Overview
IEC TR 62899-304-1:2023 is a Technical Report from the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) that provides technical guidance for surface temperature measurement of substrates containing printed patterns and films when processed in a photonic sintering system. It addresses temperature-monitoring challenges unique to radiative (flash-lamp) sintering used in the printed electronics industry - especially for flexible substrates and nanoparticle-based inks.
Key topics
- Scope and purpose
- Guidance for measuring the substrate surface temperature inside photonic sintering equipment used for printed electronics.
- Focus on ensuring reproducible, robust temperature data to support process control and equipment performance evaluation.
- Sintering context
- Applicable to inks and pastes containing metallic nanoparticles (e.g., Au, Pt, Ag, Cu) and various organic/inorganic inks used in printed sensors, solar cells, batteries, lighting and wearable devices.
- Describes photonic sintering process parameters: electrical pulse energy, pulse duration, flash frequency and lamp-to-substrate distance.
- Measurement methods described
- Infrared (IR) camera (non-contact): Principles, detector types (cooled/uncooled bolometers), spatial resolution considerations and imaging of apparent surface temperature. (IR spectral range noted: about 0.7 µm to 14 µm.)
- Thermocouple (contact): Use of K-type thermocouples and recommended measurement configurations for substrate surface readings.
- Radiation pyrometer (non-contact): Optical resolution, instrument configurations (windows, apertures, lenses) and considerations for spot measurements.
- Supporting material
- Illustrative schematics and case study examples showing apparatus set-ups, measurement combinations (temperature and resistance), and effects on nanoparticle sintering.
Applications and users
- Who benefits
- Equipment manufacturers designing photonic sintering systems.
- Printed electronics manufacturers optimizing sintering recipes for flexible substrates.
- R&D labs and process engineers characterizing inks and materials.
- Test labs and quality-control teams establishing reproducible temperature monitoring.
- Practical uses
- Selecting appropriate temperature sensors (IR camera, pyrometer, thermocouple) and measurement setups.
- Comparing process settings (pulse energy/frequency) against measured surface temperature to correlate electrical performance (conductivity, mobility) with sintering conditions.
- Standardizing measurement methods to improve comparability between equipment vendors and production lines.
Related standards
- IEC 62899-202 and IEC 62899-203 - referenced for standard test methods related to electrical performance after sintering.
- IEC Electropedia and other IEC/ISO directive resources for terminology.
Keywords: IEC TR 62899-304-1:2023, printed electronics, photonic sintering, temperature measurement, infrared camera, pyrometer, thermocouple, surface temperature, nanoparticle sintering.