SUBSTRATES: Background

Substrates for large area flexible electronics pose a different set of challenges than currently
faced by non-flexible substrates. For one, they tend to be less dimensionally stable, which makes
it more difficult to print multilayer devices reel-to-reel (R2R). Dimensional stability affects the
resolution and registration of the features that can be printed. Also, depending on the material
used, they are less tolerant to temperatures and solvents and are less smooth. Independent of
substrate material surface quality will be a critical attribute and will be defined by the number of
defects of a given shape and size per unit area (the unit area being defined by the area being
processed for device manufacture). Perfection is unlikely and also chasing perfection will
significantly raise substrate costs, therefore understanding what shape/ size defect will be critical
to device manufacture and which surface defects can be ignored will be critical. At this stage this
is an area that is not clearly understood but likely will be in 5 years time. A key component of this
will be the capability to measure the surface smoothness of film over display size areas quickly
and economically- this is an emerging requirement. Large area metrology will therefore be an
area of growing importance in the next 5-10 years.

Most likely advances in device processing over the next 5 to 10 years will alter the focus of
substrate research. As an example for polymer film based substrates, although lowering
shrinkage at a given temperature and lowering shrinkage at elevated temperatures approaching
the Tm will always be of interest, advances in alignment compensation technologies for substrate
distortion will require that consistency of substrate (sheet to sheet or roll to roll) will become more
important than absolute shrinkage. Similarly although developing and commercializing polymer
films with higher thermal stability are of interest, this increased temperature performance will
come at a higher price. Therefore, advances in low temperature processing will likely mean that it
will be possible to manufacture devices economically on existing commercially available films
rather than necessarily requiring new expensive film substrates.

Before selecting a substrate for a given application, there are many important properties to
consider. The thermal and mechanical stability, resistance to moisture, gas and vapor
transmission, and solvents are important to consider. In addition, surface smoothness, surface
energy, optical transparency, commercial availability and costs must be considered. As with most
materials, costs increase with substrate material property demands. Depending on the
requirements of the application, a different flexible substrate will be required and for the more
demanding applications the substrate will almost certainly be a multilayer composite structure.
End-users seeking the best suited material for their application must balance the material
properties and costs1.Different requirements for substrate properties based on application are
summarized in Table 1. Some of the properties are ranked as design specific indicating that the
substrate requirements depend on design or architecture of the devices. For example, in display
applications, it is important that the substrate is transparent for a bottom-emissive design and not
important for a top-emissive design.

Table 1 Substrate properties requirements depending on application. Ranking is based on

the importance (1 very important, 2 medium and 3 less important, APS application
and product specific and DS design specific).
Transparency

Dimensional
Smoothness

Mechanical
Properties

Strength/
Flexibility
Thermal
Stability

Stability
Optical
Barrier

Application/Substrate
Properties

RFIDtag Antenna 2 3 3 2 2 2
 Circuitry 1 2 3 1 2 2

OLEDs 1 1 DS 1 1 APS

Passive 2 3 DS 2 2 APS

Inorganic
Display
Active 1 2 DS 1 1 APS
Backplanes

Organic Active 1 1 DS 1 2 APS

OrganicPhotovoltaics 2 1 DS 2 1 2

Batteries 3 2 3 2 2 2

Situation Analysis Status and Current Developments

In general, there are six major classes of substrates for large area flexible electronics: 1) polymer
film, 2) metal, 3) paper, 4) textiles, 5) glass and 6) ceramics. More detailed information for each
material is provided in the sections that follow.

2.1 Polymer Films

Polyesters
a. Applications
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) are well-known polymer
films used for a wide range of applications ranging from magnetic media and photographic
applications, where optical properties and excellent cleanliness are of paramount importance to
electronics applications such as flexible circuitry and touch switches, where thermal stability is
key. More demanding polyester film markets, which exploit the higher performance and benefits
of PEN include magnetic media for high density data storage and electronic circuitry for
hydrolysis-resistant automotive wiring2,3. More recently these polyester films have emerged as the
leading plastic based substrates for printable electronics4,5,6,7. Polyester films are being used in
RFID, organic and inorganic AM backplanes and cholesteric liquid crystal (LC) displays. Plans
are currently underway to commercialize e-paper displays based on active matrix (AM)
backplanes fabricated on polyester film.

b. Properties
PET and PEN films are prepared by a process whereby the amorphous cast is drawn in both the
machine direction and transverse direction. The biaxially oriented film is then heat set to
crystallize the film. It is the fact that the films are both crystalline and biaxially oriented that
imparts the unique property set associated with polyester films. This includes,

-excellent clarity
-low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) to minimize the stress in composite structures
involving organic and inorganic layers
-excellent solvent resistance (to cope with the wide range of solvents used in large area
electronics
-low moisture pickup to minimize dimensional change arising from film swelling during device
manufacture
-mechanical strength

The polyester films can also be put through a further process whereby the films are allowed to
relax under low tension at elevated temperatures. This process yields a film having low shrinkage
up to the temperatures at which the films are heat stabilized. By careful control of thermal stress,
environment (to minimize the effect of moisture) and mechanical stress (exploiting rigidity and
control of tension through processing) a dimensional reproducibility of less than100ppm at 150C
can be achieved with PEN8. This performance level demonstrates that the film can be pushed
beyond its data sheet specifications if careful control of the key factors listed above is achieved
and by matching and optimizing device fabrication against the property set of a given film.

A summary of PET and PEN properties relevant to large area flexible electronics is shown in
Figure 1.

Figure 1 A summary of PET and PEN properties relevant to large area flexible electronics

Upper temperature for processing, oC

Shrinkage in MD at 180-220oC
Youngs Modulus
150o C after 30 mins (%) 0.05% at 20oC, GPa

Non stabilised PET 4GPa 5GPa

150oC
and PEN shrink at Tg 0.1%
This limits processing Youngs Modulus
to Tg at 150oC, GPa
20-25ppm/oC 1GPa 3GPa
18-20ppm/oC

Heat stabilised PEN

1000ppm 78oC
Heat stabilised PET
1000ppm
Moisture pickup 120oC
0.7%
at 20oC, 40%RH
0.7%
Haze %

It is essential to have film of high surface quality for the more demanding display applications to
ensure that any surface defects or debris that could protrude through subsequent conductive or
barrier layers are not present. Surface cleanliness is dominated by dust and surface scratching.
These defects can range in size up to 10s of microns both laterally and vertically and are
unavoidable in film that is handled and slit in a non clean room environment. A proportion of the
dust particles can be removed by some form of surface cleaning, but to eliminate completely the
influence of these particles, films of excellent surface quality where a planarising coating has
been applied in a clean room environment have been developed7. These coatings have the dual
function of providing both surface smoothness over wide area, but also a certain surface
hardness to prevent scratching of the surface during film processing.

c. Current developments

As device manufacturers move from prototype demonstrators to commercial devices, film

development is focused on the commercialization and optimization of planarised PET and PEN
films where the scale-up to commercial scale coaters is giving a step change in surface quality. In
addition there is growing interest from device manufacturers in films of the property set described
above but at thinner thicknesses. Although on paper it would appear to be trivial to dial up any
combination of properties, bringing the property set together at the required thickness at
commercial scale quality requires significant development time and this is another area where
effort is being focused.

Roadmap of Quantified Key Attribute Needs, Gaps, and Showstopper

d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)

Research priorities within the control of film manufacturers include driving the property set
requirements provided above of the polyester films to the limit of that achievable for a given
polymer film type. However these will be small iterative changes based on the property set
provided above rather than large step changes.

The main issue holding back the adoption of plastic based films in large area flexible electronic
based products (i.e., OLED displays) is the lack of a commercially available high performance
barrier. The approach to barrier being pursued by specialist coaters involves combinations of
organic and inorganic coatings resulting in multilayer composite structures.

Polyimides
a. Applications
Polyimide film is a substrate used in flexible printed circuits (FPCs) that provides significant
advantages for both processing of circuitry and functionality of circuitry. Processing advantages
include the capability to fabricate from R2R, high mechanical strength, and unique distortional
resistance to harsh environments such as high temperature bonding stations and corrosive
aqueous etchants. Polyimide based FPCs find application where interconnect structures have to
survive severe flexural life cycles and torque (e.g. hard disk drives, printers), or where shock and
vibration absorption are required (e.g. military applications). Its thinness and flexibility allow it to
be installed into small volumes, requiring intricate folding, creating a 3-dimensional static shape, a
feature that assists miniaturization and has led to numerous applications. The 3-D capability,
combined with very fine circuit formation makes polyimide based FPCs ideal for use in digital
cameras, cellular phones, video cameras, flat panel displays, and notebook computers.9
Specialty applications also include membrane switches and single-layer structures serving as
superior alternatives for wire harnesses. Other applications include suspensions of disk drives
inkjet printers (connection to printer head). Electronic packaging applications include chip-scale
packages, chip-on-flex, and tape-automated-bonding (TAB).

Polyimide based dielectric substrates are typically supplied to circuit fabricators in a variety of
formats10 of which include-

Laminates
Prepared by bonding a stack consisting of a polyimide film, adhesive, and a metal foil such as
copper. The construction is subjected to sufficient heat and pressure in a laminating press to give
a metal polyimide laminate.
Laminated Coverlayer
Consists of a polyimide film base and a suitable adhesive or thermoplastic film. The coverlayer or
coverlay serves to protect the conductors of the finished circuit beneath it.

Bondplies
A FPC element comprised of a polyimide film with a thermosetting adhesive applied to both sides.
These constructions are mostly used for fabricating highly complex multilayer flex and rigid flex
circuits.

Adhesiveless Laminates
A special class of laminate whereby the polyimide is coated directly onto the metal carrier foil and
offers the advantage of providing an extremely thin construction.

b. Properties
Properties for an ideal FPC substrate are often dependent on subjective criteria; however, the
general conclusion is that low shrinkage to heat, low moisture absorption, high tensile modulus,
and an in-plane CTE closely matched to copper [17 ppm C-1] are critical to advanced
functionality. Low heat shrinkage affords precise registration of through-holes for large circuits
and consistent registration of the artwork pattern in circuit connections. A polyimide film CTE of
~17 ppm C-1 is desirable because of its match to copper from room temperature to solder bath
temperatures11. Without this property, the stresses during such a thermal change of several
hundred degrees Celsius would lead to excessive distortions. A high modulus is believed to be an
economic incentive as it allows the design engineer to obtain adequate stiffness with a 1-2 mil
film as an alternative to using a thicker substrate. A stiffer film is also easier to process into a
laminate construction. Water absorption is a subjective goal to some extent, but the specific value
of 1.5% is about the lower limit of aromatic polyimides. A shift to other polymeric structures is
believed to be required to dramatically lower moisture absorption. Furthermore, moisture content
of about 2% is about the limit of tolerance of most polyimide copper clads to sudden excursions to
250C 300C during bonding without blistering.

Approaches to obtain advanced polyimide based FPC substrates have emphasized alteration of
the polyimide backbone structure. By tailoring both the concentration and type of the polyimide
monomer building blocks, a range of unique and useful film properties can be obtained as given
in Table XX.

Table 2: Typical Properties of Kapton polyimide film

Kapton Polyimide film type [25 micron thickness]
Property Unit HN V KN EN-S E
Tensile Modulus [at 23C] kpsi 370 400 550 650 825
Ultimate Elongation [at 23C] % 72 80 65 64 50
Thermal Coefficient of Linear Expansion [50C-250C] ppm/C 32 32 15 14 16
Shrinkage [30 min, 150C] % 0.1 0.03 <0.1 0.02 0.05
Glass Transition Temperature [tan ] C 400 400 400 387 354
Dielectric Strength v/mil 7700 7700 7500 7000 7000
Dielectric Constant [1 kHz] 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.1
Dissipation Factor 0.0018 0.0018 0.002 0.002 0.002
Moisture Absorption % 3 3 3.2 1.9 1.8
Thickness Capability mils 0.3-7.0 0.3-7.0 0.5-3.0 0.5-2 0.3-2.0

In general, the key benefits of polyimide based flexible circuits include:

Flexural endurance
Flex for 3-dimensional installation
Light weight
Excellent tear resistance
Thinness
 Thin (25m, 1 mil) adhesiveless flexible layers in all-flex constructions or as flex layers in
rigid boards reduce inductance and reduce EMI (electromagnetic interference)
Ceramic filled thin flex layers are suitable as planar (shared) capacitance layers.
Thin flex layers, notably ceramic filled layers are effective heat dissipation layers.
Low dielectric constant
Low dissipation factor
Low CTE
Availability of very thin copper cladding
High break-down voltage
CAF (conductive anodic filament) resistance, zero CAF in adhesiveless polyimide flex
layers
Roll-to-roll processing
Appropriate for high density applications: laser drills well and thin copper allows fine lines and
spaces.

The disadvantages of polyimide based FPCs are that they are relatively expensive compared to
other polymeric substrate materials and that their high-temperature performance is often limited
by the adhesive used in the laminating system.

c. Current developments
In recent years a series of world events have changed the world economic energy landscape
bringing about resurgence in the solar energy industry. The technical potential exists for solar
energy to make a significant impact on the current energy generation infrastructure primarily
through the use of photovoltaic devices. In particular, thin film photovoltaics lower material costs,
inherent flexibility, and range of manufacturing methods offer great opportunities to extend the
range of solar electricity generation from small scale microelectronics to utility scale electricity.
Polyimides are known to be used in both polycrystalline and amorphous silicon based thin film
photovoltaic constructions. The ability of polyimide to withstand flexing without breakage allows
for easy installation in photovoltaic applications where the material must be bent or flexed during
installation and use. Using polyimide as a flexible substrate allows for greater design freedom in
the growing arena of thin film photovoltaic modules. For example, the low weight of thin film PV
solar panels could allow them to be fully integrated into commercial and residential building
materials and components advancing trends in green architectural design and execution.

Roadmap of Quantified Key Attribute Needs, Gaps, and Showstopper

d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)

Performance demands of polyimide film as a dielectric substrate for FPC applications have
intensified greatly since its commercial introduction in 1965. These greater demands have
stemmed from the design impetus for all circuitry, which is the progression to ultra-miniaturization
of solid state memory and logic devices with increasingly greater lead counts. Table 3 lists
several of the most critical technology needs to assist in the deployment of large area flexible
electronics designed using polyimide film substrates. Continually higher circuit density is required
to permit bonding to these devices. As technology progresses, the design engineer, in desire for
more reliable substrates, seeks thinner dielectrics, which will not distort under mechanical
stresses of processing, and also dimensionally inert materials capable of withstanding exposure
to heat and process chemicals. Along with greater functionality, there is also the attendant quest
for higher production yields. For example, surface contaminants and or adsorbed contaminants
are a detriment to FPC bond durability and complicate the matter of adhesion to metal foils. It is
essential to properly prepare the surface of the polyimide film prior to application to a metal foil.
The film surface can be cleaned in a number of ways ranging from brute force techniques such
as a pumice scrubber to more elegant methods such as heat treatments, reactive ion etching,
and chemical modification. Implementation of clean-room environmental manufacturing process
controls is another example of the step-changes required for the next generation of polyimide
based FPC. Current developments also include filled polyimide films for improved dimensional
stability, higher Dk (in planar embedded capacitor layers, and higher thermal conductivity.
Developments in processing chemicals for polyimide include modified swell and etch chemistries
for improved adhesion of electroless copper to the polyimide surface.

Table 3: Roadmap of key technology needs for polyimide film substrates

State of the Art (2009) Mid term (2014) Long term (2019)

Attributes Attributes Technology needs Attributes Technology needs

Surface morphology: 10 nm RMS Development of 5 nm RMS Development of

advanced film advanced film
roughness
processing processing
15 nm RMS technologies technologies

Moisture absorption: 1.5% Investigate polymer <1.0% Development of

chemistry hybrid substrate
~1.9%
adjustment routes construction

Dimensional stability 0.02% Development of <0.01% Development of

advanced heat advanced heat
~0.05%
stabilization stabilization
technology technology

2.2. Metal substrates

a. Applications
b. Properties
c. Current Developments
d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)

2.3 Paper
a. Applications
Paper substrate material has been available for approximately 200 years. Produced from wood
and other fibrous plant sources it is an environmentally friendly material made from a renewable
and well managed resource. The supply chain from paper supplier to printer is well established
and has been improved through competitive economics over time12. The integration of paper into
our lives has stirred great interest in the development of smart paper and packaging through large
area flexible electronics.

Due to its high flexibility, R2R printing processes can be efficiently used to print electronics on
paper substrates. Paper seems the most potentially useful in the area of smart packaging
applications. Biodegradable electronics printed on paper have also been reported13. Paper
printed or coated with indium tin oxide is prevalently used in the field of electrode materials for
electronic display technology for touch screens, electroluminescent diodes and OLEDs14. Paper
is already commercially being used to produce printed batteries15. Recently, paper was used as a
substrate for carbon nanotube based field emitters for lighting and flat panel display
applications16. Researchers have shown it to be a viable substrate for printed RFID antennae17.
However, the ultimate goal is to fully print an RFID tag directly to a label or package. For printed
integrated circuitry, feature sizes with resolutions less than 30 m have been reported18 and
OFETs on paper substrates have been reported previously19,20. Another area of ongoing
development for paper substrates is the formulation of primer coats to improve dimensional
stability during printing which are also compatible with the multiple functional inks; to date this has
been challenging.

b. Properties
The properties of paper and board can vary greatly, but all grades are capable of being
processed R2R. This makes paper the lowest cost flexible material made for mass production21.
Physical properties of paper are determined by basis weight, thickness, density, two-sidedness,
smoothness, permeability, rigidity, roughness, and porosity, which in turn affect sheet properties
like softness, hardness, compressibility, dimensional stability, curl, and strength22,23.

Paper can be made over a broad range of basis weights (30-400 gsm). The key attributes of
paper are rigidity and stiffness and ability to easily tailor its surface properties through the
application of various coatings. Coatings are applied to alter optical properties (brightness,
opacity) and structural properties (smoothness, porosity, permeability, surface energy and barrier
properties). Coated papers can have very low surface roughness. The length scale of roughness
depends on the type of coating materials applied, the number of coating layers applied, the
coating application and the finishing processes used. Papers also have a low dielectric
constant24. Additionally, the properties of papers can be altered to impart desirable functional
properties such as water resistance, low vapor and gas transmission and fire retardancy25.

The mechanical properties of paper changes with basis weight, the way the fibers are processed
and the type of fibers and additives used in the manufacturing process. In comparison to film, one
of the most attractive properties of paper is its stiffness and low extensibility. Bending stiffness, S,
is a function of Young's modulus of elasticity, E, and the caliper of the paper, c and a material
constant, k:

S = kEc

c. Current developments
Researchers have shown the ability to print functioning UHF RFID tag antenna directly to paper
using silver based inks 17. A team of researchers from academia and industry are currently
attempting to print a full RFID tag directly to paper and paperboard. The team has shown the
advantages of primer coats to improve electrical performance and print quality 27.

Roadmap of Quantified key Attribute Needs, Gaps, and Showstopper

d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)

Many papers used in traditional printing have anisotropic properties originating from the paper
manufacture and finishing processes. Irregular surface and structural properties of traditional
papers allow their use only for coarse electronic components with lower requirements for
resolution or print quality26. Below in Table 4 are provided several technology needs for future
development of paper substrates for use in large area flexible electronics based applications. For
higher performance electronics, however, paper properties need to be optimized to produce
smooth, uniform and highly functional layers and features. One of the main priorities is to improve
surface smoothness and absorption properties of paper substrates through the application of a
primer layer27, which would be preferably printable. It has been already shown that the rate of ink
absorption into the paper surface can influence quality of printed functional layers and
consequently electrical performance28. Additionally, papers are not transparent and are not as
dimensionally stable under harsh environmental conditions as some organic films. They are also
limited to low temperature processing and lack permanence29. More development work in primer
coatings and overprint barrier or encapsulating coatings is needed.

Table 4: Roadmap of key technology needs for paper substrates

State of the Art (2009) Mid term (2014) Long term (2019)

Technology
Attributes Attributes Attributes Technology needs
needs

Surface morphology: < 10 nm RMS Development < 5 nm RMS Development of a

of a printable printable planarizing
 roughness 50-100 nm planarizing coating
coating Development of
RMS (coated paper)
Development improved
of improved calendering methods
calendering
methods

Moisture Absorption 3- <1.5% Development <1% Development of

of improved improved barrier
7% for paper (depends
barrier coatings
on %RH) coatings

Dimensional stability <0.02% Development <0.01% Developemtn of

of improved improved barrier
~1.0% (transverse) barrier coatings
related to moisture coatings

content

2.4. Textile substrates - nonwovens

a. Applications
Nonwovens substrates (also referred to as engineered fabrics) were first commercialzied 60
years ago. The webs of fibers produced directly from staple fibers or polymers, are bonded by
thermal, mechanical or chemical means to form a flexible, strong sheet-like material. Many
nonwovens however, are not printed and therefore, unlike paper, the supply chain from the
nonwovens supplier (roll goods producer) to printer is not well established. The best known
recyclable printable nonwovens are Tyvek (DuPont) and Print Resolution Media (Fiberweb30).
Nonwovens are used in medical and hygiene, filtration, wipes, automotive components, apparel
components, geotextiles, packaging, etc., and more recently in printed electronics31.

Nonwovens can be made extremely lightweight, thin and flexible and are suitable for high speed
R2R printing processes and can be effectively used as substrates for printing electronics32.
Nonwovens can be suitable for smart packaging applications and wearable disposable or durable
medical monitoring systems, as well as military applications requiring tag and track capability.
Both Print Resolution Media and Tyvek are offered with or without a coating. Similar to paper,
nonwovens can be also printed or coated with indium tin oxide for electronic display technology
for touch screens, electroluminescent diodes and OLEDs14. Nonwovens are already commercially
being used to produce RFID tags directly to a label or package33,34. The challenges that remain
have to do with the ink substrate interactions with respect to spreading and penetration as well as
adhesion. Surface roughness is a critical attribute that controls the resolution of printed features.
Similar to paper, commercial press equipment capable of providing the required registration
needs to be developed. Also, primer coats to improve surface smoothness and printability are
needed.

b. Properties
The properties of nonwovens can vary broadly, but all grades are capable of being processed
R2R. This makes nonwovens a low cost flexible material suitable for mass production. Physical
properties of nonwovens are determined by basis weight, thickness, density, two-sidedness,
smoothness, permeability, rigidity, roughness, and porosity, which in turn affect sheet properties
like softness, hardness, compressibility, dimensional stability, curl, and strength. Structurally, the
pore size and shape, the spreading of inks and the printability are often controlled by the fiber
orientation distribution function (ODF). Nonwovens are inherently anisotropic and the degree to
which the structure is anisotropic dictates printability.
The orientation distribution function [ODF] is a function of the angle 35,36,37. The integral of the
function from an angle 1 to 2 is equal to the probability that a fiber will have an orientation
between the angles 1 and 2. The function must additionally satisfy the following conditions:
( + ) = ()

()d = 1
0
Anisotropy is often described by the ratio of the maximum to the minimum frequency. For uni-
modal distributions, in the range 0 to 180, the degree of anisotropy can also be characterized by
the width of the orientation distribution peak. The peak direction mean is at an angle given by
N

1 f ( ) sin 2
i i
= tan -1 i=1
N

f ( ) cos2
2
i i
i=1
while the standard deviation about this mean is given by:
1/ 2
1
( )
N
( ) = f ( i ) 1 cos 2( i )
2N i=1
The key attributes of nonwovens are rigidity and stiffness and ability to easily tailor their surface
properties through the use of micron or sub-micron based synthetic fibers as well as the
application of various coatings. Coatings are used to alter structural properties (smoothness,
porosity, permeability, surface energy and barrier properties). Coated nonwovens and even some
uncoated nonwovens can have very low surface roughness. The length scale of roughness
depends on the type of fiber used, the process employed for bonding the fibers and the coating
materials applied, the number of coating layers applied, the coating application and the finishing
processes used. Nonwovens can easily be altered to impart desirable functional properties such
as water resistance, low vapor and gas transmission and fire resistance. The structure of a
nonwoven is defined therefore as its fiber orientation distribution function. Another structural
aspect important to consider is the basis weight and its uniformity. While ODF may dictate
behavior, basis weight uniformity dictates failure. The structure-property relationships in a
nonwoven cannot be de-coupled from the process utilized to form the nonwoven.

c. Current Developments
A group of researchers at NC State has demonstrated that nonwovens can be used for the
fabrication of RFID tag antenna, and other forms of antennas by directly printing on nonwovens
using silver based inks. The team has shown that surface properties and permeability are critical
to the success of forming intricate circuitries. Coatings are also being looked at as a way to
control the surface roughness. These flexible printed structures have also been shown to
withstand bending and shear after a top coat has been applied following printing.

Roadmap of Quantified key Attribute Needs, Gaps, and Showstopper

d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)
Nonwoven fabrics usually exhibit, by virtue of the anisotropy in fiber orientation distribution and
bonding, a significant anisotropy in their in-plane and through-the-plane properties. Most
nonwovens have irregular surfaces which may only be suitable for coarse electronic components
with lower requirements for resolution or print quality. For higher performance electronics,
however, nonwoven properties need to be optimized to produce smooth, uniform and highly
functional layers and features. One of the main priorities is to use smaller fibers in the form of
hydroentangled structures wherein the resultant structure is composed of small fibers (2 microns
or less). Additionally, process control is required to ensure that the surface does not possess
ridges or textures38,39. Another priority is to improve surface smoothness and absorption
properties of nonwovens through the application of a primer layer, which would be preferably
printable. It has been already shown that the rate of ink absorption into a textile surface can
influence the quality of the printed functional layers and consequently electrical performance40.
While most nonwovens are not transparent, they are more dimensionally stable than paper and
depending on the fibers/polymers employed, they are not as limited to low temperature
processing. More development work in structure development, primer coatings and overprint
barrier or encapsulating coatings is needed.

Table 6: Roadmap of key technology needs for Nonwovens substrates

State of the Art (2009) Mid term (2014) Long term (2019)

Technology
Attributes Attributes Attributes Technology needs
needs

Surface morphology: < 50 nm RMS Development of < 25 nm RMS Development of a

a printable printable
roughness > 200 nm
planarizing planarizing coating
RMS (coated coating Development of
nonwoven) Development of improved
improved calendering and
calendering and hydroentangling
hydroentangling methods
methods

Dimensional stability <100 microns Development of <50 microns Development of

press registration press registration
200 microns control hardware control hardware

2.5 Glass
a. Applications
In general, all electronic displays starting with vacuum based CRTs and continuing through solid
state technologies such as LCD have relied on specialized glass substrates41. This has been due
to the thermo-mechanical, optical, surface quality, and other properties of glass that have been
optimized for these specific applications.

In the area of large area flexible electronics, previous reports have described the use of non-
optimized commercially available glass substrates <100m thick in initial sheet-fed printing
trials42,43,44,45. In these reports, all photolithography steps in an a-Si TFT fabrication process were
replaced by representative additive laser printing methods using commercially available
equipment. The maximum process temperature reached was 350C45. Inkjet printing was also
used to fabricate the electrical contacts45. Although the substrate, printing materials, and
processes were not optimized; the initial trials demonstrated the beneficial thermo-mechanical,
dimensional stability, and surface properties of glass substrates in manufacturing large area
flexible electronic devices.

The initial trials mentioned above indicate the potential use of glass substrates in more
continuous mass manufacturing compatible electronic fabrication methods e.g. R2R printing.
Similar to display applications, glass properties can likewise be optimized to meet the
requirements of specific large area flexible electronic device designs and manufacturing methods.
In general, glass substrates are particularly well matched for device applications of display,
signage, RFID, solar cell46,47,48, and sensors49,50 that have demanding requirements of: print
resolution, print registration, substrate dielectric constant, optical properties, processing
temperatures, and/or substrate dimensional stability. Specifically for solar cell applications,
current trials are focused on developing printing processes for making the next generation solar
panels on glass substrates51,52.

b. Properties
The exact properties of glass substrates will depend on the specific optimization of composition
and structure that are made to meet the targeted manufacturing and device requirements. In
general, though, glass substrates excel in several areas that enable increased manufacturing
capability and device operating performance. The general material properties and representative
values are listed below53,54,55,56,57,58. These are representative properties suggesting the capability
of glass substrates. Trade-offs exist, however, that will affect the performance of the final
substrate optimized for a specific manufacturing process and application.

Thermo-Mechanical:
- Thermal capability >300C
- Dimensional stability uniform and repeatable dimensional changes
- CTE (0-300C) 3ppm/C typical for Si TFT applications, adjustable
- Surface roughness, Ra <0.5nm
Electrical:
- Dielectric constant >3 @ 1MHz
Optical:
- Transmission (400-700nm) >90%
- Birefringence <0.1nm
- UV degradation negligible in this application
Environmental Compatibility:
- Oxygen & water permeation hermetic barrier
- Chemical durability resistant to range of acids, bases, organic solvents
- Water absorption 0%

c. Current developments
The major challenge for use of glass as a large area flexible electronic substrate is in terms of
mechanical reliability. Glass is a low fracture toughness material that accepts damage readily,
and flaws in glass can grow subcritically with applied stress and moisture54. The surface strength
of glass substrates is not dependent on the substrate thickness59, and it is not an intrinsic material
property. Glass strength is a result of spatial and size distribution of flaws54. Glass has high
strength and reliability when the pristine surfaces created during forming are preserved. Bend
strengths of >6GPa have been measured in a glass composition typically used in display
applications54. The strength of glass can decrease by orders of magnitude, however, when
surface or edge flaws are introduced58. The measured surface strength of glass substrates has
been observed to consist of both high strength regions corresponding to flaws created during
manufacturing as well as low strength regions due to handling flaws59.

Approaches to preserve the mechanical reliability of glass include proof-testing to set a minimum
strength value in the substrate and methods to prevent damaging the pristine glass substrate
surfaces54. Preventing flaws from occurring in the glass can be achieved through appropriate
handling and use of protective coating methods. Manufacturing equipment can be designed to
minimize both contact damage to the glass substrate as well as minimizing tensile stress in the
glass where flaws may exist. Protective coatings can also be used to minimize contact damage
from occurring.

The protective coatings for glass substrates can include temporary polymeric films that are
removed during various device manufacturing steps or permanent coatings that offer protection
throughout the glass substrate lifetime. In cases where the coating is permanently applied to the
glass substrate before device manufacturing, the protective coating must be chosen to be
compatible with any subsequent device fabrication steps that may occur. Preserving the
mechanical reliability of glass substrates with protective coatings has been reported with
commercially available glass thicknesses <100um53,60,61,62,63. Demonstrations have also been
made of fabricating electroluminescent OLED and PLED devices on coated glass substrates and
then cyclically bending the glass to a radius of 35mm61,62,63.

Roadmap of Quantified key Attribute Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers

d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)
R&D studies that would utilize or enable the benefits of glass substrates in large area flexible
electronic applications are needed, as well as studies to determine how to enhance the capability
of continuous device manufacturing. Designing the equipment handling systems to minimize
contact damage and tensile stress to glass substrates would increase the device mechanical
reliability. A few technology needs are listed below in Table 5. Also glass substrates offer
enhanced dimensional stability for device manufacturing across a wide temperature range.
Developing processing equipment capable of achieving resolutions of <25m and registration
<5m as well as the associated printable materials (conductor, semiconductor, dielectric) would
take advantage of the dimensional stability and full capability of glass substrates.

Table 5: Roadmap of key technology needs for glass substrates

State of the Art (2009) Mid term (2014) Long term (2019)

Attributes Attributes Technology needs Attributes Technology needs

*** Note Actual quantified values for the roadmap targets are highly dependent on which market
application is being pursued. As shown in Table 1, required glass substrate performance levels vary greatly
among the different device technologies. In some cases glass substrates already meet the requirements,
and in others more development is needed. The topics listed in this table suggest areas that could be
optimized to meet specific application requirements.

Mechanical reliability Development of Development of

optimized substrate optimized substrate
- protective coatings protective coatings for protective coatings for
device fabrication device fabrication
compatibility. compatibility.

Mechanical reliability Development of Development of

optimized conveyance optimized conveyance
- web conveyance methods for device methods for device
fabrication equipment fabrication equipment to
to minimize substrate minimize substrate
contact damage and contact damage and
tensile / bend stress. tensile / bend stress.

Print capability on glass Development of Development of

improved printing improved printing
substartes
resolution capabilities resolution capabilities on
- Resolution on glass to achieve glass to achieve <10um.
<25um.

Print capability on glass Development of Development of

improved printing improved printing
substrates
registration capabilities registration capabilities
- Registration on glass to achieve on glass to achieve
<5um. <3um.

Printable materials for Development of Development of

improved performance improved performance
glass substrates
printable conductor, printable conductor,
dielectric, and dielectric, and
semiconductor semiconductor materials
materials for glass for glass substrates.
substrates.
2.6 Ceramics
a. Applications
In a chapter on large area printed flexible electronics, it may be questioned if ceramics fit the
flexible criteria, as they are very rigid; however, ceramics have played a significant role in the
history of printed electronics. The very first substrates to interconnect semiconductor chips were
made of alumina (Al2O3), and they were printed with metallized thick-film. Organic-based Printed
Wiring Boards (PWB) came a few years later. Ceramic substrates are still in large use today and
both material providers and end-users alike continue to make significant strides in the
development and usage of these materials. Due to the higher price of ceramic substrates in
comparison to epoxy/E-glass composites regular organic PWBs, their use is limited to the most
demanding of applications where rigid, high temperature or high frequency behavior is needed.
One of the biggest desires is to have large area electronics populated with functional elements
like printed semiconductors. Again, ceramics are not in the forefront in this regard, although
research on the printing of SOIs (Semiconductors on Insulators) on ceramics would be of interest.
Very important are the possibilities of integrating all passive components on ceramics by printing.
Printed resistors and printed capacitors are far better on ceramics than on any other substrate
material. The fact that thick film pastes can be blended to provide from 10 ohms per square up to
10 megaohm per square makes the printing of small outline, very stable resistors, easy and
inexpensive.

Some applications of printed coils on ferrite materials have been reported. In fact, miniature
antennas are most often made on ceramic materials. Probably the largest numbers of ceramic
electronics produced today are for mobile phone antennas, but these are tiny chips, not requiring
a large amount of ceramic material to produce a single component. Manufacturing may be in
sheets, but these sheets are singulated into tens of thousands of chips at a later state/time.
The ceramic multilayer substrate industry continues to grow and evolve as applications demand
new performance requirements. The unique properties of ceramics, along with the varied options
of ceramic material sets, allow designers the ability create products that cannot be fabricated
using conventional organic laminate technologies. With a high thermal conductivity and flexural
strength, coupled with excellent high frequency dielectric properties and the ability to integrate
passive components, ceramic substrates will continue to be ideally suited for harsh environment,
highly reliable applications, and also for miniaturized high frequency products, such as filters,
couplers, antennas, etc.

The information on ceramics properties will now be discussed. The discussion is limited to printed
thick film technology because deposited thin films are not printed nor cost effective compared to
printed thick films.

b. Properties
Tables 2 and 3 list properties for several ceramic substrate options (from iNEMI Ceramic
Substrate Roadmap 2007). Each substrate technology requires very specific processing and
metallization techniques, neither of which will be covered in this section.

Table 6 Comparative typical material properties, ceramic substrates

Material
Property 96% 99.5% Ba2Ti9O20 CVD
BeO AlN
AL2O3 Al2O3 (Hi-K) Diamond
TC
20-27 35-36 2.1 260 160-200 1000
(20C)(W/mK)
TCE
6.7 6.9 9 7.5-8.5 4.4-4.6 2.6
(x10-6/C)
 Volume Resistivity
1011-1014 >1014 >1012 >1013 >1014 >1013
(200C)(cm)
Dielectric Constant
9.4-9.5 9.9 81.5 6.6-6.7 8.7-8.9 5.7
(1MHz)
Flexural Strength
58 90 15 230-250 290-400 550
(MPa)
Dielectric Strength
10-12 10 15
(KV/m)
Density
3.75-3.80 3.87-3.89 5.72 2.85 3.30 3.51
(g/cm3)

TC thermal conductivity
TCE thermal coefficient of expansion

Table 7 Co-fired capability comparisons

Material
Characteristics Alumina Aluminum
Mullite LTCC*
(90 93%) Nitride
CTE
7 4.5 4.0 - 4.5 5-7
(ppm/C)
Dielectric Constant
9 - 10 8-9 6-7 4.5 - 10
(1MHz)
Dissipation Factor
0.1% - 0.2%
(1MHz)
Flexural Strength
45 - 60 40 - 45 25 - 30 25 - 45
(Kpsi)
Metallization Resistivity
8 - 12** 8 - 12** 8 - 12** 2-5
(m/sq)
Thermal Conductivity 2-4
18 - 24 150 - 180 5-6
(W/mK) 20***

CTE coefficient of thermal expansion

LTCC - low temperature co-fired ceramic

* Typical properties for commercially available materials. Chemistry modifications allow tailoring
properties to meet specific requirements
** Refractory metals (Mo/Mn)
*** Thermal Vias

For the substrate technologies where the metals are applied by screen-printing, 75-micron lines
and spaces can be achieved in production, with 50-micron lines and spaces demonstratedat
development volumes. For the multilayer products, tape thicknesses can be as thin as 100-
microns, and layer counts can reach over 50 layers, although most production products range
between 6 and 10 layers. Printed resistors, which are typically RuO2 based, can provide
resistance values in the milliohms per square up to the megaohms per square, can be laser
trimmed to 0.1% tolerance, and can have a footprint as small as 0.5mm x 0.5mm.

c. Current developments
Despite being a very mature technology (greater than 50 years), ceramic technology is still being
improved. Finer feature sizes, improved high frequency properties, lower metal costs, improved
yields, lower manufacturing costs and higher stability under extreme temperatures (300C
possible) are all areas of focus.
The automotive industry continues to be a major thrust for ceramic product development. In
todays vehicle, metallized ceramic substrates can vary widely in use. Just a few areas of
development include forward and side-looking radar/object detection, engine and transmission
control, inertial motion sensing (accelerometers and gyroscopes), pressure sensing, and hybrid
vehicle power inverters.
Other areas where ceramic products continue to see development include harsh-environment
industrial in-the-dirt electronics, such as sensors for ground drilling operations, or highly reliable
military radar and transceiver (Tx) modules.
Lastly, with the increased development of Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS), ceramics
are a perfect fit for the devices that require hermeticity or rigid mechanical platforms. Several
well-funded high-volume production MEMS development efforts are underway offering the
possibility of integrating interconnect substrate with MEMS elements onto one piece of ceramic
material.

Roadmap of Quantified key Attribute Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers

d. Technology Requirements (Needs, Gaps, and Showstoppers)

Most research is on LTCC including feature sizes and yield, and the utilization of lower cost metal
systems. Typical LTCC systems use either gold or silver as the deposited metal, but increased
cost pressures have forced material manufacturers to develop copper-based systems.
Laser systems for processing of all features are expanding in importance. An interesting use for
this technology is in 3D-applications. A few key technology attributes are listed in Table 8.
Multiple layers can be used to introduce cavities and channels in the substrate, both for cooling
liquids running in the substrate and for miniature, integrated liquid chemical analyzers where
reagents and samples are mixed, treated and analyzed, all in a solid block of ceramics.
Another 3D possibility is to sinter the multilayer substrate in a non-planar support making items
that fit in abnormal physical structures. As the limiting factor is still cost, TWG members
concluded that the greatest R&D priorities are for new technologies to reduce costs.

Table 8: Roadmap of key technology needs for ceramic substrates

State of the Art (2009) Mid term (2014) Long term (2019)

Attributes Attributes Technology needs Attributes Technology needs

Materials Properties: 300 W/mK Development of 400 W/mK Development of

synthesis routes synthesis routes
Thermal conductivity Low r < 4 Low r < 3
and structure- and structure-
Dielectric constant High r > 2000 materials theories High r > materials theories
to guide chemistry. 10,000 to guide chemistry.

Handling equipment Availability of Development of Availability of Development of

hardware for production grade improved production grade
automatic manufacturing automatic manufacturing
handling small equipment with inspection inspection
series and odd appropriate tooling. hardware equipment with
shapes (improving appropriate tooling.
yield)

Cost Reduced NRE Development of Reduced Establish new

related costs processes to volume cost methods for in-line
enable to reduce control of
design and set-up processes to
automation related improve yield and
costs reduce ceramic
material cost
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