SBIR Phase I: Novel Method for the Deposition of Electrically Conductive Patterns of Carbon Nanotubes

SBIR 第一阶段：沉积碳纳米管导电图案的新方法

• 批准号: 0712398
• 负责人: Season Wong
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lynntech, Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-07-01 至 2008-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0712398&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Novel; Method; Deposition

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project involves the development of a cost effective, scaleable, and non-lithographic-based deposition system to deposit electrically conductive CNTs patterns on a wide range of substrates. The advantageous physical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), including excellent electrical, thermal conductivity, good mechanical strength, semiconducting/metallic nature, and advanced field-emission behavior, have been utilized in various different devices. The area-selective synthesis or deposition of CNTs on pre-patterned growth templates using either catalytic or plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition methods opens up further fields for advanced future applications. However, these techniques require complex lithography processes and sophisticated deposition facilities or are limited to thermally durable growth substrates. Lynntech and their collaborators will develop an innovative digital optical chemistry processor (DOC-P) to create a reactive surface for the subsequent assembly of CNTs through electrostatic or covalent interactions. The DOC-P involves focusing UV-light onto surface-treated substrates by reflection from an independently controllable micron-sized polished micromirror array commercialized by Texas Instruments eliminating the need for photo-masks. The technology will allow more rapid deposition than inkjet-printing or DipPen approaches. In Phase I, electrical behavior, adhesion strength, and optical transparency of the printed patterns will be investigated and limitations of the process will be determined.The proposed system provides a simple and rapid method to generate transparent conductive patterns using carbon nanotubes. Successful patterning of CNTs using DOC-P will lead to reduction in manufacturing costs. The technology can be used to make electronic circuits and field emission displays on highly transparent conductive films. According to Nanomarkets LC, a company specialized in analyzes nanotechnology market, while some of the circuits for flexible plastic displays can use CNTs, the biggest opportunity for CNTs in the display sector will come from field emission displays (FEDS) which may provide the first mass market for CNTs. Nanomarkets LC expects FEDS will generate more than $700 million in revenues by 2009. The properties and processing advantages of DOC-P technology will also find uses in commercial applications such as touch screens, larger areas displays, flexible display and solar photovoltaic collectors. The DOC-P setup allows the fabrication of different conductive patterns without the use of high cost photo-mask procedures, making it very useful for educational research laboratories. The process to make such patterns or circuits is also very environmental friendly as photoresists or toxic solvents are not needed for patterning or the immobilization of CNTs.

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目涉及开发一种成本效益高、可扩展和基于非光刻的沉积系统，以便在各种衬底上沉积导电碳纳米管图案。碳纳米管具有优异的导电性、导热性、机械强度、半导体/金属性质和先进的场发射性能等优良的物理性能，已被用于各种不同的器件。利用催化或等离子体增强的化学气相沉积方法在预先图案化的生长模板上选择性地合成或沉积碳纳米管，为未来的先进应用开辟了更多的领域。然而，这些技术需要复杂的光刻工艺和复杂的沉积设备，或者仅限于耐热生长基板。Lynntech和他们的合作者将开发一种创新的数字光学化学处理器(DOC-P)，以通过静电或共价相互作用为随后的碳纳米管组装创建反应表面。DOC-P通过德州仪器商业化的可独立控制的微米大小抛光微镜阵列的反射，将紫外光聚焦到经过表面处理的基板上，从而消除了对光掩模的需求。这项技术将允许比喷墨打印或Dippen方法更快速地沉积。在第一阶段，将研究印刷图案的电学行为、结合强度和光学透明度，并确定工艺的局限性。所提出的系统提供了一种简单、快速地利用碳纳米管生成透明导电图案的方法。使用DOC-P成功构图碳纳米管将导致制造成本的降低。该技术可用于在高透明导电薄膜上制造电子电路和场发射显示器。据专门分析纳米技术市场的公司NanoMarkets LC称，虽然柔性塑料显示器的一些电路可以使用碳纳米管，但碳纳米管在显示领域最大的机会将来自场发射显示器(FED)，这可能为碳纳米管提供第一个大众市场。NanoMarkets LC预计，到2009年，联邦调查局将产生超过7亿美元的收入。DOC-P技术的特性和工艺优势也将用于商业应用，如触摸屏、更大面积的显示器、柔性显示器和太阳能光伏集热器。DOC-P设置允许在不使用高成本光掩模程序的情况下制造不同的导电图案，这使得它对于教育研究实验室非常有用。制造这种图案或电路的过程也非常环保，因为构图或固定碳纳米管不需要光致抗蚀剂或有毒溶剂。