A high-resolution electrohydrodynamic jet printing system

This paper discusses the design and integration of a second-generation electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing system. As electrohydrodynamic jet (e-jet) printing gains recognition as a novel, low-cost, high-quality direct-write process for flexible electronics manufacturing, that has the ability to deliver print resolutions that exceed those possible by conventional (thermal and piezoelectric) inkjet printing technologies by about two orders of magnitude, it has become necessary to develop an e-jet printer with a number of features for prototype manufacturing. This second-generation printing tool incorporates a number of new capabilities, including higher printing speeds with a new pulsed-jet mode of printing, multi-materials capabilities with a dual print head, interpolation and NC programming for line writing capabilities in addition to raster-scan printing, and automated image analysis-based overlay registration capabilities for quick set up. Applications such as drop-on-drop printing for combinatorial chemical analysis as well as crossover interconnects for microelectronic circuits are demonstrated.