Direct printing of copper conductive micro-tracks by multi-nozzle electrohydrodynamic inkjet printing process

To overcome the limitation of low production speed of electrohydrodynamic (EHD) inkjet printing technology and to fabricate low cost electronic micro-structures, this paper presents the direct deposition of copper colloidal solution through the multi-nozzle EHD inkjet printing process. Multi-nozzle EHD inkjet printing head, consisting of five nozzles, was used for simultaneous printing of electrically conductive micro-tracks onto the glass substrate. Nozzle-to-nozzle distance and experimental conditions were optimized to prevent the interaction i.e., cross-talk between electrically charged neighboring jets. After sintering in inert (N-2 gas) atmosphere, printed tracks exhibited approximately five times larger resistivity (9.20 mu Omega cm) than that of the bulk copper which is a remarkable achievement. These electrically conductive micro-tracks show the feasibility of multi-nozzle EHD inkjet printing technique using the copper nano-colloidal ink for low cost fabrication of microelectronic structures and devices. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.