Arya Pooja, Wu Yanchen, Wang Fei, Wang Zhenwu, Cadilha Marques Gabriel, Levkin Pavel A, Nestler Britta, Aghassi-Hagmann Jasmin
Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Kaiserstrasse 12, Karlsruhe 76133, Germany.
Institute for Applied Materials-Microstructure Modeling and Simulation, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Straße am Forum 7, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany.
Langmuir. 2024 Mar 12;40(10):5162-5173. doi: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03297. Epub 2024 Feb 26.
In inkjet printing technology, one important factor influencing the printing quality and reliability of printed films is the interaction of the jetted ink with the substrate surface. This short-range interaction determines the wettability and the adhesion of the ink to the solid surface and is hence responsible for the final shape of the deposited ink. Here, we investigate wetting morphologies of inkjet-printed inks on patterned substrates by carefully designed experimental test structures and simulations. The contact angles, the surface properties, and drop shapes, as well as their influence on the device variability, are experimentally and theoretically analyzed. For the simulations, we employ the phase-field method, which is based on the free energy minimization of the two-phase system with the given wetting boundary conditions. Through a systematic investigation of printed drops on patterned substrates consisting of hydrophilic and hydrophobic areas, we report that the printed morphology is related not only to the designed layout and the drop volume but also to the printing strategy and the wettability. Furthermore, we show how one can modify the intrinsic wettability of the patterned substrates to enhance the printing quality and reliability. Based on the present findings, we cast light on the improvement of the fabrication quality of thin film transistors.
在喷墨打印技术中，影响打印薄膜的打印质量和可靠性的一个重要因素是喷射出的墨水与基底表面之间的相互作用。这种短程相互作用决定了墨水对固体表面的润湿性和附着力，因此决定了沉积墨水的最终形状。在此，我们通过精心设计的实验测试结构和模拟，研究喷墨打印的墨水在图案化基底上的润湿形态。对接触角、表面性质、液滴形状及其对器件可变性的影响进行了实验和理论分析。对于模拟，我们采用相场方法，该方法基于具有给定润湿边界条件的两相系统的自由能最小化。通过对由亲水和疏水区域组成的图案化基底上打印的液滴进行系统研究，我们发现打印形态不仅与设计布局和液滴体积有关，还与打印策略和润湿性有关。此外，我们展示了如何改变图案化基底的固有润湿性以提高打印质量和可靠性。基于目前的研究结果，我们为提高薄膜晶体管的制造质量提供了思路。
