Title :
Direct gravure printing (DGP) method for printing fine-line electrical circuits on ceramics
Author :
Kittilä, Marko ; Hagberg, Juha ; Jakku, Eino ; Leppävuori, Seppo
Author_Institution :
Microelectron. & Mater. Phys. Labs., Univ. of Oulu, Finland
fDate :
4/1/2004 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The tendency toward higher packing densities and higher frequencies for telecommunication devices based on ceramic technology requires smaller dimensions for electrical wiring. Electrical thick-film circuits for ceramic and LTCC-substrates have, up to now, been printed with screen printing, where the printing lines width limit is about 125 μm in mass production. A silicone polymer direct gravure printing (Si-DGP) process has been developed to perform smaller dimensions, down to 20 μm lines width, for electrical circuitry. In the DGP process, the conductor paste is doctored to the grooves of the gravure and then it is pressed against the substrate. The paste is, thus, printed directly onto the substrate from the patterned gravure. The results showed that, using the DGP process, it was possible to print conductor lines down to 20 μm in width. It was also noted that a 100% transfer of paste from the grooves of the gravure could be obtained with commercial pastes using the silicone polymer gravure. A dried thickness of up to 28 μm was measured for the narrowest lines. Also conductor lines printed by the Si-DGP method were embedded inside LTCC-module.
Keywords :
ceramic packaging; fine-pitch technology; thick film circuits; LTCC-substrates; ceramic substrates; ceramic technology; conductor lines; conductor paste; electrical circuitry; electrical thick-film circuits; electrical wiring; fine-line electrical circuits; gravure grooves; patterned gravure; screen printing; silicone polymer direct gravure printing; silicone polymer gravure; telecommunication devices; Ceramics; Circuits; Conducting materials; Conductors; Frequency; Mass production; Polymers; Printing; Substrates; Wiring; 65; Fine line; LTCC; gravure; printing; thick film;
Journal_Title :
Electronics Packaging Manufacturing, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TEPM.2004.837959