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Inkjet printing of precisely defined features using contact-angle hysteresis
Dan Soltman1, Ben Smith, S J S Morris
1Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States. soltman@eecs.berkeley.edu
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
|April 11, 2013
Summary
Inkjet printing of electronics benefits from increased substrate roughness, which reduces corner radius and improves feature precision. Higher contact-angle hysteresis enables the printing of more sharply defined corners in electronic components.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Surface Science
- Fluid Dynamics
Background:
- Inkjet printing is a key technology for fabricating electronic devices.
- Achieving sharply defined features, particularly corners, remains a challenge in inkjet printing.
- Understanding the interplay between fluid behavior and surface properties is crucial for process optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors limiting the printing of sharp, equilibrium corners in inkjet printing.
- To experimentally and theoretically analyze the relationship between substrate roughness and printed feature precision.
- To elucidate the role of contact-angle hysteresis in defining printed corner fidelity.
Main Methods:
- Inkjet printing of squares using a non-volatile ionic liquid on roughened glass substrates.
- Experimental characterization of corner radius as a function of substrate roughness.
- Theoretical modeling using Surface Evolver to simulate drop behavior and determine contact angles (advancing θA and retreating θR).
Main Results:
- Increasing substrate roughness led to a decrease in the corner radius of printed squares.
- A correlation was found between decreasing corner fidelity and decreasing contact-angle hysteresis.
- The study successfully inferred the retreating contact angle (θR) from the measured corner radius.
Conclusions:
- Substrate roughness is a critical parameter for controlling the precision of inkjet-printed features.
- Increased contact-angle hysteresis is essential for achieving more sharply defined corners in inkjet printing.
- The findings provide a pathway for optimizing inkjet printing processes for high-resolution electronic applications.
