Spontaneous Patterning of Electronic Circuits by Surface Selective Deposition

Abstract

Fully printed electronics on plastic have attracted considerable interest owing to their high compatibility and ease of integration. Here, we developed an ultra-high-resolution printing technique based on “ surface selective deposition ” that can deposit functional inks with 1-μm resolution on flexible substrates. We used this technique to selectively deposit a metal nanoparticle ink and an organic semiconducting material, thereby allowing the large-scale fabrication of high-resolution electronic circuits including organic thin-film transistors with channels as short as 1 μm under ambient atmosphere. We also developed π -junction gold nanoparticles as the electrode material which permitted room-temperature deposition of a conductive metal layer. The room-temperature process enables printing of electronic circuits without application of heat, thus thermal damage to the substrate can be totally avoided. These results indicate that this bottom-up fabrication method based on fluidic self-assembly is promising for the fabrication of large-area, high-resolution, low-cost electronics.