© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Making a Material Difference …

MasterClass – Future of Conductive Printing November 27 - Belgium

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Introduction •  Technical Background – IML •  Main factors •  Principle of Photonic Curing •  Process Options – Broadband Flash or Laser •  New Developments •  Examples •  Summary

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Founded as a QinetiQ corporate investment in January 2002 – QinetiQ Nanomaterials Ltd

•  Spun out in 2007 •  Locations:

•  Farnborough, UK (R&D, Production and BD Europe)

•  Rochester, NYS, USA (Development and Production)

•  Team of 30 - 80% technical/scientific

•  Technology Platform •  Fabrication of Inorganic Nanoparticles

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Major difference between conventional inks and PE •  Functionality of the ink and the track it produces

•  Must be capable of joining / folding / flexibility / survive environmental issues / multilayers / post processing / packaging

•  Must be capable of integration with other technologies •  Will stretch the capabilities of print technology

•  screen printing and Inkjet lead at this point •  And stretch to other applications - many and varied •  Conversion from a track to a conductive track is a key issue

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Materials Design / Integration

Print Technology Application

•  CuO •  Coated Copper •  Silver

Substrate

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Materials Design / Integration

Print Technology Application

•  CuO •  Coated Copper •  Silver

Substrate

Suite of Sintering Technologies are required to address the issues

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Per

form

ance

*

Temperature

Nano enabled

Inks

Low Temp Screen

Typical Screen

Huge impact on low temperature substrates with corresponding cost implications

Cos

t

* More than conductivity – adhesion, surface roughness etc

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

`` ̀

``````````` ̀

Per

form

ance

*

Temperature

Nano enabled

Inks

Low Temp Screen

Typical Screen

Huge impact on low temperature substrates with corresponding cost implications

Cos

t

* More than conductivity – adhesion, surface roughness etc

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Requirement •  Conversion of printed ink to a conductive track •  High Performance •  Fast – suit R2R speeds •  No damage to substrate •  Flexible – multiple print types (inkjet, screen etc) •  Large area / thin tracks / large area + thin tracks •  Various substrate (glass, paper, ceramic, composites, high

thermal mass) •  Compatible with industry standard practices

Materials Formulation Printing Drying Sintering Device

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Ovens •  Standard practice / conventional approach - Silver •  Uniformity •  Wide area of processing / •  Substrate limited to temperature •  Long residence time -> inert atmosphere

•  UV Curing •  Wide area of processing •  Standard practice •  Lower intensity, continuous output

Widely adopted proven technology

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Broadband flash •  High power densities / wide area of

processing •  Less substrate limited and curing times short •  Adjustable spectrum / tunable pulse lengths •  High capital cost for some systems / beam

not uniform •  Laser

•  High Power densities •  Exposure area smaller / •  Fixed wavelength but targeted wavelength to

match ink requirements / uniform across the beam / Spatial selectivity - targeted

•  Cost / rastering

Pho

toni

c C

urin

g

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  High energy pulse - broadband or specific wavelength

•  Targeted Rapid thermal heating of surface layers

•  Solvent / coating escape •  Converts nanomaterial into highly linked

structure •  Careful control of energy levels gives:-

•  High conductivity •  No surface damage to substrate •  Compatibility with low temperature

substrates

Ene

rgy

Wavelength

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Broadband Laser

Pulsed Pulsed or continuous

Broadband – can be modified - different lamp options for modified output

Fixed narrow wavelength

Output varies by wavelength

Precision control of output

Energy delivered is not consistent

Coherent beam therefore ease of focus, pointing and control

Ene

rgy

Wavelength

sintered

unsintered

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Example – Sinteron™ 2000 •  Features

•  Selectable pulse duration – 100 to 2000 µm

•  Adjustable Pulse energy 27 to 2000 Joules

•  Multiple modes – single, double, burst, continuous

•  Sintering area 1.9 x 30.5cm •  www.xenoncorp.com

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Example - Pulseforge™ 3300 •  For development and production –

R2R •  Features

•  Broad spectrum 200nm to 1000nm •  Max peak power 100kW/cm2

•  Sustained peak greater than 5MW on 15cm wide

•  Exposures down to 30 µsec •  Pulse repetition rate >1kHz

•  www.novacentrix.com

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Limited commercial offering at this point

•  Wide range of lasers and generic expertise available

•  Some developments underway •  Commercial •  Government sponsored

•  IML developing a range of approaches in response to customer demand

Laboratory System

LAPS 60 System

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  LOPE-C Conference Dusseldorf

2 m/min – nano copper ink deposited by a new Fuji-Dimatix ink jet head, then dried & sintered using broadband flash

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

RFID on paper or PET / laser

Test lines 75µm, on PET / laser

4µm lines / laser

Test on Kapton / laser Automotive sensor on composite panel / laser

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

PROCID •  Antibody based disease detection

programme •  Developed on gold/glass •  Not economical / difficult to take to

product •  PROCID programme developing

copper electrodes •  Screen / inkjet printed •  Laser / Broadband flash

processed

CEMLED •  Combination of IM ink and

Cambridge Nanotherm high performance substrates for LED’s

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  Broadband Flash •  Novacentrix – software

development •  Enhanced Modelling & Control

•  Laser •  LAPS60 supplied to customers

for R&D development •  LAP1200 system in

development •  Scale up of LAPS 60 •  High power laser screen to

process wider images

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

•  To increase speed of adoption of low cost conductive inks, cost effective sintering processes are needed

•  Current sintering technologies achieve the required performance •  High performance tracks manufactured

•  Sintering tools are available in both oven / broad band flash •  Barrier to uptake is lack of cost effective sintering systems at the

R&D stage •  Growing interest in laser application •  IML has set out to support our customer base with a range of

validated laser sintering tools •  These are now available ….

© IML 2012

© IML 2012

Thank you!

Contact: Dr Paul Reip

Director, Government and Strategic Programmes paulreip@intrinsiqmaterials.com

mobile: +44 (0)7785 382 293