Direct writing of silver conductive patterns: Improvement of film morphology and conductance by controlling solvent compositions
Abstract
The authors have investigated the influence of conductive ink compositions on the quality of ink-jet printed patterns. Controlling the solvent compositions plays an important role of reducing the so-called coffee ring effect. The use of a higher boiling point solvent with lower surface tension such as ethylene glycol enables the formation of a uniform deposit of silver nanoparticles due to surface tension gradient-induced inward Marangoni flow, which can compensate outward convective flow. It is demonstrated that the ink-jet printed film quality is directly related to the resistance difference in the conductive patterns.
- Publication:
-
Applied Physics Letters
- Pub Date:
- December 2006
- DOI:
- 10.1063/1.2424671
- Bibcode:
- 2006ApPhL..89z4101K
- Keywords:
-
- 81.16.Rf;
- 81.07.-b;
- 73.61.At;
- 85.40.Hp;
- 68.55.Jk;
- Nanoscale pattern formation;
- Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization;
- Metal and metallic alloys;
- Lithography masks and pattern transfer;
- Structure and morphology;
- thickness;
- crystalline orientation and texture