| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| MEMS and NEMS Group | Monday Sessions |
| Session MN+EM+NS-MoA |
| Session: | Nano Optomechanical Systems/Multiscale Nanomanufacturing |
| Presenter: | Christian Zorman, Case Western Reserve University |
| Authors: | Y. Sui, Case Western Reserve University S. Ghosh, Case Western Reserve University C. Miller, Case Western Reserve University R.M. Sankaran, Case Western Reserve University C.A. Zorman, Case Western Reserve University |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Here, we present a particle-free, stabilizer-free ink and a low-temperature plasma reduction process to produce electrically conductive metallic patterns on temperature-sensitive without any additional thermal step. The ink is comprised of a metal salt, a solvent, and a viscosity modifier, and is absent of any large organic molecules that cannot be evaporated after printing. The as-printed and dried metal salt is then treated with a plasma formed in a low-pressure argon environment. Even without the presence of highly reactive atomic and molecular hydrogen, this process is found to be sufficient to reduce the metal salt to highly conductive metal with resistivities approaching bulk values. More importantly, we found the resistivity of the printed structure can be tuned over a range of 2 orders of magnitude by varying the plasma power and treatment time. Thus far, we have demonstrated this general approach for silver (Ag) and tin (Sn) from silver nitrate (AgNO3) and tin (II) chloride (SnCl2), respectively. Details of the material properties as assessed by materials characterization and electrical conductivity measurements, device application to RC filter circuits, and applicability to other metals will also be discussed.