Silver nanoparticle piezoresistive sensors fabricated by roll-to-roll slot-die coating and laser direct writing

Abstract

In this study, we propose new fusion technology to overcome the limitations of the current printing process for printed electronics. The combinative slot-die coating and laser direct writing on a roll-to-roll (R2R) basis was studied and applied to the fabrication of piezoresistive strain gauges. Piezoresistive sensors were fabricated for the first time by this developed fusion technology. A parametric study was performed for the R2R process, followed by a comparison of the fabricated functional devices with commercial products, which confirmed a 40% increase in the gauge factor of the fabricated sensors over the commercial product. The combinative manufacturing process for functional device fabrication will open a new chapter in the future of printed electronics due to its large area capacity at low cost. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America