Clevios Etch – Technical Guide for Clevios SET S3

Clevios Etch – Technical Guide for Clevios SET S3 

Heraeus Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG 

Guntermann | HNB-DS | Jan 2015 

Seite 1

Patterning by Clevios SET S3 

Clevios 

Coated Film 

Print 

Clevios SET S3 

Clevios 

Etch 


Removal 

Printed by Screen** 

printing 

Use a wet layer thickness 

of 6-10µm 

Dry for 1-2 min @ 80°C 

Etch 60-120 seconds in 

10% Clevios Etch 

solution*) @ 27°C 

Rinse with DI-water 

1. Remove with selected solvents(1) 

Rinse for approx 60 sec @ 20°C -25°C 

or 

2. Remove with 1.25% ammonia solution(2) 

Rinse for 2 min @ 25°C or 30-60 sec @40°C 

Wash with rinsing DI-water and dry for 2min@100 °C 

* Etching time based on Clevios F ET coating. Etching time for other formulations can be different . 

** 355 mesh/inch; 31 µm Polyester yellow 

(1) MEK-Ethanol 25:75 – 20:80 or Acetone 

(2) For improved stripping results we recommend to add a small amount of e.g Triton X-100 ( 1% by weight on Ammonia sol.) 


Page 2

CLEVIOS ETCH 

CLEVIOS SET S3 – GNU 1676 

Solid Content :ca 25 % 

Viscosity : ca 2-3 Pa.s 

Dilution : MMB (3-Methoxy-3-methyl-1-butanol) B.P 174°C 

Printing conditions : 355 mesh/inch 

For Finelines > 400 mesh/inch 

Drying : 1-2 minutes @ 80°C 

Screen Cleaning : with Acetone 


Page 3

η in Pas 

ROTO VISCO RV1 – CONE / PLATE 

Viscosity 


3,00 

2,50 

2,00 

1,50 

GNU 1676 

1,00 

0,50 

0,00 

0,00 200,00 400,00 600,00 800,00 1000,00 1200,00 1400,00 1600,00 1800,00 2000,00 

1/s 


Seite 4

CLEVIOS SET S 3 

Troubleshooting Bubbles 

How to avoid/reduce bubbles 

Flash-off time before drying 2 minutes – don´t dry immediately after printing 

Clevios SET S3 can be diluted with MMB (3-Methoxy-3-methyl-1-butanol) 

reducing the viscosity will decrease the bubble formation 

Don´t Re-use Clevios SET S3. 

Using a trampolin screen (metal mesh) similar to fineline screen 


Seite 5

PRINTING 

Typical Printing Parameter 

Mesh 

Heraeus 

Thread Diameter 31µm 

355 mesh/inch 

Or higher e.g VA400 

Material 

Polyester 

Squeegee durometer 70-75 

Squeegee angle 10° = 80° 

Flood bar angle 0° 

Trampoline VA400 

Print speed 

Snap off 

86 mm/sec 

5 mm 

Flash off time 60-120“ 

Drying 

Screen Cleaning 

80°C/1-2min 

Acetone 


Seite 6

PRINTING 

Lineprofiles (Trampoline VA400 ) 

# Dektak 150 

# ZS3 on PET, silk-screen print 

L/S 300 / 100 200 / 100 100 / 100 200 / 80 100 / 80 

Position Line Separation Line Separation Line Separation Line Separation Line Separation 

Width (µm) Width (µm) Width (µm) Width (µm) Width (µm) 

297 106 190 112 110 94 208 83 121 70 

282 111 198 100 111 96 200 69 112 64 

284 117 196 99 108 90 211 66 107 71 


Page 7

Preparation of an etching solution 

Dissolve Clevios Etch at room temperature in water 

After stirring for 30 minutes, remove residues by filtration, filter type 5-10 µm 

polypropylene or Whatman filter paper Grade 595 or 602 

Use etching solution within 48 h 

NEVER STORE THE ETCHING SOLUTION IN A CLOSED BOTTLE !! 

If stored for more than 48 h, storage temperature should be lower than 23°C 

Used solution should be disposed within short time. 

See also additional Information 


Page 8

Clevios Etching Process 

Contact angle 

• Best results are obtained if the contact angle (water) of the coating is in a range of 

40°-60°. Otherwise longer etching time maybe needed. Use test samples to determine 

etching time. 

Resolution 

• In case of using Clevios SET S the maximum resolution is approximately 50µm 

• Finer lines may also be possible, but may need longer etching time 

Crosslinking 

• Highly solvent resistant coatings may need longer etching time. Use test samples to find 

the right balance. 

Temperature of the Etching bath 

• For etching the temperature should be in range of 25-30°C. 

• After etching the solution should be cooled below 23°C. 


Page 9

Etching process (detailed description) 

Products needed : Clevios F ET, Clevios SET S3 and Clevios Etch 

Film preparation 

• Coat Clevios F ET and dry at 120°C for 5 min. 

• Print the Clevios SET S3 material with approx. 6-10µm wet film thickness 

• Flash off time before drying – 2 minutes 

• Dry at 80°C for 1-2 minutes 

Etching 

• Dip the film in a 10% solution of Clevios Etch (pH 5.7-7 @20°C) for 1-2 minutes @ 27°C with circulation 

• Wash the film under rinsing water and dry @ 100°C for 2 minutes 

Removal 

• Dip the film in a 1.25% ammonia solution (pH 9-11 @20°C) for 2 minutes at RT or for 30-60 sec @ 40°C 

• Additional washing in 1% sulfuric acid recovers the conductivity 

• Alternative solution: remove the Clevios SET S3 with rinsing MEK-Ethanol or Acetone for 30-60 Seconds 

• Wash with water again and dry the film for 2 minutes @ 100°C 


Page 10

Clevios Etch 

Clevios Etch releases: OCl - D ClO 3 

- 

D HOCl D Cl 2 

First studies suggest: 

- HOCl / Cl 2 may be active species 

- a halogenated intermediate may be involved 

PEDOT oxidation – possible intermediates 

O 

S 

O 

O 

S 

O 

O 

O 

O O 

S 

O O 

S 

O 

H 

O 

O 

S 

O 

O 

S 

O 

H 

O 

S 

O 

O 

S 

O 

Cl 

O 

S 

O 

O 

Cl 

S 

O 

H 

O 

Cl 

S 

O 

O 

S 

O 

H 

n 

Other possible deactivation mechanisms / effects 

- disruption/rearrangement of conductivity pathways (e.g. via reaction with binder/PSS) 

- Macroscopic effects: outer layer of gel particles may be partially deactivated 


Page 11

Etching Results of Clevios Etch 

10% Solution 


Page 12

Ohm/sq. 

CLEVIOS ETCH 

Etching time @ 20°C – of Clevios F ET (12µm wet) 

1,00E+09 

1,00E+08 

1,00E+07 

1,00E+06 

1,00E+05 

1,00E+04 

1,00E+03 

1,00E+02 

30 sec 

60 sec 

90 sec 

120 sec 

150 sec 

180 sec 

210 sec 

1,00E+01 

1,00E+00 

0 after 24h after 48h 

Storage time of 10% Solution 


Page 13

Ohm/sq. 

CLEVIOS ETCH 

Etching time @ 22.5°C – of Clevios F ET (12µm wet) 

1,00E+09 

1,00E+08 

1,00E+07 

1,00E+06 

1,00E+05 

1,00E+04 

1,00E+03 

1,00E+02 

30 sec 

60 sec 

90 sec 

120 sec 

150 sec 

180 sec 

210 sec 

1,00E+01 

1,00E+00 




Page 14

Ohm/sq. 

CLEVIOS ETCH 

Etching time @ 26.5°C – of Clevios F ET (12µm wet) 

1,00E+09 

1,00E+08 

1,00E+07 

1,00E+06 

1,00E+05 

1,00E+04 

1,00E+03 

1,00E+02 

30 sec 

60 sec 

90 sec 

120 sec 

150 sec 

180 sec 

210 sec 

1,00E+01 

1,00E+00 




Page 15

Chlorine Formation 


Page 16

dm³ 

CLEVIOS ETCH 

Chlorine formation during storage 

of 1000 ml Clevios Etch (concentration in water: 10%) 

1 

0,9 

0,8 

0,7 

0,6 

Storage temperature: < 23°C 

0,5 

0,4 

0,3 

0,2 

0,1 

0 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 

hours 


Page 17

dm³ 

Chlorine formation during storage 

of 1000 ml Clevios Etch (concentration in water: 10%) 

1,8 

1,6 

1,4 

1,2 

1 

Storage temperature: 27 °C 

0,8 

0,6 

0,4 

0,2 

0 

0 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 25 26 27 28 32 48 72 96 168 

hours 


Page 18

Disposal 

Sodiumthiosulfate deactivates the active ingredients of Clevios Etch and is oxidized 

to sulfate. 

Disposal of Etching Solution 

4 NaClO + Na2S2O3 + 2 NaOH → 4 NaCl + 2 Na2SO4 + H2O 

For 100g of a 10% etching solution 

• Prepare a solution of 3.94g of Na2S2O3 (sodium thiosulfate) in 100g water 

• Add the thiosulfate solution to the etching solution slowly under stirring (temp. 

control) exothermic reaction ! 

• The pH of the solution will change from 6.5 to 0.12. 

• Slowly add a 26% solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) until the pH exceeds a 

value of 11. 

• No further smell of chlorine should be observed. 

Dispose the obtained solution in accordance with local laws. 


Page 19

Clevios Etch – Technical Guide for Clevios SET S3

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