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SPRINT · Project

Room-Temperature Thin Film Printing That Works on Any Surface Including Plastic

manufacturingPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)
project-sprint.com

Imagine you could "print" ultra-thin layers of advanced materials onto almost anything — glass, plastic, metal — the way an inkjet printer puts ink on paper. Right now, factories need expensive vacuum chambers and extreme heat to coat surfaces with the materials that make solar cells, sensors, and electronics work. SPRINT built a desktop-sized machine that does the same job at room temperature and normal air pressure, using laser-guided gas nozzles to deposit crystalline films precisely where you want them. It's like going from needing a giant industrial oven to using a sophisticated 3D printer that works on your bench.

By the numbers
1 cm²
Single-crystal Si thin film area achieved at room temperature
2 μm
Thickness of single-crystal Si thin film deposited
100 lines
Successive Si and GaAs lines printed (50 μm wide, 2 mm long)
>10⁻⁴ S/cm
Proton conductivity of fuel cell stack at >100°C for 48+ hours
11 partners
Consortium size across 8 countries
48 hours
Minimum sustained operation of fuel cell electrode stack
The business problem

What needed solving

Manufacturing thin-film devices — solar cells, sensors, LEDs, fuel cells — currently requires expensive vacuum chambers and high temperatures, making production costly, slow, and impossible on heat-sensitive materials like plastics. There is no single versatile method that can deposit both amorphous and crystalline films at room temperature on any substrate. This limits innovation in flexible electronics, low-cost photovoltaics, and next-generation energy devices.

The solution

What was built

SPRINT built an automated proof-of-concept 3D printing unit that deposits thin films at room temperature and atmospheric pressure using micro-engineered gas nozzles and laser processing. They demonstrated it across four domains: single-crystal semiconductor films for electronics and solar cells, patterned multi-material lines for microelectronics, metal-organic framework films for fuel cells with sustained proton conductivity, and bio-composite MOF coatings for biotechnology applications.

Audience

Who needs this

Thin-film solar cell manufacturers looking to reduce deposition costsSemiconductor and sensor companies needing patterned films without full vacuum infrastructureFuel cell membrane and electrode manufacturersFlexible electronics companies needing room-temperature deposition on plastic substratesBiotech companies developing antimicrobial coatings or biosensor surfaces
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Solar & Photovoltaics Manufacturing
mid-size
Target: PV cell manufacturers and thin-film solar companies

If you are a solar cell manufacturer struggling with the high cost of vacuum-based deposition for silicon and gallium arsenide films — this project developed a proof-of-concept printer that deposits single-crystal Si films over 1 cm² and GaAs films over 1 cm² at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. This could dramatically cut your production costs by eliminating vacuum chambers and high-temperature processing while enabling deposition on flexible substrates like plastic.

Microelectronics & Semiconductor
enterprise
Target: Semiconductor fabs and sensor manufacturers

If you are a microelectronics company limited by the cost and complexity of depositing patterned thin films for sensors or chips — this project demonstrated printing 100 successive lines of Si and GaAs, each 2 mm long and 50 μm wide, with precise placement. The SPRINT technology integrates micro-engineered gas nozzles and laser processing into an automated unit, potentially letting you prototype and produce patterned thin-film devices without full cleanroom vacuum equipment.

Fuel Cells & Clean Energy
mid-size
Target: Fuel cell component makers and membrane producers

If you are a fuel cell company needing better electrolyte membranes — this project produced a proof-of-principle functional electrode-electrolyte-electrode stack achieving proton conductivity above 10⁻⁴ S/cm at temperatures over 100°C sustained for at least 48 hours, using metal-organic framework thin films deposited with their room-temperature printing method. This opens a new route to manufacturing fuel cell components without high-temperature sintering.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to adopt this deposition technology compared to current vacuum methods?

The project explicitly targets significantly lower cost than existing advanced deposition methods by eliminating the need for vacuum chambers and high-temperature processing. Specific pricing is not available in the project data, but the removal of vacuum infrastructure alone represents a major capital cost reduction for manufacturers.

Can this technology scale to industrial production volumes?

The current system is a proof-of-concept automated 3D-printing unit designed for laboratory-scale demonstrations. Films demonstrated are in the 1 cm² range. Scaling to industrial throughput would require further development beyond the project's scope, but the atmospheric-pressure operation removes a key bottleneck to scaling.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

The project was coordinated by CNRS (France) with 11 partners across 8 countries. IP generated during the project would be held by the consortium members under their grant agreement. Licensing inquiries should be directed to the coordinator, CNRS, or the 2 industry partners in the consortium.

How does this compare to existing thin film methods like sputtering or CVD?

Based on the project objectives, SPRINT combines the benefits of existing advanced deposition methods but operates at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, achieving higher deposition rates. Unlike sputtering or CVD, it can also tune material crystallinity and create 3D architectures in a single process step.

What substrates can this actually work on?

The technology is designed for multiple substrates, specifically including plastics which are incompatible with conventional high-temperature deposition. The proof-of-concept demonstrated deposition of various materials including silicon, gallium arsenide, and metal-organic frameworks on different substrates.

Is this ready for us to use in production?

Not yet. The project delivered a proof-of-concept automated unit and proofs-of-principle across four application areas (microelectronics, photovoltaics, fuel cells, biotechnology). It is at the prototype stage and would require engineering development to reach production readiness.

Consortium

Who built it

The SPRINT consortium brings together 11 partners from 8 European countries (AT, BE, CH, CY, EL, ES, FR, PT), coordinated by CNRS, France's largest public research organization. The consortium is heavily research-oriented: 7 universities and 2 research institutions provide deep scientific expertise, while 2 industry partners (both SMEs) ground the work in commercial reality. The 18% industry ratio is typical for a FET-Open project focused on breakthrough science rather than near-market development. For a business looking to adopt this technology, the academic-heavy consortium means strong scientific foundations but you would likely need to engage directly with the industrial SME partners or CNRS technology transfer office to move toward commercialization.

How to reach the team

CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), France — reach out through their technology transfer and industrial partnerships office (CNRS Innovation / FIST SA)

Order a report on this consortiumSee CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS profile →
Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the SPRINT team to explore licensing or co-development? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people at CNRS and the consortium's industry partners.

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