Analysis of dynamic thermal characteristic of register of roll-to-roll multi-layer printing systems

• The thermal characteristics of register were studied in roll-to-roll printing process.
• Elastic modulus and CTE of plastic substrate were changed by drying temperature.
• Thermal strain of substrate by temperature fluctuations is dominant in register error.
• A model was developed to estimate the register error generated by thermal deformations.
• The developed model has superior performance than the conventional register model.

Register control is essential in the roll-to-roll printing of organic thin-film transistors. Specifically, microscale accuracy is required in the control of the overlay printing register. To achieve such precise control, the characteristics of the substrate under the operating conditions, such as the drying temperature and the tension applied to the substrate, should be considered. In this study, the variations of the elastic modulus and thermal deformation with the drying temperature were investigated, and the correlations among the change in the thermal characteristic of the substrate, the tension, and register error were also analyzed. The results of the analyses showed that the thermal deformation produced by the temperature change generated tension and register error, with the effect increasing with increasing drying temperature. System identification techniques were further used to develop a register model for estimating the register error due to thermal and elastic strains. The maximum estimation ability of 86.27% of the developed model is higher than that of a conventional register model.

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