Characterization of electrophoretically deposited dielectric thin films for electronics applications

The drive toward higher speed in electronics systems as well as increased efforts to miniaturize electronics components has fueled research on capacitive thin films which will replace the conventional discrete chip capacitor. Current methods to manufacture ceramic and composite and thin films use processes which do not accommodate high through-put. Electrophoretic deposition of polymeric composite thin films is presented as a method of depositing dielectric thin films onto metallic substrates. Using this technique, contiguous thin films have been deposited with thickness as low as 2 microns. Mechanical bending tests have demonstrated the durability of these films as well as their adhesion to the substrate. Deposition has also been performed in which carbon black-intercalated epoxy is deposited onto metallic substrates. Deposition was characterized according to processing conditions of the electrophoretic assembly as well as formulation of the deposition solution.