The characteristics of Cu nanopaste sintered by atmospheric-pressure plasma

There are two main technologies for the commercialization of printable and flexible electronic devices. One is the manufacture of nanomaterials such as nanoinks and nanopastes that include conducting nanoparticles, and another is heat treatment at lower temperatures. Copper (Cu) nanopaste and atmospheric-pressure plasma (APP) sintering is highly adoptable for mass production of printable and flexible electronic devices at low cost. The relation between the microstructure of screen-printed Cu nanopaste and its electrical properties was investigated. The characteristics of Cu patterns sintered by APP were compared to those sintered by conventional radiation–conduction–convection heating. The Cu patterns sintered at 250 W for 40 min showed the lowest electrical resistivity of 21.06 μΩ cm, which is around 12.61 times of the bulk Cu. All of the Cu pattern surfaces sintered by APP showed lower oxygen concentrations than those sintered by conventional heating.

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► APP sintering is suitable with the polymer substrates for flexible electronics.
► Cu nanopaste sintered by plasma showed the electrical resistivity of 21.06 μΩ cm.
► Cu nanopaste sintered by APP had low oxygen concentration on the surface.