New nanotechnology technology, future electronic components can be printed like newspapers

 

This new manufacturing technique uses a roll-to-roll process similar to that commonly used in newspaper printing to create smoother, softer metal lines for the production of high-speed electronic devices.

 

This low-cost process, developed by Purdue University researchers, combines tools and methods for large-scale metal processing in existing industrial production. R&D personnel used a roll-to-roll printing process similar to newspaper printing, which overcomes many of the difficulties in the electronics manufacturing process with the speed and precision of the process. Compared to the present, this process greatly increases the production speed of electronic devices.

 

Mobile phones, laptops, tablets, and many other electronic devices rely on their internal metal circuitry for high-speed processing of information. Current metal circuit fabrication methods generally involve forming a metal line by passing a thin liquid metal droplet through a reticle having a target line shape, which is somewhat like graffiti on a wall.

 

“The problem, however, is that the metal lines produced by this technology have a very rough surface, which causes the electronics to heat up faster and drain the battery faster,” said Martinez, an assistant professor of industrial engineering and biomedical engineering. .

 

In addition, future high-speed electronic devices require smaller metal components, and the production of smaller nano-scale metal components requires higher resolution.

 

“Making metal components that are getting smaller and smaller shapes requires molds with higher resolutions, up to nanometer size,” Martinez said. "Furthermore, the latest advances in nanotechnology also require us to pattern metals that are smaller in size than the particles from which they are made, which is like making sandcastles smaller than sand."

 

This so-called "Formability Limit" prevents us from processing materials at high speeds at nanoscale resolution.

 

Researchers at Purdue University have solved these two problems—roughness and low resolution—through a new scale-based manufacturing approach that makes it possible to make nanoscale smooth metal circuits with traditional CO2 lasers. Lasers are already very common in industrial cutting and engraving.

 

“Printing tiny metal electronics like a printed newspaper can make them smoother. This smooth-surfaced electronic device has a low risk of overheating and can pass current better,” Martinez said.

 

This manufacturing method is called Roll to Roll laser-induced superplasticity, which uses a rolling stamper like a high-speed printing newspaper. This technology can induce "superplasticity" of various metals by applying high-energy laser irradiation in a short period of time, which allows the metal to flow into the pattern of the nano-scale features of the rolling stamper - thus bypassing the "formability limit" ".

 

“In the future, using our technology for manufacturing equipment based on a roll-to-roll process, we can produce touchscreens that cover nanostructures that interact with light and generate 3D images. Of course, this technology can also be cost-effectively Making more sensitive biosensors," Martinez said.