Low-Cost, High Throughput, Roll-to-Roll Ink-Jet Manufacturing of Hybrid Electronic Systems on Flexible Substrates

Realizing the tremendous demand and commercialization potential of flexible electronic components for modern systems, Omega Optics, Inc., together with the University of Texas at Austin, propose Low-Cost, High Throughput, Roll-to-Roll Ink-Jet Manufacturing of Hybrid Electronic Systems on Flexible Substrates. In the Phase I program, using an ink-jet developed 2-bit 1x4 Phased Array Antenna (PAA) system, beam steering of 3GHz signal from 0 to 13.6 degrees was demonstrated on a flexible substrate. Bottom illuminated organic solar cells were fabricated, and using a new type of copolymer, diketopyrrolopyrolecopolymers, a high PCE of 4.7% was achieved. In the Phase II program, high-rate roll-to-roll manufacturing of organic and inorganic electronic devices on flexible substrates will be investigated. Key manufacturing related issues such as in-line alignment control, quality assurance, etc, will be addressed. Using a customized ink-jet print engine, high-rate development of electronic components will be performed. Gaining vital information from a single ink-jet printer, a two-stage continuous high-rate roll-to-roll ink-jet printing system with print speeds of 20-30m/min at throughput of 150m^2/hr will be developed. As a proof of concept of this enabling technology, high throughput manufacturing of solar cell powered flexible PAA communication system on a Kapton substrate, a common material used for PC board, is proposed. These objectives are targeted at developing unique multifunctional inorganic, organic and bio-inspired hybrid electronic system architectures on flexible substrates that can only be achieved with printing.