Brewer Science today launched inks with the potential to change the way carbon nanotube (CNT) users manufacture microelectronic devices. The company introduced the first aqueous, surfactant-free, ready-to-use semiconducting CNT inks for microelectronics and printed electronics applications. Brewer Science, a leading supplier of specialty materials and integrated solutions for microelectronics device fabrication, is once again delivering a game-changing product that will provide its customers with an advantage in their industry.
“Until now, users of semiconducting CNTs had to use surfactant-containing ink from material suppliers or produce surfactant-based inks themselves from raw semiconductor CNT sources. In either case, the deposited surfactant had to be washed from the film, which generated CNT-contaminated waste and could redistribute the deposited films, leading to performance variation,” said Jim Lamb, Director of Business Development, Carbon Electronics Center. “This point-of-use tinkering was very process intensive and inconsistent, even for laboratory usage of CNTs, and commercial applications could not be targeted with such products. These ready-to-use formulations will give our customers a stable and consistent product for use in large-scale manufacturing of semiconducting devices and many other products.”
The CNTRENE 4010 series of semiconducting inks are stable, water-based materials prepared using a proprietary method developed by Brewer Science. Due to their unique formulation, the inks do not contain additives such as surfactants that require damaging and waste-producing post-deposition treatment (wash) steps. These inks can be deposited easily onto a variety of rigid and flexible substrates with standard coating techniques including spray-coating and Aerosol Jet® printing. At Brewer Science’s Carbon Electronics Center, arrays of TFT devices have been prepared which have average ON/OFF ratios of >4000 and mobilities of >0.2 cm2/V·s.