Polymer-Relief Microstructures by Inkjet Etching

de Gans, Berend-Jan; Höppener, Stephanie; Schubert, Ulrich S.

Abstract:

Inkjet printing is developing at a rapid pace. The last decade saw continuous improvements in quality and resolution, and the technology has now arrived at the point where it challenges conventional silver halide photography. But inkjet technology is not only a printing technology. A lot of effort is being put into turning inkjet printing into a versatile tool for various industrial processes for accurately depositing minute quantities of materials in defined spots on surfaces, in particular in plastic electronics and polymer light-emitting diodes. Inkjet printing may also become a cost-saving alternative to photolithography for the production of next-generation active- matrix liquid-crystal displays. Of particular interest is the use of inkjet printing in the fields of biotechnology and combinatorial chemistry as a tool for the preparation of inkjet- printed polymer microarrays or libraries, i.e., arrays of individually addressable dots or rectangles with well-known compositions on substrates.

Year:

2006

Type of Publication:

Article

Journal:

Advanced Materials

Volume:

18

Pages:

910 - 914