Advanced Technology and Manufacturing Institute (ATAMI)

The development of solution-based methods for deposition of different thin film material is presented as an alternative to high cost vacuum-based methods. For certain materials, vacuum techniques are unsuitable for processing. Additionally, vacuum-based processes present high capital costs associated with equipment, and slow processing times. Atmospheric pressure solution based techniques are attractive and lend themselves to high-throughput processing using methods such as graphic patterning or roll-to-roll processing. This research details the development of solution-based outer layers for a continuous glucose biosensor. The biosensor is based on a biological ink deposited by electrohydrodynamic printing (EHDP), encapsulated by a biocompatible permselective membrane which enhances the sensor function and working lifetime. EHDP is a noncontact patterning method where ink is deposited by the application of high electric fields to a conductive microcapillary, resulting in the jetting of ionized ink droplets with precise placement. This research also examines the processing window of radiant arc plasma pulsed thermal processing (PTP) on thin films of copper zinc tin sulfide (CZTS) nanoparticles. CZTS is an attractive solar absorbing material for low cost thin film solar cells. CZTS has a near-optimal band gap of 1.5 eV and a high absorption coefficient. In this study, CZTS nanoparticles are synthesized using a continuous flow reactor, and deposited by spin-coating on substrates for PTP. The effects of PTP on film morphology and crystalline phase are investigated using scanning electon microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy.