Kaupallisten hopeamusteiden arviointi silkkipainettuna PPE-pohjaiselle alustalle

Printed electronics enable fabrication of environmentally friendly wireless applications on novel substrates. Development of multidimensional substrates enables fabrication of creative applications and new communication networks between devices and users may be formed. These applications can be utilized in various industry fields, such as automotive industry or aviation, where integration of electrical devices into machine structures can provide significant benefits, as devices do not require additional space and wireless sensing and monitoring are enabled. In this study, performance of silver inks screen printed on PPE polymer compound was evaluated. Advantages of this substrate material include low dissipation factor and relative permittivity, making it thus an attractive substrate for high frequency applications. In addition, substrate fabrication by injection-molding allows usage of innovative substrate structures. However, low surface energy and resulted hydrophobic nature of this substrate make printing of high quality lines with proper electrical and mechanical performance difficult. To modify substrate surface, and thus to enhance performance, suitable surface treatments were selected for this survey. Effect of different surface treatments was inspected, and performance of printed structures was evaluated by sheet resistance measurements and crosscut adhesion tests. Effects of aging were simulated with accelerated environmental reliability tests. Results of this study indicate that material parameters have a great impact on performance of the printed structures. By the modification of surface properties, substrate can be made hydrophilic and rougher surface profile can be achieved. Furthermore, by the modification of the surface properties, better mechanical performance of printed structures can be obtained. In addition, it was observed that formed substrate-ink interface has a significant effect on the aging properties of the printed structures. On the other hand, ink selection has great impact on aging of printed structures. Therefore, protective layers are needed to shield devices from environmental stress. Sheet resistance values between 12 mΩ/□ and 25 mΩ/□ could be obtained, indicating excellent electrical performance of printed conductors