Optimization of a reverse-offset printing process and its application to a metal mesh touch screen sensor

Reverse-offset printing provides an alternative method for manufacturing ultra-fine patterned devices, such as thin film transistors and touch screen sensors. In addition to enabling fine patterning on the scale of less than a few micrometers, the method ensures the preservation of high-quality surfaces, which are essential for multi-layer devices. Ultra-fine patterns may be obtained by finely tuning the reverse-offset printing process along several printing parameters, including the printing pressure and printing speed. These parameters affect the adhesion and cohesion of an ink film, which govern the patterning mechanism. In this paper, we analyzed the patterning mechanism and optimized the printing parameters to achieve good printability. Optical transmittance methods were used to quantitatively evaluate the printability in each printing test. Finally, we demonstrated the fabrication of a single-layer metal mesh touch screen sensor based on the optimized printing process. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.