title: Photometer for monitoring the thickness of inkjet printed films for organic electronic and sensor applications.
abstract: Inkjet printed organic thin films are being used for a variety of electronic and sensor applications with advantages that include ease of fabrication and reproducibility. Construction and use of a low-cost photometer based on a light-emitting diode (LED) light source and a photodiode detector are described. The photometer attaches to the exit of the printer with the transparent substrate onto which the film is printed passing between the LED and photodiode. By measuring the output voltage of the detector, the transmittance and absorbance of the inkjet printed film can be calculated in real-time. Since absorbance is linearly proportional to thickness in the Beer-Lambert regime, the thickness of the film may be monitored and controlled by varying the number of passes through the printer. Use of the photometer is demonstrated for inkjet printed films of monolayer-protected colloidal gold nanoparticles that function as chemical vapor sensors. The photometer may find applications in both research and quality control related to the manufacture of organic electronic devices and sensors and enables "feedback-controlled" inkjet printing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing, The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, USA.
authors.forename: Jisun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Im
authors.forename: Sandip K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Sengupta
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Whitten
mesh_terms: D000042:Absorption; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004581:Electronics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design; D017612:Gold Compounds; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles; D010783:Photometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011327:Printing / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D017612:Gold Compounds