2.6. Photonic Curing System
For the current roll-to-roll printing system, it is crucial to cure the printed ink quickly before it enters
the next module. For inks and coatings containing nanoparticles, this process is called sintering. A
conventional sintering process requires heating above 150 °C. However, it limits the applicable substrate,
especially when the metal has a higher melting point than the flexible substrate, making it impossible to
achieve sintering without causing subsequent damage to the substrate. Additionally, the curing speed of
conventional systems is also relatively low for heating the ink above its melting points. To overcome
these problems, a photonic curing/sintering method using high energy light pulse has been implemented.
Our photonic curing tool contains a 4.2" diameter spiral lamp (240 nm spectral cutoff). In our system,
a 1.5 s exposure to 3 pulses, with a pulse energy 1500 Joules/pulse, completely sinters a printed silver
nanoparticle film.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&...olCHqIfAHw


Cure this!