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Updated: May 2, 2026
Micropunching Lithography for Generating Micro- and Submicron-patterns on Polymer Substrates
Published on: July 2, 2012
Fabrication of electrically conductive metal patterns at the surface of polymer films by microplasma-based direct
Souvik Ghosh1, Rui Yang, Michelle Kaumeyer
1Department of Chemical Engineering, ‡Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and §Department of Macromolecular Sciences and Engineering, Case Western Reserve University , Cleveland, Ohio, United States.
Abstract:
We describe a direct-write process for producing electrically conductive metal patterns at the surface of polymers. Thin films of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) loaded with Ag ions are reduced by a scanning, atmospheric-pressure microplasma to form crystalline Ag features with a line width of 300 μm. Materials analysis reveals that the metallization occurs in a thin layer of ∼5 μm near the film surface, suggesting that the Ag ions diffuse to the surface. Sheet resistances of 1-10 Ω/sq are obtained independent of film thickness and Ag volume concentration, which is desirable for producing surface conductivity on polymers while minimizing metal loading.
