Towards gravure printed electronics, a systematic approach

Printed electronics is a rapidly growing academic and commercial field. Gravure printing is positioned to be a major fabrication method for printed electronics, due to its high throughput, high resolution, and its current level of adoption in the traditional printing industry. However, the way gravure design parameters correlate to final film and device quality is not well understood. In this study a custom gravure cylinder was produced with a single test pattern repeated for different design variables such as resolution, cell depth, and frame-out. Additionally, because of the design's modular nature, multilayer devices can be fabricated without the need for multiple cylinders or industrial equipment. This cylinder enabled a systematic analysis of how these design variables correlate the quality of printed conductive silver films. This knowledge was then applied to the fabrication of functional 2- and 3-layer devices.

Citation

Van Tassell, B.; Whiting, G. L.; Kahn, B. E.; O'hara, L.; Tonkin, C.; Veres, J. Towards gravure printed electronics, a systematic approach. Gordon Research Conference: Thin Film and Crystal Growth; 2013 July 7-12; Biddeford, ME USA.