Ultrafine Pitch Stencil Printing of Liquid Metal Alloys

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017 Jan 18;9(2):1178-1182. doi: 10.1021/acsami.6b13088. Epub 2017 Jan 9.

Abstract

With high conductivity and stretchable for large cross-sections, liquid metals such as galinstan are promising for creating stretchable devices and interconnects. Creating high resolution features in parallel is challenging, with most techniques limited to a hundred micrometers or more. In this work, multilevel electroplated stencils are investigated for printing liquid metals, with galinstan features as small as ten micrometers printed on soft elastomers, a factor of 10 reduction over past liquid metal stencil printing. Capacitors and resistive strain sensors are also demonstrated, showing the potential for creating stretchable conductors and devices.

Keywords: electroplated stencil; galinstan; liquid metal; stencil printing; stretchable electronics.