Low-Cost Direct-Writing of Silver-Based Ink for Planar Microwave Circuits up to 10 GHz

Blanco-Angulo, Carolina; Martínez-Lozano, Andrea; Arias,; Rodríguez-Martínez, Alberto; Vicente-Samper, José María; Navarro, José María Sabater; Ávila-Navarro, Ernesto

doi:10.1109/access.2023.3234772

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…It has been used in a wide range of applications, such as flexible electronics [39] and sensor development [40][41][42]. It has also been successfully used in microwave engineering for prototyping microwave devices, including microwave transducers [6,43] and antennas with operating frequencies up to 10 GHz [44][45][46]. In the present work, the Voltera V-One inkjet printer was employed for the fabrication of the hairpin filter.…”

Section: Filter Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Development of Inkjet-Printed Band Pass Filters Based on the Microstrip Hairpin Structure

Gugliandolo,

Quattrocchi,

Campobello

et al. 2024

Instruments

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In recent years, inkjet printing has emerged as a promising advanced fabrication technology in the field of electronics, offering remarkable advantages in terms of cost-effectiveness, design flexibility, and rapid prototyping. For these reasons, inkjet printing technology has been widely adopted in various applications, including printed circuit board fabrication, sensor development (e.g., temperature, humidity, and pressure sensing), and antenna and filter production, up to the microwave frequency range. The present paper is focused on the investigation of a methodology based on Monte Carlo simulations for quantitatively assessing the influence of fabrication tolerances on the performance of inkjet-printed microwave devices. In particular, the proposed methodology is applied to an inkjet-printed hairpin band pass filter specifically tailored for operation in the L band (i.e., from 1 GHz to 2 GHz). The initial design phase involved the use of computer aided design (CAD) software to optimize the geometric dimensions of the designed filter to closely match the desired performance specifications in terms of bandwidth, insertion loss, and return loss. Later, a Monte Carlo analysis was conducted to evaluate the propagation of tolerances in the fabrication process throughout the design and to estimate their effects on device performance. The fabrication process exploited the advanced capabilities of the Voltera inkjet printer, which was used to deposit a silver-based conductive ink on a commercial Rogers substrate. The device’s performance was evaluated by comparing the simulated scattering parameters with those measured on the developed filter using a vector network analyzer (VNA), thus ensuring accurate validation of real-world performance.

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Section: Filter Fabricationmentioning

confidence: 99%

On the Development of Inkjet-Printed Band Pass Filters Based on the Microstrip Hairpin Structure

Gugliandolo,

Quattrocchi,

Campobello

et al. 2024

Instruments

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“…Based on used printing technology, the edges or surfaces of printed structures can be uneven, and their mechanical resistivity is usually lower [1]. PE technologies are revolutionary for research and development activities as well as for production efficiency, thus many studies are focused on the usability of PE in the highfrequency domain [7][8][9]. Previous studies show the usability of printed transmission interconnects [10] up to ones of GHz with a low attenuation constant [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microstrip resonators on polyethylene terephthalate substrates realized by direct-write technology

Lotfi,

Janda,

Reboun

et al. 2024

Flex. Print. Electron.

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Printed Electronics (PE) technology has obtained considerable attention due to the simplification of the manufacturing process that can be fully additive. In addition, PE offers possibility to use low-cost, low-temperature substrates, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil, which could serve as an alternative to conventional high-frequency substrates, like Rogers. In this study, digital printing technology direct write, or so-called dispensing is used to print microstrip Rectangular-shaped resonators (RSRs) on a flexible PET foil and a semi-flexible Rogers 4003 substrate. Resonators are printed by a contact dispenser Nordson EFD Pro Plus 4L/A from a conductive silver-based DuPont PE 874 paste. The selected straight and bent RSRs have deep resonance frequencies at 2.50, and 1.90 GHz, with an amplitude of about −50 and −60 dB, respectively. The mentioned resonators are simulated and printed; then the results are compared with a good match. Resonators on Rogers shows a good match between simulation and realization. On a PET substrate, a 6% shift of transmission zero location is observed. To better understand some probable challenges during the manufacturing of high-frequency resonators, the structure of printed layers is characterized, and the manufacturing process itself is completely analyzed.

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“…Currently, DW techniques are mainly used for rapid prototyping applications due to its high degree of customization. However, the RF performance still lags behind traditionally manufactured components due to poorer dimensional accuracy, low density, and lack of understanding of ink RF performance at high frequencies [26]. Direct ink writing (DIW), also known as robocasting, is an ink-based AM technique that employs continuous extrusion of highly concentrated ink through a fine nozzle induced by constant applied pressure.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Particle Morphology and Heat Treatment on the Microstructural Evolution of Silver Inks for Additively Manufactured RF Applications: A Comparison between Nanoflake and Reactive Inks

Summers

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In recent years, advancements in additive manufacturing (AM) technologies have paved the way for 3D-printed flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and created opportunities for extending these gains to RF applications. However, printed metal interconnects and devices are typically characterized by high porosity and chemical impurities that significantly limit their electrical conductivity and RF performance compared to bulk equivalents. Using direct ink writing (DIW), two silver inks, a nanoflake suspension and a nanoparticle-reactive ink, were investigated to understand the relationship between free interfacial energy, sintering behavior, DC conductivity, and RF loss. The printed silver samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to monitor microstructural evolution, grain size and orientation, and chemical purity as a function of heat treatment temperature. Three heat treatments were applied to each ink: the manufacturer's recommendation, 225°C for 30 minutes, and 350°C for 30 minutes. Four-wire structures and coplanar waveguides were printed to compare the DC and RF performance up to 18 GHz, respectively. The results show that ink formulations that facilitate larger grains, high density, and good chemical purity have superior RF performance. A low resistivity of 1.4 times bulk Ag, average of 0.8% greater RF loss factor than evaporated Ag, and a maximum current density of 4.6 x 105 A/cm2 were achieved with printed structures. This work highlights the importance of engineering a high density and high purity microstructure in printed silver components necessary for high-performance printed electronics.

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Low-Cost Direct-Writing of Silver-Based Ink for Planar Microwave Circuits up to 10 GHz

Abstract: Fund through the ACIF pre-doctoral program, grant number ACIF/2020/147. The work of J.M.V.-S. is supported by the Conselleria d'Educació, Investigació, Cultura i Esport (GVA) through FDGENT/2018/015 project.

Cited by 4 publications

References 47 publications

On the Development of Inkjet-Printed Band Pass Filters Based on the Microstrip Hairpin Structure

On the Development of Inkjet-Printed Band Pass Filters Based on the Microstrip Hairpin Structure

Microstrip resonators on polyethylene terephthalate substrates realized by direct-write technology

The Influence of Particle Morphology and Heat Treatment on the Microstructural Evolution of Silver Inks for Additively Manufactured RF Applications: A Comparison between Nanoflake and Reactive Inks

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