) green laser with 532 nm wavelength, since the laser has the advantage of selective sintering by irradiation of light only on the target place. We investigated the optimal sintering parameters, such as laser power and scanning speed, using the green laser, in order to obtain low resistivity. We also investigated the pre-treatment conditions, such as pre-baking, which is required to evaporate solvents in the ink. We found that over-baking of deposited film will adversely affect the sintering, because film can be easily damaged from laser irradiation. As a result of laser sintering, we obtained the resistivity of (9.5 and 71.6) μΩ·cm when the pre-baked thicknesses of CuO films were (546 and 889) nm, respectively. In such cases, the thicknesses were significantly reduced to (141 and 270) nm, respectively.
Highlights
In the last decade, direct printing methods have been used in the field of printed electronics, due to their advantages of fast, cheap, simple and cost-effective process.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7] Among others, metal NP ink has been used to obtain conductive patterning via printing
Since drying and laser sintering are based on the thermal process, it is important to understand the thermal behavior of CuO NP ink
Green laser parameter effects on the sintering of commercialized CuO NP ink were investigated in terms of laser power, scanning speed, pre-baking conditions, film thickness effects, etc
Summary
Direct printing methods have been used in the field of printed electronics, due to their advantages of fast, cheap, simple and cost-effective process.[1,2,3,4,5,6,7] Among others, metal NP ink has been used to obtain conductive patterning via printing. The IPL scalable xenon flash lamp, which emits light having a wide wavelength spectrum, was used to irradiate relative large areas at a time (usually at cm[2] scale).[14] But during the sintering process, some un-wanted part could be affected and damaged. In some applications, such as broken circuit repair or localized patterning applications, selective sintering is preferred, rather than area-based sintering. Laser sintering has been effectively used in localized sintering applications, because it has the advantages of high-resolution and
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
