Application of Thin-Film RCLG Model for the Modeling of Inkjet Printed Microstrip Lines

Abstract

Conductor thickness arising from printable electronics manufacturing technology is typically of the order of a skin depth in the frequency range from the upper UHF band to the lower SHF band. Modeling these conductors using standard circuit models however yield inaccurate results whereas full-wave modeling is very time consuming. In this paper, a circuit simulation model based on the surface resistance of a thin penetrable conductor is presented. The proposed model is validated by comparison with full-wave simulation results, Comparison with a conventional circuit-simulation model shows improved accuracy in the loss calculation.

Full text

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Application of Thin-Film RCLG model for the Modeling of Inkjet
Printed Microstrip Lines
Department of Electronics
Application of Thin-Film RCLG Model for the
Modeling of Inkjet Printed Microstrip Lines
Juha Lilja, Riku Mäkinen, Vesa Pynttäri, Pauliina Mansikkamäki, and Markku Kivikoski

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Application of Thin-Film RCLG model for the Modeling of Inkjet
Printed Microstrip Lines
Department of Electronics
Table of contents
•

Introduction

to printable

electronics
•

Challenges

in the modeling

of printed

lines
•

RCLG transmission line

model
•

Comparison

of the model

with

full-wave

simulation

results

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Application of Thin-Film RCLG model for the Modeling of Inkjet
Printed Microstrip Lines
Department of Electronics
Printable electronics technology
-Non-contacting
technology

and fully

additive

manufacturing

-Layouts
images
?Highly flexible manufacturing process

transferred

to the substrates

as digital

-Both
suitable

the substrate
inks

and traces

can

be

printed

with


-Allows
thicknesses

local

variations

in line

and substrate

-Substrate

can

be

a strong
practically

anything
-Surface
high

smoothness
frequency

has

effect

on the

properties
1
σ
A
3
σ
σ
2
B
3
σ
2 ε
1 ε

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Application of Thin-Film RCLG model for the Modeling of Inkjet
Printed Microstrip Lines
Department of Electronics
Printed lines and dimensions
-Conductivity
particle

is achieved
inks

by

using

metal

nano-


-After
metallization

sintering

the solvents
layers

and dispersants, solid
formed


are

-Process
printed
with
trace

parameters
layers, resolution, ink
selected ink

(time, temperature, number
drop
affecton the conductivity

of

size,..) together


of a
-Ink

dot

size

and resolution

limit

the dimensions
-Surface

roughness

and trace

edge

sharpness?
-Layer
micrometers

thicknesses

from

below

1 um

up

to few

tens

of
-Material

conductivity

below

half

to that

of silver
Coplanar line
Microstrip resonator gap

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Application of Thin-Film RCLG model for the Modeling of Inkjet
Printed Microstrip Lines
Department of Electronics
Challenges in the modeling of printed lines
-Practical
micrometers

lines

have

thicknesses

of few

-Electrical
order

thickness
of a skin

of a line
upto few

is of the
GHz

depth

yield

-Conventional
results
conductors
?Conductors have to be at least two skin
depths in thickness

circuit
inaccurate

models

fast


but

are

for thin

-Full-wave
results
circuit


simulations
aretoo
design

yield
for practical

accurate


but

slow