Roll-to-roll processing

thumb|A typical industrial roll-to-roll process line

In the field of electronic devices, roll-to-roll processing, also known as web processing, reel-to-reel processing or R2R, is the process of creating electronic devices on a roll of flexible plastic, metal foil, or flexible glass. In other fields predating this use, it can refer to any process of applying coating, printing, or performing other processes starting with a roll of a flexible material and re-reeling after the process to create an output roll. These processes, and others such as sheeting, can be grouped together under the general term converting. When the rolls of material have been coated, laminated or printed they can be subsequently slit to their finished size on a slitter rewinder.

In electronic devices

Large circuits made with thin-film transistors and other devices can be patterned onto these large substrates, which can be up to a few metres wide and long. Some of the devices can be patterned directly, much like an inkjet printer deposits ink. For most semiconductors, however, the devices must be patterned using photolithography techniques.

alt=roll to roll processing|thumb|roll to roll processing

Roll-to-roll processing of large-area electronic devices reduces manufacturing cost.

very high frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (VHF-PECVD)
microwave (MW)-PECVD
hot-wire chemical vapour deposition (hot-wire CVD)
the use of ultrasonic nozzles in an in-line process

In electrochemical devices

Roll-to-roll processing has been used in the manufacture of electrochemical devices such as batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and water electrolyzers. Here, the roll-to-roll processing is utilized for electrode manufacturing and is the key to reducing manufacturing cost through stable production of electrodes on various film substrates such as metal foils, membranes, diffusion media, and separators.

Roll-to-roll processing

In electronic devices

In electrochemical devices

See also

References