Roll-to-roll processing: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:18, 30 November 2018

Revision as of 06:48, 31 December 2018

Line 1:

{{refimprove|date=October 2010}}

In the field of electronic devices, '''Roll-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|last=Goswami|first=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|url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00714|journal=Nano Letters|language=en|volume=18|issue=6|pages=3616–3622|doi=10.1021/acs.nanolett.8b00714|pmid=29775318|issn=1530-6984}}</ref> is the process of creating electronic devices on a roll of [[flexible plastic]] or metal [[Foil (chemistry)|foil]]. In other fields predating this use, it can refer to any process of applying coatings, [[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 '''[[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 50&nbsp;km long.{{cn|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.

Roll-to-roll processing of large-area electronic devices reduces manufacturing cost.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZiGjrlkSpOQC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=%22web+processing%22+%22Roll+to+roll%22&source=bl&ots=cKLMNnpKYw&sig=BJcY7byhE38jDUuCKOUHNca2hdo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4r6W5noXZAhUUzGMKHfhlDe0Q6AEIbTAP#v=onepage&q=%22web%20processing%22%20%22Roll%20to%20roll%22&f=false|title=Flexible Electronics: Materials and Applications|chapter=Fabrication on Web by Roll-to-Roll Processing|page=19|editors=Wong, William S., and Salleo, Alberto|publisher=Springer|place=New York, NY|year=2009|isbn=0387743634978-0387743639}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> 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]].

=== Thin-film cells ===