While the uses of ceramics in electronic devices are multiple, the manufacturing processes are also varied. Whereas conventional and strong processes are still used and need many steps, digital printing processes that emerged can path the way to new 3D complex shapes as well as reducing the number of steps.
Two additive manufacturing processes for substrates fabrication are especially interesting: laser stereolithography (SLA) and robocasting. SLA is a process based on the photopolymerization, by mean of a UV source, lighted on a liquid or paste surface. Usually, the liquid or paste contains a photopolymerizable resin loaded with ceramic particles. Starting from a CAD file, the ceramic pieces are produced layer by layer to obtain the green body of the piece. Starting from a CAD file as well, robocasting method is based on the extrusion of a filament trough a nozzle. The material filament can be obtain from a high viscous paste charged with ceramic fillers or else a thermoplastic filament heated to reach a semi-liquid state. At this stage the material is extruded and deposited into thin layers. Both green parts obtained by SLA and robocasting process need post-printing steps: debinding and sintering.
Once ceramic substrates are produced it is necessary to make them functional. The functionalization means the deposition of metallic traces and lots of processes can be used to do so. The presentation will focus on disruptive technologies like Aerosol Jet Printing (AJP) or micro-dispensing. AJP is a well-known conformal printing method where an aerosol is generated from a low viscous ink. The aerosol is then carried to the nozzle where it is concentrated by mean of an auxiliary gas. The AJP process produces high resolute lines with very low thickness. Micro-dispensing process may then appear to be complementary to AJP. Indeed, this process produces thick lines with higher current carrying capability. Micro-dispensing is a process using positive pressure on the ink that is transferred to a nozzle with a small aperture diameter. While AJP is a non-contact process, micro-dispensing is a different approach where the ink needs to be in permanent contact with substrate to be correctly deposited. Antennas, strain gauge or passive components can therefore be manufactured.
From those different digital technologies, one idea can emerge: their hybridization.