Conductive Ink for 3D Printed Interconnects Without Sintering
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3-D printing methods for conductive materials require high temperature sintering processes, which increase manufacturing costs and complexity, limiting the formation of complex conductive structures and features.
Innovation Solution
A conductive ink composition comprising conductive particles dispersed in a solvent with solubilized diblock or triblock copolymers, allowing for the formation of highly conductive interconnect structures without the need for sintering, using a 3-D solvent cast printing process that maintains conductivity and resolution without post-processing treatments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high temperature sintering is used to achieve high conductivity, then conductivity is improved, but manufacturing cost and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the ink formulation by incorporating specific polymer carriers and conductive metal particles in optimized ratios. This compositional parameter change enables the ink to achieve high conductivity through controlled drying and polymer decomposition rather than high-temperature sintering, thus resolving the contradiction between conductivity and process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the thermal-mechanical sintering process with a chemical-thermal drying process. Instead of using high-temperature sintering to fuse metal particles, the invention uses controlled evaporation of solvent and decomposition of polymer carriers at lower temperatures to bind metal particles together, substituting a simpler, lower-cost process for the complex high-temperature sintering operation
2Reliability
If high temperature sintering is used to achieve high conductivity, then conductivity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the ink formulation parameters to include specific polymer carriers and conductive metal particles in optimized ratios. This compositional change enables the material to achieve high conductivity through lower-temperature processing, eliminating the need for expensive high-temperature sintering equipment and operations, thus reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining conductivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs polymer carriers that decompose at relatively low temperatures during the drying process. These polymer carriers serve as temporary binding agents that facilitate ink deposition and then decompose to leave behind the conductive metal particle structure. This approach uses inexpensive, consumable polymer materials to enable a simpler, lower-cost manufacturing process compared to durable high-temperature sintering systems
3Ease of operation
If conventional ink jet printing with polymer carrier is used, then ease of printing is improved, but conductivity is reduced due to insulating polymer between metal particles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the concentration parameters of the polymer carrier and conductive metal particles in the ink formulation. By optimizing the ratio of metal particles to polymer carrier and controlling the drying conditions, the invention achieves a structure where metal particles form continuous conductive pathways while the polymer provides sufficient binding. This parameter optimization resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of printing with polymer carrier while achieving high conductivity through proper compositional balance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite ink material consisting of conductive metal particles dispersed in a polymer carrier solution. This composite structure combines the ease of handling and printing properties of polymer-based inks with the high conductivity of metal particles. The polymer carrier and metal particles form a composite system where the polymer provides processability and the metal provides conductivity, resolving the contradiction between ease of printing and conductivity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method achieves conductivity levels equal to or greater than 1×105 S/m, with high resolution and reduced surface roughness, enabling the fabrication of complex devices like RF devices and microfluidics without the need for sintering, thus simplifying the manufacturing process and enhancing device performance.
Implementation Method 1
drying the one or more interconnect structures formed from the conductive ink composition
Implementation Method 2
The dried interconnect structures exhibit a conductivity equal to or greater than 1×105 S/m
Data Source
AI summary
A 3-D printed device comprising one or more interconnect structures, the interconnect structures comprising a plurality of conductive particles and one or more diblock or triblock copolymers; the diblock or triblock copolymers having an A-B, A-B-A, or A-B-C block-type structure in which the A-blocks and C-blocks are an aromatic-based polymer or an acrylate-based polymer and the B-blocks are an aliphatic-based polymer. These 3-D printed devices may be formed using a method that comprises providing a conductive ink composition; applying the conductive ink composition to a substrate in a 3-D solvent cast printing process to form one or more interconnect structures; and drying the one or more interconnect structures formed from the conductive ink composition. The dried interconnect structures exhibit a conductivity equal to or greater than 1×105 S/m without having to be subjected to any post-processing sintering treatment.