A quality map of transfer printing

Transfer printing is a nanofabrication technique that involves an assembly process by which a printable layer can be transferred from a transfer substrate to a device substrate. Future application of transfer printing toward a roll-to-roll printing process of flexible devices hinges upon the understanding on the mechanisms governing transfer printing quality, which is far from mature. So far, the quality control of transfer printing has been mainly explored via massive experimental trials, which are both time consuming and cost prohibitive. In this paper, we conduct systematic computational modeling to investigate the governing mechanisms of the transfer printing process. While the existing understanding of transfer printing mainly relies on the differential interfacial adhesion, our results suggest that both interfacial defects e.g., cracks and differential interfacial adhesion play pivotal roles in the transfer printing quality. The outcomes of this study define a quality map of transfer printing in the space spanned by the critical mechanical properties and geometrical parameters in a transfer printing structure. Such a quality map offers new insights and quantitative guidance for material selection and design strategies to achieve successful transfer printing. © 2009 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3259422