Oven Sintering Process Optimization for Inkjet-Printed Ag Nanoparticle Ink

This paper focuses on optimizing the oven sintering time and temperature for inkjet-printed silver nanoparticle ink on a polyimide substrate. Two basic aspects in fabricating conductor structures in printable electronics are conductivity and adhesion between the ink and the substrate material. Conductivity evolution during oven sintering is monitored with real-time resistance measurements at five different temperatures. Based on conductivity results, adhesion is evaluated at several time points at three temperatures. The higher the sintering temperature, the faster the structures reach their maximum conductivity values. The lowest conductor resistivity values are below 4 μΩ· cm. However, at each sintering temperature, it takes longer to reach the best adhesion values. In this paper, we aim to better understand oven sintering of silver nanoparticles and determine the best oven sintering conditions (temperature, time) for our particular ink-substrate combination. The results can be used to further define optimum sintering conditions for printed nanoparticle inks on polymer substrates.