Polymer thick film technology and its capability for medicine and sensor applications

The use of screen-printed conductive and dielectric pastes in polymer thick film technology shows a continual increasing since 1970. This technology offers the possibility to work at relatively low temperatures on rigid and flexible low-cost substrates. That´s why the main applications are the manufacturing of membrane touch keys, the use for via plugs in PCB´s and the electromagnetic shielding. But the polymer thick film technology is also utilized for the mass production of medical devices e.g. blood glucose test strips and Ag/AgCl electrodes for electrocardiogram (ECG). This paper will describe the fine line printing of silver polymer paste for the manufacturing of low-cost humidity sensors.