Date of Award


Degree Name

Master of Science in Engineering


Chemical and Paper Engineering

First Advisor

Dr. Margaret K. Joyce

Second Advisor

Dr. Thomas Joyce

Third Advisor

Dr. Raja Aravamuthan


Photonic, adhesion, print, silver, Indium-Tin-Oxide

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access


The objective of this study was the fabrication of a printed circuit resulting from the photonic drying/sintering of conductive circuits, printed using silver nano ink layered on a film of low melting glass frit onto indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate through the flexographic printing method. The fabrication process flow included material preparation, printing, and photonic drying/sintering in that order.

Investigation of the breakthrough photonic drying/sintering method was studied by varying sintering parameters, specifically the amount of heat energy applied to each specimen, and the speed at which it was applied. Additionally, the adhesion promoting properties of a never before studied glass frit was investigated. Their effects were studied by quantifying adhesion and resistivity of the printed film. Adhesion was quantified by mechanically applying abrasive forces, and resistance was measured through the use of a four point collinear probe.

Adhesion improved with an increase in energy flux, and presence of frit, for which both factors were statistically significant. Adhesion decreases with increase in sintering speed. Resistivity decreases dramatically for an increase in energy flux applied and presences of the adhesion promoter has no significant effect. A clear trend for resistivity as a function of sintering speed could not be observed.