Interlacing method for micro-patterning silver via inkjet printing

Inkjet-printed metal nanoparticles have been intensively studied for microelectronic applications including both physical and chemical sensors, and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). However, printed feature broadening is frequently observed due to the coalescence of un-dried ink, reducing achievable resolution. Increasing substrate temperature and reducing print rates are two common mitigation techniques, each with drawbacks. Here a novel interlacing method is introduced as an alternative strategy to manage droplet coalescence. The desired geometry is sampled into multiple sub-patterns and then printed sequentially, to yield the complete pattern. The interlacing sub-sampling matrix is selected according to the desired resolution and printing parameters to isolate each un-dried ink droplet during deposition. Printed geometries are found to retain single droplet resolution using this method. A comparison is made between samples with direct (single-pass) printing and interlaced printing. High-resolution silver planar resistors are constructed and characterized for their application as printed temperature sensors.