Parameter Design of High-Resolution E-Jet Micro-Fabrication Process by Taguchi Utility Approach

This article describes how an electrohydrodynamic inkjet, or E-jet, is a high-resolution micro-fabrication technology for flexible electronics application. Its operation depends on several process control parameters like applied voltage, flow rate of the material, stand-off height, type of ink material. High-resolution deposition along with ejection frequency is the performance parameter of E-jet. In this article, an attempt is made to design the process parameters in such way, that it could simultaneously satisfy both the performance characteristics of the E-jet process. A Taguchi robust design based utility concept is applied to optimize the multi-response E-jet process through a case study. Utility analysis converts multi-response scenario into a single response by calculating overall utility value, which is optimized by signal to noise (S/N) analysis. Analysis of variance ANOVA found applied voltage is the most influential control factor in the investigated region. The anticipated improvement in fabrication operation shows the successful implementation of the aforesaid methodology.