'The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology'
Abstract
A study of the sources of defects in films of commercially available polyamic acid
fabricated using aerosol based printing was carried out. Printing was conducted using a Sono-Tek spray nozzle on multi-modular Direct Write Additive Manufacturing System. The driving
force behind this work stemmed from the need to form smooth, defect free films to be used in
electronic components. While numerous process conditions give rise to defects such as the
obvious substrate cleanliness, efforts here focused on the more subtle conditions such as
deposition temperature, deposition speed, nozzle height from the substrate and cure temperature.
The results of this study led to the identification of the most critical source of defects and to a set
of optimal process conditions in the printing of polyimide films using aerosol based printing.Mechanical Engineerin