| Title |
Optimization of Silver Inkjet Printing on Cyclic Olefin Copolymer and Formation of Micropattern |
| Authors |
최영환(Younghwan Choi) ; 박영훈(Young Hoon Park) ; 장재은(Jaeeun Jang) ; 서윤(Yoon Seo) ; 이채원(Chaewon Lee) ; 정준수(Joonsoo Jeong) ; 엄경식(Kyungsik Eom) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5573/ieie.2026.63.9.17 |
| Keywords |
Inkjet printing; Silver nanoparticles; Cyclic olefin copolymer; Micropatterning |
| Abstract |
With the advancement of flexible electronics, direct printing processes that enable low-cost fabrication of conductive micropatterns on flexible substrates have attracted considerable attention. Cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) is a promising material due to its high optical transparency, low moisture absorption, excellent chemical stability, and biocompatibility. However, systematic studies on inkjet printing processes and the characteristics of printed micropatterns on COC substrates remain limited. In this study, the inkjet printing process of silver (Ag) nanoparticle ink on COC substrates was optimized. By analyzing the rheological properties and droplet ejection behavior of the Ag ink, the optimal viscosity, surface tension, and driving voltage for stable droplet ejection were identified. In addition, O2 plasma treatment improved the wettability of the COC substrate, resulting in increased droplet spreading and linewidth, and the appropriate droplet spacing for line and area pattern formation was identified. Cross-sectional analysis quantitatively evaluated the slope, ring depth, peak height, and asymmetry index as functions of linewidth, while electrical characterization showed that the sheet resistance at a sintering temperature of 120°C was lower than that at 80°C. Under the optimized process conditions, both resolution stripe patterns and arbitrary micropatterns were successfully printed, demonstrating the feasibility of Ag pattern formation on COC substrates using inkjet printing. These results suggest that the proposed process can serve as an effective direct-printing method for fabricating micro-interconnects in future bioelectronic and next-generation communication devices. |