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2011
Conference Paper
Titel
Laser-based manufacturing of metallic conducting paths
Abstract
Large-scale OLEDs, solar cells or heated windows have in common that they all are in need of conducting paths for collecting or distributing electricity on poorly or non-conducting surfaces. But common techniques for the production of conducting paths in OLED devices are time- and energy-consuming and therefore expensive since they include high vacuum sputtering and photolithographic processes: More than 90% of the carefully applied metal coating has to be removed in an etching process leaving used etchants for recycling. Common solar cells' conducting paths are made by screen-printing a silver paste onto the surface and then treating the applied structure in an energy-consuming furnace process. The Fraunhofer ILT - in cooperation with Philips Lighting - developed a laser-based process to 'write' metallic conducting paths of widths down to 35 ?m onto ITO-coated glass with speeds of up to 2.5 m/s in ambient atmosphere. The conducting paths consist of aluminum, copper, silver or a similar material and show specific resistances of about 0.0473.10-4Ohm.cm and sheet resistances of about 0.04 Ohms per square which is sufficient for OLED applications. A multiple coating can even reduce resistances further.