Direct Printing of Conductive Patterns Using Activated Nanosize Metal Development of Novel Toners for Direct Printing of Conducting Patterns

Unusually active nanosize metal powders have been in development and production in Russia since 1975, and they are now being manufactured in the United States. Their size, approximately 50 to 100 nanometers, provides promise for sub-micron size features. The powders have significant stored energy so that they can exotherm well below melting with enough energy to cause them to melt. They are usually reactive and aggressively bond to surfaces. The application of the dry powders onto polymeric films in the form of a pattern has been demonstrated using electrography. Phase I of the proposed program would determine the feasibility of liquid phase sintering and bonding copper, aluminum and silver or mixtures of such metals to polyimide, glass and alumina. After early feasibility is demonstrated, later phases would address the adaption to the metals to liquid toners, and to utilize the benefit of the nanosize particles to form submicron features.