High-resolution additive manufacturing for 3D multifunctional microelectronic devices

To meet future demands for microelectronic devices—dimensional, environmental, functional—new fabrication technologies are sought after. Manufacturing technologies that minimize the footprint of such devices while concurrently integrating electronics with other functionalities such as microfluidics. This is made possible by 3D printing electronics at high resolution and incorporating and interconnecting bare die chips. At Holst Centre, we have been developing a multimaterial additive manufacturing technology to meet these demands. “3D Additive Lithography for Electronics” combines high-resolution direct imaging lithography with groove filling with conductive metal pastes to build structural electronics with down to 10 µm feature sizes. The structural material, a photopolymerizable resin, is patterned using a DMD-based light engine that scans over the build area. A custom-built foil recoating solution provides fresh resin to the build area as the printing progresses, and industry-standard metal pastes are used to interconnect incorporated functional components in the 100 µm to several mm size range.