This paper describes the optimisation of the surface characteristics of a high-frequency substrate material widely used in the PCB (printed circuit board) industry by means of CF 4 /O 2 plasma etching, in order to make it suitable for the fabrication of RF (radio frequency) circuit structures by a combination of inkjet printing and electroless plating. A statistical DoE (design of experiments) based on a CCRD (central composite rotatable design) was used to systematically vary the plasma etching parameters and explore the characteristics of the etching process. This experimental design yielded 31 substrates, all of which were assessed in terms of surface energy, surface roughness and adhesion. Out of these substrates, 5 were identified as having the most favourable surface characteristics. Finally, RF circuit structures in the form of S-band filters were fabricated on these substrates using an inkjet printing-electroless plating combination, and the RF performance of these structures was characterised and compared.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.