Ambient printing of native oxides for ultrathin transparent flexible circuit boards

Abstract

Metal oxide films are essential in most electronic devices, yet they are typically deposited at elevated temperatures by using slow, vacuum-based processes. We printed native oxide films over large areas at ambient conditions by moving a molten metal meniscus across a target substrate. The oxide gently separates from the metal through fluid instabilities that occur in the meniscus, leading to uniform films free of liquid residue. The printed oxide has a metallic interlayer that renders the films highly conductive. The metallic character of the printed films promotes wetting of trace amounts of evaporated gold that would otherwise form disconnected islands on conventional oxide surfaces. The resulting ultrathin (<10 nanometers) conductors can be patterned into flexible circuits that are transparent, mechanically robust, and electrically stable, even at elevated temperatures.