Technical Library | 2017-04-06 16:50:56.0
Silicon photonics is an IC technology where data is transferred using light that is routed on the chip using optical waveguides (Figure 1). Silicon photonics is best known as a method to solve problems with high input/output bandwidth applications. For example, because of ever-growing bandwidth requirements in datacenters, the optical transmit and receive heads are being placed closer and closer to the board and the IC. But, designers also apply this technology to biosensors, medical diagnostics, and environmental monitoring. Regardless of the application, photonic ICs always need integration to electronic circuits and this results in unique challenges.
Technical Library | 2021-11-03 16:52:47.0
This paper proposes the integration of pulsed photonic sintering into multi-material additive manufacturing processes in order to produce multifunctional components that would be nearly impossible to produce any other way. Pulsed photonic curing uses high power Xenon flash lamps to thermally fuse printed nanomaterials such as conductive metal inks. To determine the feasibility of the proposed integration, three different polymer additive manufacturing materials were exposed to typical flash curing conditions using a Novacentrix Pulseforge 3300 system. FTIR analysis revealed virtually no change in the polymer substrates, thus indicating that the curing energy did not damage the polymer. Next, copper traces were printed on the same substrate, dried, and photonically cured to establish the feasibility of thermally fusing copper metal on the polymer additive manufacturing substrates. Although drying defects were observed, electrical resistivity values ranging from 0.081 to 0.103 Ω/sq. indicated that high temperature and easily oxidized metals can be successfully printed and cured on several commonly used polymer additive manufacturing materials. These results indicate that pulsed photonic curing holds tremendous promise as an enabling technology for next generation multimaterial additive manufacturing processes.
Technical Library | 2007-07-24 11:47:54.0
The rapid technical development of ultrashort laser systems is creating exciting possibilities for very precise localization of laser energy in time and space. These achievements have triggered novel laser applications based on nonlinear interaction processes. A promising three-dimensional microfabrication method that has recently attracted considerable attention is based on two-photon polymerization with ultrashort laser pulses.
Technical Library | 2017-11-22 12:38:51.0
The use of copper foils laminated to polyimide (PI) as flexible printed circuit board precursor is a standard practice in the PCB industry. We have previously described[1] an approach to very thin copper laminates of coating uniform layers of nano copper inks and converting them into conductive foils via photonic sintering with a multibulb conveyor system, which is consistent with roll-to-roll manufacturing. The copper thickness of these foils can be augmented by electroplating. Very thin copper layers enable etching fine lines in the flexible circuit. These films must adhere tenaciously to the polyimide substrate.In this paper, we investigate the factors which improve and inhibit adhesion. It was found that the ink composition, photonic sintering conditions, substrate pretreatment, and the inclusion of layers (metal and organic) intermediate between the copper and the polyimide are important.
Technical Library | 2014-12-04 18:27:40.0
A review on applications of metal-based inkjet inks for printed electronics with a particular focus on inks containing metal nanoparticles, complexes and metallo-organic compounds. The review describes the preparation of such inks and obtaining conductive patterns by using various sintering methods: thermal, photonic, microwave, plasma, electrical, and chemically triggered. Various applications of metal-based inkjet inks (metallization of solar cell, RFID antennas, OLEDs, thin film transistors, electroluminescence devices) are reviewed.
Technical Library | 2016-03-03 17:25:26.0
This paper discusses a nano copper based paste for use in via filling. The company manufactures nano copper and disperses the coated nano copper into a paste in combination with micron copper. The resultant paste is injected or fills a via. The via is subsequently sintered by means of photonic sintering, or by heat in a reducing environment. The process will be accomplished in under an hour and results in filled solid copper vias.
Technical Library | 2013-09-05 17:44:14.0
Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are localized surface electromagnetic waves that propagate along the interface between a metal and a dielectric. Owing to their inherent subwavelength confinement, SPPs have a strong potential to become building blocks of a type of photonic circuitry built up on 2D metal surfaces; however, SPPs are difficult to control on curved surfaces conformably and flexibly to produce advanced functional devices. Here we propose the concept of conformal surface plasmons (CSPs), surface plasmon waves that can propagate on ultrathin and flexible films to long distances in a wide broadband range from microwave to mid-infrared frequencies.
Technical Library | 2011-09-22 16:30:11.0
The remainder of this paper will deal with the adhesive cure mechanism most often found in the microelectronics industry; the thermal activation and cure of adhesives that are most commonly based on epoxy backbones. The use of heat is already prevalent in the microelectronics industry as most printed circuit board assemblies use some element of this thermal energy (reflow ovens for example) during the component soldering and assembly stage or during their burn-in stage (convection ovens).
Technical Library | 2021-11-03 16:49:59.0
Ultrathin bare die chips were soldered using a novel soldering technology. Using homogeneous flash light generated by high-power xenon flash lamp the dummy components and the bare die NFC chips were successfully soldered to copper tracks on polyimide (PI) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flex foils by using industry standard Sn-Ag-Cu lead free alloys. Due to the selectivity of light absorption, a limited temperature increase was observed in the PET substrates while the chip and copper tracks were rapidly heated to a temperatures above the solder melting temperature. This allowed to successfully soldered components onto the delicate polyethylene foil substrates using lead-free alloys with liquidus temperatures above 200 °C. It was shown that by preheating components above the decomposition temperature of solder paste flux with a set of short low intensity pulses the processing window could be significantly extended compared to the process with direct illumination of chips with high intensity flash pulse. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that with localized tuning of pulse intensity components having different heat capacity could be simultaneously soldered using a single flash pulse.
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