Highly conductive lines by plasma-induced conversion of inkjet-printed silver nitrate traces

Abstract

We report a rapid process of argon plasma conversion of inkjet printed lines of silver nitrate to yield final electrical resistivities comparable to that of bulk silver. The plasma processing produces a layer of silver with electrical and thickness properties dependent on plasma power and process time. Final line morphology is shown to be determined by the evaporatively driven process of silver nitrate crystallization during printing. This technique holds significant potential for rapid and low-cost additive fabrication of metallization patterns for electronic circuits.