Adhesion Testing of Conductive and Dielectric Inks

Authors: Eugene Fung, Jeff Lam

Field of Study: Electrical Engineering

Program Affiliation: SCALE

Faculty Mentors: Mark Poliks

Easel: 38

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Additive manufacturing using Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) enables precise deposition of functional inks for advanced electronic applications on ceramic-based substrates. In this study, the adhesion reliability of three inks, AlN71 Gold Ink, QR150 Gold Ink, and AlN44 Dielectric Ink, was evaluated after printing on aluminum nitride and ceramic substrates. Samples were fabricated using AJP and mechanically tested with an Instron machine to measure adhesion strength, while failure modes were examined to assess interfacial performance. The printed samples showed adhesion strengths ranging from 10 kgf to 20 kgf depending on the ink-substrate combination. These results indicate that the tested inks provide strong bonding on ceramic and aluminum nitride surfaces, supporting their suitability for printed electronics and other high-performance applications. Overall, this work helps characterize the mechanical reliability of AJP-printed materials and provides insight into material selection for durable additively manufactured devices.