Understanding the Electrical Behavior of Pyrolyzed Three‐Dimensional‐Printed Microdevices

Abstract

Herein the electrical and microstructural characterization of additively manufactured glassy carbon fabricated via two‐photon polymerization (2PP) is reported. Thermal decomposition at elevated temperatures volatizes much of the 2PP fabricated part, converting the crosslinked photopolymer into a carbon‐rich structure. Upon heating to continued elevated temperatures the carbon material becomes increasingly conductive. The ability to control the conductivity of the pyrolyzed material is done by varying the pyrolysis temperature, with maximum conductivity obtained of roughly 2 × 104 S m−1. Microstructural characterization with Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirms that the increase in conductivity comes from the increased sp2 bonding percentage in carbon and increased crystallinity. This knowledge allows for the manufacturing of predictable, well‐controlled glassy carbon resistors that are within 10% of theoretical values.