Tunable Reverse Offset Printing with a Stretchable Blanket for Fabricating Flexible Printed Electronics

Reverse offset printing (ROP) is receiving increasing attention as an emerging technology for printed electronics due to its rapid, environment‐friendly fabrication processes. A tunable ROP process is proposed by exploiting the controlled elastic deformation of a stretchable blanket. First, the flat elastomeric blanket is elastically stretched before coating with the printing ink. Next, Ag ink is coated on the surface of a supporting substrate and sequentially transferred to a prestrained elastomeric blanket. Second, the patterned cliché is rolled over the prestrained blanket surface by applying an optimized pressure for patterning. Finally, releasing the strain in the patterned elastomeric blanket leads to a pattern deformation on pitch and sizes. A decrease in the line width and pitch is demonstrated using a tunable ROP process with a stretchable blanket. This unique tunable printing process offers the capability of low‐cost fabrication of various microstructures from a single cliché using simple mechanical stretching and releasing.