Electronic Ink Process Paves the Way for Inexpensive, Next-Generation Electronics
Researchers at the University of Minnesota and National Renewable Energy Laboratory have overcome technical hurdles in the quest for inexpensive, durable electronics and solar cells made with non-toxic chemicals. The research team discovered a novel technology to produce a specialized type of ink from non-toxic, nanometer-sized crystals of silicon - often called 'electronic ink.' This video shows how the silicon nanocrystals are synthesized in a plasma reactor. Inert argon gas flows from the top of the reactor through a glass tube. Fifteen watts of radio frequency power is applied to the copper ring electrodes to ionize the argon gas and produce what is called a plasma. A gas containing silicon is injected into the reactive plasma environment to produce the silicon nanocrystals. This resulting 'electronic ink' could produce inexpensive electronic devices with techniques that essentially print it onto inexpensive sheets of plastic.
Transcript
00:00:01 this video will demonstrate the synthesis of silicon anocrystals in a typical Plazma reactor used by University of Minnesota researchers in the lab of Professor uba Kagen you are currently seeing Argon gas flowing from the top of the screen down through an evacuated glass tube and out to a pump when radio frequency power is applied to the copper ring electrodes the Argan gas
00:00:21 is excited and partially ionized this is a plasma the glow you are seeing is a characteristic light emission of Argan atoms as they relax from those excited stat we match the impedance of the power source to ensure maximum power input into the plasma now we have a very reactive environment in which we can do chemistry when a reactive gas is
00:00:41 introduced in this case siline the gas molecules are broken down and reassembled in nanocrystals you can actually see the plasma change as a result of this process an interesting final note is that while silica needs roughly 2600 degrees fhe to crystallize are able to achieve this and react to the remains of temperatures that will not burn my hand
00:01:01 this is because it's the electrons that are hot and not the gas really this is what's driving the chemistry