US Patent 7062848- Nanostructured Ink For Printing Electronics
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7062848.pdf
Modern fabrication facilities for semiconductor electronics represent a multi-billion dollar investment requiring numerous peripheral mechanisms for maintaining high vacuums and requiring process steps using high temperatures and expensive masking elements. Also, modern electronic fabrication facilities, while good at working with semiconductor substrates such as silicon, are unworkable for forming electronics on alternative substrates such as plastic, coated paper, or biocompatible films which may prove beneficial for a variety of emerging applications. It would be useful to find a cheaper process for producing electronic structure not constrained by the limitations of the silicon-based semiconductor industry.
A leading candidate for 21st century manufacturing may turn out to evolve from the printing industry. Using conductive and semiconductive nanoparticles contained in a liquid composition electronic devices can be literally printed onto a wide variety of substrates allowing for cheaper devices with new functionalities. Hewlett-Packard, one of the industry leaders in printing technologies as well as the industry leader in molecular electronics, is leveraging it's cumulative knowledge to establish a new standard for electronic manufacturing based on printing. This patent is indicative of HP's development in electronic device printing. Claims 1,25,and 37 are representative.
1. A printable composition, comprising: a) a liquid carrier; b) a plurality of nanostructures having an aspect ratio of at least about 5:1 within the liquid carrier; and c) a stabilizing agent configured to inhibit agglomeration of the plurality of nanostructures, said stabilizing agent being a nanostructure surface attached ligand, nanostructure polymeric coating, metal coating, semimetal oxide coating, or metal oxide coating.
25. A method of forming a conductive path on a substrate, comprising: a) applying a printable composition onto a substrate, said printable composition including: i) a liquid carrier; and ii) a plurality of nano structures having an aspect ratio of at least about 5:1 within the liquid carrier; and b) removing at least a portion of the liquid carrier, wherein the plurality of nano structures are in sufficient contact to provide the conductive path, said conductive path being a trace, transistor, resistor, inductor, gate, diode, capacitor, magnet, or combination thereof.
37. A system for forming conductive paths on a substrate, comprising a printhead having a firing chamber reservoir containing an ink-jettable composition, said ink-jettable composition including a liquid vehicle; a plurality of nanostructures having an aspect ratio of at least about 5:1 within the liquid vehicle; and a stabilizing agent configured to inhibit agglomeration of the plurality of nanostructures, said stabilizing agent being a nanostructure surface attached ligand, nanostructure polymeric coating, metal coating, semimetal oxide coating, or metal oxide coating.
It is interesting to note that, in addition to printing electronic devices, HP also has a patent for printing batteries. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6780208.pdf
Modern fabrication facilities for semiconductor electronics represent a multi-billion dollar investment requiring numerous peripheral mechanisms for maintaining high vacuums and requiring process steps using high temperatures and expensive masking elements. Also, modern electronic fabrication facilities, while good at working with semiconductor substrates such as silicon, are unworkable for forming electronics on alternative substrates such as plastic, coated paper, or biocompatible films which may prove beneficial for a variety of emerging applications. It would be useful to find a cheaper process for producing electronic structure not constrained by the limitations of the silicon-based semiconductor industry.
A leading candidate for 21st century manufacturing may turn out to evolve from the printing industry. Using conductive and semiconductive nanoparticles contained in a liquid composition electronic devices can be literally printed onto a wide variety of substrates allowing for cheaper devices with new functionalities. Hewlett-Packard, one of the industry leaders in printing technologies as well as the industry leader in molecular electronics, is leveraging it's cumulative knowledge to establish a new standard for electronic manufacturing based on printing. This patent is indicative of HP's development in electronic device printing. Claims 1,25,and 37 are representative.
1. A printable composition, comprising: a) a liquid carrier; b) a plurality of nanostructures having an aspect ratio of at least about 5:1 within the liquid carrier; and c) a stabilizing agent configured to inhibit agglomeration of the plurality of nanostructures, said stabilizing agent being a nanostructure surface attached ligand, nanostructure polymeric coating, metal coating, semimetal oxide coating, or metal oxide coating.
25. A method of forming a conductive path on a substrate, comprising: a) applying a printable composition onto a substrate, said printable composition including: i) a liquid carrier; and ii) a plurality of nano structures having an aspect ratio of at least about 5:1 within the liquid carrier; and b) removing at least a portion of the liquid carrier, wherein the plurality of nano structures are in sufficient contact to provide the conductive path, said conductive path being a trace, transistor, resistor, inductor, gate, diode, capacitor, magnet, or combination thereof.
37. A system for forming conductive paths on a substrate, comprising a printhead having a firing chamber reservoir containing an ink-jettable composition, said ink-jettable composition including a liquid vehicle; a plurality of nanostructures having an aspect ratio of at least about 5:1 within the liquid vehicle; and a stabilizing agent configured to inhibit agglomeration of the plurality of nanostructures, said stabilizing agent being a nanostructure surface attached ligand, nanostructure polymeric coating, metal coating, semimetal oxide coating, or metal oxide coating.
It is interesting to note that, in addition to printing electronic devices, HP also has a patent for printing batteries. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6780208.pdf
posted by blaisemouttet at 9:07 PM
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