High-performance transparent electromagnetic interference shielding film based on metal meshes

Abstract

Transparent electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding films have gained considerable attention for the commercialization of the 5G wireless technology based on electromagnetic waves in the GHz range. In this study, transparent EMI shielding films with embedded metal meshes on a 100 μm thick polyethylene terephthalate film for EMI shielding were fabricated using ultraviolet imprinting and Ag paste filling techniques. The various EMI shielding film types were fabricated by varying the width, aperture size, and height of the mesh electrode to evaluate the efficiency of the EMI shielding according to the incident electromagnetic wave frequency and morphology of the mesh metallic electrodes. The results indicate that the EMI shielding efficiency (SE) increased with a decrease in the aperture size of the metal mesh electrodes and an increase in their height. The average EMI SE values of the fabricated film in the 0.5–18 GHz range reached 48.3 dB and 59.6 dB at a light transmittance of approximately 90% and 77%, respectively. The fabricated EMI shielding films can be used for various applications, such as communications, aerospace, medical equipment, and military.