Jerzy Potencki

Surface analysis of polymeric substrates used for inkjet printing technology

Purpose – This paper aims to find an optimal surface treatment of commonly used polymeric substrates for achieve the high adhesion of printed structures. For this reason, the investigation of substrates surfaces from different perspectives is presented in this paper. Design/methodology/approach – The contact angle measurements as well as the roughness measurements were realised for the analysis of surface properties of investigated substrates. The impact of applied chemical agents for surface treatment onto the wettability is analysed for polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalene substrates. Findings – The results prove the correlation among wettability, surface energy and work of adhesion with respect to the theoretical background. The surface treatment of polymeric substrates by chemical agents, such as acetone, toluene, ethanol, isopropyl and fluor silane polymer, has a significant impact onto the wettability of substrates which affects the final deposition process of nanoinks....

Drops forming in inkjet printing of flexible electronic circuits

Purpose This paper aims to study drop formation in piezoelectric industrial printheads during the inkjet printing processes. It presents how the piezoelectric printhead forms drops of nanoparticle ink and how the problems with different values of drop parameters may influence the printed pattern’ defects and quality. Design/methodology/approach A piezoelectric printhead with 128 nozzles was activated to operate in a controlled manner, and the droplets ejected from the nozzles were observed during falling and analysed in the printview system. The effect of varying the values of drop parameters on print quality and pattern defects has been analysed and discussed. Findings The obtained results allow the identification of the sources of the technological problems in obtaining repeatable performance drops with the desired properties, and indicate the importance of choosing the appropriate individually chosen strategy of controlling the printing for each individual application to get good-quality and free-from-defects patterns. Research limitations/implications Because of the chosen research method (arbitrary selected printhead type and ink manufacturer), this study could have limited universality. Authors encourage the study of other kinds of piezoelectric heads or other conductive inks. Practical implications This study includes practically useful applications for users to improve the inkjet print quality. Originality/value This study presents results of original empirical research works on problems of the drops forming in the inkjet printing process, and finally, it identifies problems that must be resolved to disseminate this technology.

Nonlinear discrete elements in electro-thermal model of thick-film structure

The complexity of heat exchange mechanisms and difficulties in accurate determination of their coefficients make the thermal analysis a complicated problem at the beginning of the design process. In reality, only numerical calculations and specialized simulation programs can solve the systems of differential equations with very complicated boundary and initial conditions. The paper presents some aspects of describing of thermal model of the thick-film microcircuits with equivalent models (based on RC elements) which are used in temperature field simulation using PSPICE program

Possibilities of temperature fields shaping in multilayer thick-film heating systems

The paper presents an idea of using of multilayer heating systems for shaping of temperature fields distribution. The presented results of investigations and simulations have been realized on the models of gas sensors heaters made in two versions: single circuit and sensor arrays. The effects of the number of resistors, their geometry as well as arrangement in the system on the temperature distribution have been analyzed. For studies the specialized computer program HYBTERM has been used.

UWB antenna based on nanoparticles of silver on polyimide substrate

The aim of this paper is describing a design, realization and measurement of ultra wide band (UWB) antenna by inkjet printing technology on polyimide substrate DuPont™ Kapton® HN 50.8 μm. For this purpose we used conductive silver based nano-ink AX JP-6n by Amepox Microelectronics LTD with particle size range between 3 - 7 nm in diameter. The realized antenna was designed and simulated in Ansoft HFSS™ 13.0. The frequency bandwidth of this UWB antenna is between 5.5 to 11.7 GHz that is according to decision of Federal Communications Commission. The impedance matching was realized by length of feeding element to 50 Ω. Paper includes the theoretical background of inkjet printing technology applied within UWB antenna realization.

Application of distributed RC networks for realization of thick-film temperature transducers

The paper presents examples of non-typical applications of RC networks with distributed parameters in sensor technique. There are presented principal analyses of the particular types of transducers in the aspect their application. The theoretical considerations are illustrated of the examples of practical solutions of the temperature transducers. There are presented their constructions as well as main static and dynamic characteristics.

Packing density of inkjet printed paths

Purpose This paper aims to study the packing density of printed paths on different substrate materials. It presents problems which appear when the necessity of printing one or more narrow paths occurs. Design/methodology/approach A piezoelectric printhead containing nozzles with a diameter of 35 µm was used for printing nanoparticle silver ink on different polymer substrates which were treated by plasma or not treated at all. The shape, defects, resistance and printing parameters for the printed paths were analysed. Findings The obtained results allow the identification of the sources of the technological problems in obtaining a high packing density of the paths in a small area of substrate and the repeatable prints. Research limitations/implications The study could have limited universality because of the chosen research method; printhead, ink, substrate materials and process parameters were arbitrarily selected. The authors encourage the study of other kinds of conductive inks, treatment methods and printing process parameters. Practical implications The study includes practically useful information about widths, shapes, defects and the resistance of the paths printed using different technological parameters. Originality/value The study presents the results of original empirical research on problems of the packing density of inkjet printed paths on a small area of substrate and identifies problems that must be resolved to obtain effective interconnections in the inkjet technology.

Multimedia support in teaching of some electronics based courses

This paper presents an idea as well as examples of practical realisations of some multimedia presentation useful in didactic process of some electronics based courses. They can be used to improve teaching quality, learner flexibility and ultimately, the extent and efficiency of learning. These packages prepared by students are designed to help students to learn on modern electronics technologies and the use of electronics in different areas of industry - including computer construction. They consist a theoretical background prepared in the form of interactive system with using audio and video presentations in addition to static graphics and text materials as well as. Students can explore the contents in whatever order they wish.

Bent multilayer LTCC modules for sensor applications

The potential of Low Temperature Cofired Ceramic (LTCC) multilayer technology allows to realize different structures for sensor applications. Examples of sensors realized at the Department of Hybrid Microelectronics Technical University in Kosice have shown the quality of being potential or the possibility of developing of LTCC for wide field of thick film sensor applications and for bent multi-layer LTCC modules and their application in thick film pressure sensors. LTCC is a technology suitable for design flexibility comparing with conventional thick film, thin film and high-temperature cofired technologies in electronics. Authors of this paper introduced the concept of using the bent multi-layer LTCC modules in unconventionally shaped electronic devices or in the field of sensors.

Sensor techniques in Rzeszow research center

The paper presents characteristics of the Rzeszow Research Center achievements in the sensor technique field in the area of realized research as well application works. They have been carried out in the framework of own investigations as well as in co-operation with many foreign industrial centers.