Electrical conductivity of inkjet printed silver tracks

Abstract

The work aims to assess the conductivity of Silver tracks printed using a state-of-the-art PixDro LP50 inkjet printer which has the capability to print conductive tracks with width as low as 50μm. The conductivity of tracks with different dimensions is measured using a Keithley measurement setup. The equivalent resistivity depends on the material, printing technology and geometrical dimensions. Profile measurements indicate a track thickness of around 300nm. The optimal printing resolution appears to be 450dpi, ensuring conductivity for all selected track widths from 50μm to 400μm. This paper analyses the influence of the layout on the electrical properties with a focus on determining the minimum metal quantity necessary to have tracks with good conductivity.