Roll-to-roll processing: Difference between revisions

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[[File:R2R line.jpg|thumb|A typical industrial roll-to-roll process line.]]

In the field of electronic devices, '''Rollroll-to-roll processing''', also known as '''web processing''',<ref name="web processing">{{cite web|title=Digital roll-to-roll web processing revolutionizes printed electronic production|url=https://www.controleng.com/single-article/digital-roll-to-roll-web-processing-revolutionizes-printed-electronic-production.html?print=1|website=Control Engineering|accessdate=February 1, 2018|date=March 12, 2013}}</ref> '''reel-to-reel processing''' or '''R2R''',<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Goswami|first1=Debkalpa|last2=Munera|first2=Juan C.|last3=Pal|first3=Aniket|last4=Sadri|first4=Behnam|last5=Scarpetti|first5=Caio Lui P. G.|last6=Martinez|first6=Ramses V.|date=2018-05-18|title=Roll-to-Roll Nanoforming of Metals Using Laser-Induced Superplasticity|journal=Nano Letters|language=en|volume=18|issue=6|pages=3616–3622|doi=10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00714|pmid=29775318|bibcode=2018NanoL..18.3616G|issn=1530-6984}}</ref> is the process of creating electronic devices on a roll of [[flexible plastic]] or, metal [[Foil (chemistry)|foil]], or flexible glass.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/260251815 |via=[[ResearchGate]]|doi=10.1016/j.surfcoat.2013.10.056 |title=Roll-to-roll sputter deposition on flexible glass substrates |year=2014 |last1=Tamagaki |first1=Hiroshi |last2=Ikari |first2=Yoshimitu |last3=Ohba |first3=Naoki |journal=Surface and Coatings Technology |volume=241 |pages=138–141 }}</ref> In other fields predating this use, it can refer to any process of applying coatingscoating, [[Roll-to-roll printing|printing]], or performing other processes starting with a roll of a flexible material and re-reeling after the process to create an output roll. These processes, and others such as sheeting, can be grouped together under the general term '''[[Converter (industry)|converting]]'''. When the rolls of material have been coated, laminated or printed they can be subsequently slit to their finished size on a [[slitter]] rewinder.

== In electronic devices ==

Large [[Integrated circuit|circuit]]s made with [[thin-film transistor]]s and other devices can be [[pattern]]ed onto these large substrates, which can be up to a few metres wide and {{convert|50&nbsp;|km|abbr=on}} long.{{cncitation needed|date=March 2017}} Some of the devices can be patterned directly, much like an [[inkjet printer]] deposits ink. For most [[semiconductor]]s, however, the devices must be patterned using [[photolithography]] techniques.

[[File:Roll tol rol slitting processing.jpg|alt=roll to roll processing|thumb|roll to roll processing]]

Roll-to-roll processing of large-area electronic devices isreduces amanufacturing technologycost.<ref>{{cite that is still in developmentbook|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZiGjrlkSpOQC&q=%22web+processing%22+%22Roll+to+roll%22&pg=PA19|title=Flexible Electronics: IfMaterials [[semiconductorand device]]sApplications|chapter=Fabrication canon beWeb fabricatedby inRoll-to-Roll thisProcessing|page=19|editor1=Wong, wayWilliam on largeS. substrates|editor2=Salleo, manyAlberto|publisher=Springer|place=New devicesYork, couldNY|year=2009|isbn=978-0387743639}}</ref><ref bename=":0" fabricated at a fraction of the cost of traditional semiconductor manufacturing methods./> Most notable would be [[solar cell]]s, which are still prohibitively expensive for most markets due to the high cost per unit area of traditional bulk ([[Monocrystalline silicon|mono-]] or [[Polycrystalline silicon|polycrystalline]]) silicon manufacturing. Other applications could arise which take advantage of the flexible nature of the substrates, such as electronics embedded into clothing, large-area flexible displays, and [[rollable display|roll-up portable displays]].

=== LED (Light Emitting Diode) ===

Roll-to-roll processing of electronic devices is a technology that is still in development. If [[semiconductor device]]s can be fabricated in this way on large substrates, many devices could be fabricated at a fraction of the cost of traditional semiconductor manufacturing methods. Most notable would be [[solar cell]]s, which are still prohibitively expensive for most markets due to the high cost per unit area of traditional bulk ([[Monocrystalline silicon|mono-]] or [[Polycrystalline silicon|polycrystalline]]) silicon manufacturing. Other applications could arise which take advantage of the flexible nature of the substrates, such as electronics embedded into clothing, large-area flexible displays, and roll-up portable displays.

* Inorganic LED - Flexible LED is commonly made into 25, 50, 100 m, or even longer strips using a roll-to-roll process. A long neon LED tube is using such a long flexible strip and encapsulated with PVC or silicone diffusing encapsulation.

* Organic LED (OLED) - OLED for foldable phone screen is adopting roll-to-roll processing technology.

=== Thin-film cells ===

A crucial issue for a roll-to-roll thin-film cell production system is the [[Deposition (physics)|deposition]] rate of the [[microcrystalline]] layer, and this can be tackled using four approaches:<ref>{{webarchivecite web |url=http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/nn/nn_rt/nn_rt_pv/article_1109_en.htm |title=PV projects in FP6 |accessdate=2008-11-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/2006061820060618111512/http://ec.europa.eu/research/energy/nn/nn_rt/nn_rt_pv/article_1109_en.htm#5 |datearchivedate=June 18, 2006 |title=PV projects in FP6 }}</ref>

*very high frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition ([[VHF]]-[[PECVD]])

*microwave ([[Microwave|MW]])-PECVD

*hot wire [[chemical vapour deposition]] (hot-wire CVD).

*the use of [[ultrasonic nozzle]]s in an in-line process

== In electrochemical devices ==

==See also==

Roll-to-roll processing has been used in the manufacture of electrochemical devices such as batteries,<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US11446915B2|title=Roll-to-roll slot die coating method to create interleaving multi-layered films with chemical slurry coatings|gdate=2022-09-20|invent1=Biswas|invent2=III|invent3=Grady|invent4=Ghezawi|inventor1-first=Kaushik|inventor2-first=David Lee Wood|inventor3-first=Kelsey M.|inventor4-first=Natasha B.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US11446915B2/en}}</ref> supercapacitors,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yeo |first1=Junyeob |last2=Kim |first2=Geonwoong |last3=Hong |first3=Sukjoon |last4=Kim |first4=Min Su |last5=Kim |first5=Daewon |last6=Lee |first6=Jinhwan |last7=Lee |first7=Ha Beom |last8=Kwon |first8=Jinhyeong |last9=Suh |first9=Young Duk |last10=Kang |first10=Hyun Wook |last11=Sung |first11=Hyung Jin |last12=Choi |first12=Jun-Ho |last13=Hong |first13=Won-Hwa |last14=Ko |first14=Jang Myoun |last15=Lee |first15=Seung-Hyun |date=2014-01-15 |title=Flexible supercapacitor fabrication by room temperature rapid laser processing of roll-to-roll printed metal nanoparticle ink for wearable electronics application |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378775313013499 |journal=Journal of Power Sources |language=en |volume=246 |pages=562–568 |doi=10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.08.012 |bibcode=2014JPS...246..562Y |s2cid=94203734 |issn=0378-7753|url-access=subscription }}</ref> fuel cells,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Steenberg |first1=Thomas |last2=Hjuler |first2=Hans Aage |last3=Terkelsen |first3=Carina |last4=Sánchez |first4=María T. R. |last5=Cleemann |first5=Lars N. |last6=Krebs |first6=Frederik C. |date=2012-03-01 |title=Roll-to-roll coated PBI membranes for high temperature PEM fuel cells |url=https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2012/ee/c2ee02936g |journal=Energy & Environmental Science |language=en |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=6076–6080 |doi=10.1039/C2EE02936G |s2cid=95139481 |issn=1754-5706|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mauger |first1=Scott A. |last2=Neyerlin |first2=K. C. |last3=Yang-Neyerlin |first3=Ami C. |last4=More |first4=Karren L. |last5=Ulsh |first5=Michael |date=2018-09-11 |title=Gravure Coating for Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Proton-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cell Catalyst Layers |journal=Journal of the Electrochemical Society |language=en |volume=165 |issue=11 |pages=F1012 |doi=10.1149/2.0091813jes |s2cid=105303844 |issn=1945-7111|doi-access=free }}</ref> and water electrolyzers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Park |first1=Janghoon |last2=Kang |first2=Zhenye |last3=Bender |first3=Guido |last4=Ulsh |first4=Michael |last5=Mauger |first5=Scott A. |date=2020-12-15 |title=Roll-to-roll production of catalyst coated membranes for low-temperature electrolyzers |journal=Journal of Power Sources |language=en |volume=479 |pages=228819 |doi=10.1016/j.jpowsour.2020.228819 |bibcode=2020JPS...47928819P |s2cid=224915162 |issn=0378-7753|doi-access=free }}</ref> Here, the roll-to-roll processing is utilized for electrode manufacturing and is the key to reducing manufacturing cost<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mauler |first1=Lukas |last2=Duffner |first2=Fabian |last3=Leker |first3=Jens |date=2021-03-15 |title=Economies of scale in battery cell manufacturing: The impact of material and process innovations |journal=Applied Energy |language=en |volume=286 |pages=116499 |doi=10.1016/j.apenergy.2021.116499 |s2cid=233658321 |issn=0306-2619|doi-access=free }}</ref> through stable production of electrodes on various film substrates such as metal foils, membranes, diffusion media, and separators.

==See also==

{{Portal|Manufacturing}}

*[[Amorphous silicon]]

*[[Low cost solar cell]]

*[[Printed electronics]]

*[[Slitter|Roll slitting]]

*[[Rolling (metalworking)]]

*[[Roll-to-roll electronics inkjet printer]]

*[[Thin film solar cell]]

* [[Web (manufacturing)|Web manufacturing]]

* [[Tape automated bonding]], TAB

==References==

<references/>

== External links ==

[[Category:Electronics manufacturing]]

[[Category:Semiconductors]]

{{engineering-stub}}