Nanoscale-shape-mediated coupling between temperature and densification in intense pulsed light sintering

In intense pulsed light sintering (IPL), pulsed large-area visible light from a xenon lamp is absorbed by nanoparticle films or patterns and converted to heat, resulting in rapid sintering of the nanoparticles. This work experimentally characterizes IPL of silver nanoparticle films. A newly observed turning point in the evolution of film temperature during IPL is correlated to the observation, in literature and in this work, that film densification levels off beyond a critical pulse fluence and number of pulses. A computational model is developed that couples electromagnetic finite element analysis, heat transfer models and densification models to predict the evolution of film temperature and density during IPL. This model is able to capture the experimentally observed turning point in temperature during IPL, whereas current models of IPL are unable to do so. It is shown that the temperature turning point occurs due to a coupling between optical absorption and densification in the nanoparticle film, mediated by a change in nanoscale shape of the deposited nanoparticles due to interparticle neck growth. Further, it is found that the optical fluence per pulse has a greater effect on the achievable film density in IPL, as compared to the number of pulses.