Polymer thick film technology and its capability for medicine and sensor applications

The use of screen-printed conductive and dielectric pastes in polymer thick film technology shows a continual increasing since 1970. This technology offers the possibility to work at relatively low temperatures on rigid and flexible low-cost substrates. That's why the main applications are the manufacturing of membrane touch keys, the use for via plugs in PCB's and the electromagnetic shielding. But the polymer thick film technology is also utilized for the mass production of medical devices e.g. blood glucose test strips and Ag/AgCl electrodes for electrocardiogram (ECG). This paper will describe the fine line printing of silver polymer paste for the manufacturing of low-cost humidity sensors.