Yuan Gua, Daniel R. Hinesb, Victor Yunb, Michael Antoniakc, and Siddhartha Dasa
a Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
b Laboratory for Physical Sciences 8050 Greenmead Drive, College Park, MD 20740, USA
c Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems
300 M Street SE, Washington DC 20003, USA
Abstract:
As additive manufacture becomes more prevalent in the fabrication of
advanced electronics, there is a need to create well-formed, robust circuitization,
and interconnects between components mounted onto different
leveled surfaces (DLSs). Here, an algorithm is developed for aerosol-jet
printing of fillet structures that enable such a circuitization and hence a
smooth electrical transition between the DLSs. The fillets are printed using
an ultraviolet-curable polymer ink in the presence of in situ curing. A specific
deposition rate is established in order to ensure a precise architecture. Further,
a surface smoothing technique is employed to smooth out the stepped
surface topology of a fillet resulting from the layer-by-layer printing of in
situ cured material. Finally, it is ascertained that the performance of these
printed fillets is highly satisfactory by carrying out the resistance measurements
of the conducting lines printed over these fillet structures both before
and after temperature cycling and establishing the mechanical stability of
the fillets by employing an adhesion test. This technology ensures that the
fillets not only establish a mechanical integration/attachment of the two
DLSs, but more importantly that they also provide a well-formed surface
onto which an electrical connection between these two DLSs can be
established.
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