Abstract
Plasma Jet Printing of Electronics on Flexible, Low-Temperature Substrates
When the benefits of 3D printing were realized, it revolutionized much of how plastic prototyping and manufacturing were done. In a similar way, additive manufacturing for electronics has made manufacturing of electronics and prototyping much cheaper and easier. I am researching parameters and materials for plasma jet printing of flexible electronic devices. Plasma jet printing has many advantages over other additive methods. The plasma promotes adhesion of the printed films, can print without the need for gravity, and sinters the film, in situ, as it is being printed. The latter is especially important for direct fabrication of devices without the need for thermal or another post processing step. This allows for printing electronics onto flexible and low temperature substrates like paper and plastic that could not be easily achieved before.