Inkjet printing and low power laser annealing of silver nanoparticle traces for the realization of low resistivity lines for flexible electronics

We report on the realization of low resistance silver lines by inkjet printing of a commercial silver-based ink on a flexible kapton substrate and subsequent low energy laser annealing to promote nanoparticle coalescence. Our approach resulted in low resistivity values, yet using a low-silver product, around 22 wt.%. Traditional hot-plate annealing processes were compared also. The approach is of particular interest for the realization of electronic parts such as passive and chipless radio frequency identification tags with fully inkjet printed inductors and capacitors - that we also demonstrated. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.