Printed electronics and micro-electromechanical systems

Current electronics and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacture is optimized for the production of very high-volume parts on a limited range of substrates. These processes are long, consume large amounts of resources, and require expensive machines and facilities, but yield excellent products. Cheaper, faster printing processes are beginning to emerge with the ability to economically produce low or high-volume electronics and MEMS on flexible substrates. This thesis describes the theoretical and practical design of a suite of printing processes including liquid embossing and offset liquid embossing (OLE). These printing techniques have created resistors, capacitors, and thin-film transistors without etching, vacuum deposition, or high temperatures. Here, the fabrication of all-printed electrostatic actuators is described In liquid embossing a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp with bas-relief features is brought into intimate contact with a thin liquid film such as a metal or semi-conductor nanoparticle colloid, spin-on-glass, or polymer to create patterns as small as 100 nm. A simulation of liquid embossing was developed by coupling fluid flow in a thin liquid film to the diffusion of solvent into a PDMS stamp. The model accurately predicts real aspects of the printing process including the time required to stamp and usable stamp geometries. OLE was designed to address some of the limitations of liquid embossing. In OLE the patterned liquid film is transferred to a different substrate, allowing finer control over geometry and material placement and leaving behind excess material trapped during stamping. All-printed electrostatic actuators were fabricated using OLE by patterning gold on flexible polyimide and then under-etching with oxygen plasma.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2004

Author dc:creator

• Wilhelm, Eric Jamesson, 1977-

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Joseph Jacobson.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/27141

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/27141