Fabrication of palladium-based microelectronic devices by microcontact printing

This letter demonstrates the patterning of thin films of metallic palladium by microcontact printing (μCP) of octadecanethiol, and the use of the patterned films in the fabrication of a functional sensor. This technique was also used to prepare templates of palladium for the electroless deposition of copper. The resistivity of the palladium and copper microstructures was 13.8 and 2.8 μΩ cm, respectively; these values are approximately 40% larger than the values for the pure bulk metals. Palladium patterned into serpentine wires using μCP functioned as a hydrogen sensor with sensitivity of 0.03 vol % H2 in N2, and a response time of ∼10 s (at room temperature).