Abstract
Flexible ultra-thin glass is used as a substrate or packaging material in microelectronics engineering, where the level of cleanliness determines the quality of the final product. Surface properties of glass are governed by a surface nano-layer. Besides cleaning from coarse impurities, the demand is also for nano-decontamination, where standard cleaning proves insufficient. In microelectronics and printed flexible electronics, the bonding of thin structures deposited using printed conductive inks on glass substrates is of essential importance. The non-thermal, atmospheric-pressure plasma generated by diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) was studied as an effective pre-treatment method for cleaning and activation of glass surfaces, implementable into large-scale in-line manufacturing. Two industrial adaptations of DCSBD system were applied on two types of ultra-thin flexible glass to compare the effects of plasma treatment of glass in both relaxed, and bent state. DCSBD Air-pillow with a planar discharge unit is designed for contactless treatment of smooth flat large-area surfaces. A roll reactor with a concavely curved DCSBD unit is intended to exemplify its integration into roll-to-roll manufacturing. The effect of plasma treatment and its stability was analyzed with water contact angle measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Significant wettability improvement was achieved with both applied DCSBD geometries, with better effect uniformity and durability after using the DCSBD in the planar configuration.
Highlights
The surface of glass is covered by a water nano-layer adsorbed from air humidity
In microelectronics and printed flexible electronics, the bonding of thin structures deposited using printed conductive inks on glass substrates is of essential importance
Preliminary experiments were aimed at the demonstration of the importance of precise leading of diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) unit over the treated surface for achieving large-scale aerial uniformity of the desired effect
Summary
The surface of glass is covered by a water nano-layer adsorbed from air humidity This layer contains organic contaminants that hinder the quality of various deposition methods. An important advantage of the DCSBD is its high power density of plasma, which ensures fast, effective, and uniformly distributed activation of working gas. This predisposes the DCSBD for involvement in large-area in-line processing [2]. Flexible ultra-thin glass is a future material introducing the advantageous properties of glass into the process of miniaturisation. It has found various forward-looking applications in manufacturing of printed flexible electronics like sensors, displays or photovoltaics [3]. Exposure of glass surface could induce rearrangement of its chemical composition, which could increase its surface free energy and subsequently improve wetting for a limited time [4]
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