Direct-write pulsed laser processed silver nanowire networks for transparent conducting electrodes

Metal nanowire networks are promising alternatives for transparent conducting layers in flexible electronics. However, the inverse relationship between transparency and conductivity limits their viability in many critical applications. In this work, we demonstrate a direct-write refining technique in which a solution-processed nanowire network, deposited by spin coating, is exposed to monochromatic UV pulsed laser processing near a plasmonic resonance. Our results exhibit a 75 % reduction in surface resistance along with marginal improvements in optical transparency. The local nature of the laser technique enables direct-write or large area processing on a variety of substrates including flexible, and organic materials.