PDMS films for printed electronics - Methods and Advancements.

March 1, 2018

Dr. Victoria Tran, Delphon R&D Director delivered a talk about PDMS films at the recent FLEX Conference.

Polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) is an attractive material for printed electronics. It is a soft, water impermeable dielectric and a familiar material for encapsulating and protecting electronics. In addition, PDMS is an ideal material for medical applications given its biocompatibility, chemically inertness and high oxygen permeability. However, PDMS has not gained mainstream adoption in printed electronics due to a number of challenges. A major obstacle is its inherently low surface energy. At <20 dynes, it is significantly more difficult for common inks on the market to wet and adhere to it compared to traditionally used TPUs. In addition, residual PDMS is known to bloom to the substrate surface. This residue is a known contaminant that prevents adhesion of not only conductive inks but also the adhesives used to bond devices to its surface. Delphon offers several advanced substrate options for printed electronics such as PDMS, low hysteresis TPUs and thermoset urethanes. In addition Delphon provides COPE films for high temperature applications. This presentation will focus on the advancements and methods developed at Delphon to provide unique printable PDMS films. Delphon’s ultra-soft variety of silcones can offer durometers down to 6 Shore A. The described proprietary PDMS material and film constructions can withstand temperatures down to -50○C and up to 200○C allowing for more ink compatibility. The materials are durable with hysteresis <1%. Furthermore, the material has no detectable residue via QCMD thus allowing for better ink and device adhesion.
For the complete presentation, click here.