IMPROVED METHOD FOR FABRICATING PRINTED ELECTRONICS

摘要

A method for fabricating printed electronics and optical components includes printing (104) a trace of electrically conductive, semiconductive or insulating material on a substrate and shrinking (106) the substrate to a target size. The material can include an ink, solution, dispersion, powder, slurry, paste or the like. The step of shrinking can include heating the substrate at a predetermined temperature based on properties of the substrate. The step of shrinking can also include heating the substrate for a predetermined duration based on properties of the substrate. The step of shrinking can also include releasing an external electrical potential used to stretch the substrate during printing. For example, the substrate may decrease in area by at least fifty percent during heating.