Abstract:
An agile method is demonstrated for the
development of a low dielectric constant ink made from
nanostructured bismuth silicate (nBSO), synthesized by a sol−
gel method. The viscous ink, suitable for screen-printing, was
formulated by controlling the organic additives. The viscosity
as well as the dynamic viscoelastic properties of the formulated
ink was tuned to yield ideal flow characteristics. The
microstructure and surface roughness of the printed film
were characterized, and the film shows minimum average and
root-mean-square surface roughness values (Ra = 80.3 nm and
Rq = 102 nm). Microwave dielectric properties of the printed
dielectric film were εr = 4.36 and tan δ = 1.6 × 10−2 at 10 GHz. The apparent leakage current density of the film is of the order of
10−5 A/cm2. The improved dielectric and thermal properties, combined with low leakage current, make nBSO dielectric ink a
suitable candidate for use in printed electronics
