Characterization of a New DC-Glow Discharge Plasma Set-Up to Enhance the Electronic Circuits Performance

The (DC-GDPAU) is a DC glow discharge plasma experiment that was designed, established, and operated in the Physics Department at Ain Shams University (Egypt). The aim of this experiment is to study and improve some properties of a printed circuit board (PCB) by exposing it to the plasma. The device consists of cylindrical discharge chamber with movable parallel circular copper electrodes (cathode and anode) fixed inside it. The distance between them is 12 cm. This plasma experiment works in a low-pressure range (0.15 - 0.70 Torr) for Ar gas with a maximum DC power supply of 200 W. The Paschen curves and electrical plasma parameters (current, volt, power, resistance) characterized to the plasma have been measured and calculated at each cm between the two electrodes. Besides, the electron temperature and ion density are obtained at different radial distances using a double Langmuir probe. The electron temperature (KTe) was kept stable in range 6.58 to 10.44 eV;whereas the ion density (ni) was in range from 0.91 × 1010 cm−3 to 1.79 × 1010 cm−3. A digital optical microscope (800×) was employed to draw a comparison between the pre-and after effect of exposure to plasma on the shaping of the circuit layout. The experimental results show that the electrical conductivity increased after plasma exposure, also an improvement in the adhesion force in the Cu foil surface. A significant increase in the conductivity can be directly related to the position of the sample surfaces as well as to the time of exposure. This shows the importance of the obtained results in developing the PCBs manufacturing that uses in different microelectronics devices like those onboard of space vehicles.

Influence of co-solvent hydroxyl group number on properties of water-based conductive carbon pastes

A series of water-based conductive carbon pastes were prepared by wet ball milling, followed by vacuum defoaming using isopropyl alcohol, propylene glycol or glycerin as co-solvents. Screen printing was then used to prepare conductive patterns. To determine the influence of co-solvent hydroxyl group number on the properties of water-based conductive carbon pastes, the rheological properties of the pastes and the surface morphologies and conductivities of the printed patterns were characterized. The results show that paste viscosity increased with the number of hydroxyl groups and the latter also affected thixotropy. In addition, the boiling points and surface tensions of the co-solvents increased consistently with hydroxyl group number, affecting the hydrodynamic flow. The conductive carbon paste created using propylene glycol as a co-solvent was the best for screen printing because of its weak coffee-ring effect and appro- priate rheological properties, resulting in a smooth coating surface and uniform deposition of the fillers. The resistivity of the pattern printed using paste PG, containing the closest packing of conductive carbon black particles, was 0.44 Ω cm.

Inkjet printing of viscoelastic polymer inks

Inkjet printing is a new fabricating method that can realize the precise film deposition. For polymer inks, the coil-stretch transition of polymer chains always impacts the ink droplet formation and a beads-on-a string structure filament is formed, thus generating unwanted satellite droplets. This review provides a short introduction of the dynamic process of the droplet formation. Then fluid theological requirements for a printable polymer ink are summarized. Finally the strain hardening phenomenon of polymer chains in the filament formation and its impact on polymer ink-jetting are discussed. The research of viscoelastic polymer inks shows that rheological parameters and viscoelasticity are two key factors that determine the printability of polymer inks.