Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 March 2011
A capillary bridge printing technique has been used to deposit copper interconnects using homogeneous solutions of a Cu(II) precursor in a series of low boiling primary alcohols. The rheological properties of the solutions have been measured first to determine their printability. The as-printed lines with subsequent annealing at relatively low temperatures (∼200 °C), in order to evaporate the volatile solvents and facilitate dissociation of the precursor deposit, produced conducting interconnects. The precursor has been demonstrated to be self-reducing and requires no reducing environment (e.g. H2) thus making the interconnect formation easier. Moreover, successful decomposition of the precursor into metallic Cu at such low temperatures holds promise for applications involving flexible polymer substrates.