Hybrid structural electronics printing by novel dry film stereolithography and laser induced forward transfer

Abstract

3D printing has seen much progress in recent decades with the introduction of new materials and printing techniques. This article describes the combination of a novel, stereolithography (SLA) based method for structural material buildup with laser induced forward transfer (LIFT) printing of conductive and resistive elements and placement of commercial active and passive components for the additive manufacturing of 3D functional electronic devices. The structural material is composed of dry film photoresists that are exposed and laminated to form a stack which is later developed to remove unexposed area and reveal the desired free form shape. Interconnection using pillar penetration between the structural layers is described in detail. Several examples of functional objects (lamp, microphone) demonstrate the practicality of this novel, multi material printing method.

Hybrid structural electronics fabrication by combined SLA and metal printing

“…The concept of the hybrid printing process is to combine several technologies in a single instrument such that a functional electronic device could be fully fabricated from bare raw materials and available components. This study is linked directly to previous work [14] in which the structural material printing was done by a novel solid SLA process while the conductive printing and components placement was performed by LIFT printing and P&P methods, respectively. Here, a modified liquid SLA approach for structural material printing is offered in order to expand the variety of printed structural materials available with photo sensitive dry films.…”

“…In this setup the same laser is used for either removing material by ablation or to add material by LIFT printing. Full system configuration may be found in [14]. All printed devices tracks and pillars were printed with pure copper droplets and with the same key parameters (energy 6 µJ, pulse rate 75 KHz, spot size 33.4 µm, donor-substrate gap 300 µm).…”

“…In previous work, a similar hybrid system was described in detail, and introduced the innovative ability to print structural materials using thin epoxy based dry films [14]. As this configuration was limited to a certain set of materials groups and characteristics, an SLA based approached was adopted to increase the variety of structural materials.…”

Dry Film Resist Laminated Microfluidic System for Electrical Impedance Measurements

“…Recently, Xie et al showed the fabrication of LEGO ® -like bricks, where 500 µm and 200 µm thick SUEX DFRs were laminated and photolithographically patterned, serving as the master for the bricks [23]. Levy et al laminated up to 10 layers of SUEX DFR and combined a stereolithography-based method for structural material produced with laser-induced forward transfer printing of conductive and resistive elements [24].…”

Photocurable Three-Dimensional Printing Resin to Enable Laser-Assisted Selective Electroless Metallization for Customized Electronics

“…The direct integration of metal patterns on 3D printed polymers facilitates customization and weight reduction of electronic components, such as inductors, antennas, and wearable devices. − A conventional approach to obtain metal patterns on the surfaces of 3D structures is the direct printing of conductive inks, which are composed of metal nanoparticles (NPs). , However, this approach reduces the cost efficiency of polymer-based 3D printing due to the use of expensive conductive inks, which is fatal to the attraction of polymer-based 3D printing. Furthermore, printed inks typically require a sintering process at elevated temperatures to decompose organic residues and induce an electrically conductive network; this hinders their practical application to many polymeric resins that easily degrade at high temperatures. , Recently, laser-induced forward transfer printing of conductive metal was demonstrated for 3D printing electronic devices; however, this approach often lacks the ability of fabrication of 3D electronic devices in a more scalable manner due to their multiple fabrication steps . Alternatively, dry and vacuum processes, such as sputtering and physical vapor deposition, have been utilized to metalize the surfaces of 3D printed polymers. , However, these approaches require high vacuum and various fabrication steps, which again incur high costs.…”