Dov Henry Phillips | IDS: Can saturating sheath gas with solvent solve the clogging and overspray issues of classic aerosol jet printing?
00:03:40 - 00:05:33
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How can advanced aerodynamic focusing eliminate the overspray and clogging that limit conventional aerosol jet deposition?
Aerosol jet printing relies on generating a polydispersed aerosol stream and transporting it through a nozzle onto a substrate. To overcome the limitations of standard deposition, advanced systems utilize a dual hydrodynamic and aerodynamic focusing mechanism to guide the sheathed aerosol stream. This precise collimation is critical for maintaining stream integrity and achieving high-resolution printed features.
A key innovation in this transport process is saturating the sheath gas stream with the solvent of the deposition ink. This saturation prevents premature solvent evaporation during flight, which in turn optimizes surface wetting and enhances ink deposition dynamics upon substrate impact. Furthermore, minimizing the travel distance of the aerosol stream to the dispense point prevents particle fallout and clogging.
Reducing this transit path is essential to prevent the aerosol particles from falling out of collimation. In longer transport paths, larger particles tend to migrate to the outer boundary of the stream, leading to significant overspray and a drastic reduction in printed line definition. By utilizing a dual-lens focusing system, the dense aerosol cloud is progressively accelerated and tightly focused before it exits the nozzle.
In this short video, you can learn:
* How hydrodynamic and aerodynamic focusing are combined to collimating a sheathed aerosol stream.
* The role of solvent-saturated sheath gas in preventing evaporation and improving surface wetting.
* The impact of transport path length on particle collimation, nozzle clogging, and printed line definition.
π **Clip Abstract** Dov Henry Phillips explains the fundamental principles of aerosol printing and the specific focusing innovations developed by IDS. He describes how a dual-lens hydrodynamic and aerodynamic focusing system, combined with a solvent-saturated sheath gas and a minimized stream travel distance, prevents particle fallout, clogging, and overspray to maintain high line definition.
π€ Speaker: Dov Henry Phillips
π’ Company: IDS
π
Event: The Future of Electronics RESHAPED 2023 Berlin
π Location: Estrel Congress Centre, Berlin, Germany, Europe
π Learn more at the next TechBlick event: https://www.techblick.com
#AerosolJetPrinting, #SheathGasSaturation, #AerodynamicFocusing, #HighStandoffPrinting, #PrintedElectronics, #AdditiveElectronics
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00:09:19 - 00:11:39
How can we print high-index polymers directly on curved optics without inducing optical scatter or defects?
How can we print high-index polymers directly on curved optics without inducing optical scatter or defects?
Depositing optical-grade materials onto curved lens surfaces has traditionally been constrained by complex multi-step processes and micro-droplet overspray. In near-eye display applications like AR/VR, even minor satellite deposits or overspray near the user's field of view cause unacceptable optical scattering. Direct-write aerosol printing overcomes these boundaries by delivering single-step, highly localized deposition of refractive-index-matching polymers.
Using a polymer ink with a refractive index of 1.60, this system demonstrates precise line-width control ranging from 30 microns up to 400 microns in a single pass. The aerodynamic focusing prevents any satellite deposition, ensuring that the printed boundaries are sharp and optically clean. Furthermore, multiple layers of these high-index polymers can be stacked vertically without the splattering or edge-spreading common in inkjet systems.
This single-step additive approach completely bypasses the need for subtractive patterning or complex masking steps on delicate optical substrates. Integrated thermal and UV-curing capabilities enable rapid solidification of the polymer directly after deposition, preserving the high aspect ratio and design profile of the printed optical microstructures.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The challenges of traditional deposition on curved lens features and why overspray is critical in near-eye displays.
* How to deposit 1.60 refractive index-matching polymers with trace widths from 30 to 400 microns.
* The processing advantages of multi-layer polymer stacking combined with integrated in-line UV and thermal curing.
π **Clip Abstract** [This video explains how precision aerosol jet printing enables direct-write deposition of 1.60 high-index matching polymers on optical surfaces. By eliminating satellite defects and utilizing multi-layer stacking, this technique simplifies the manufacturing of near-eye displays and advanced optical lenses.]
#AerosolJetPrinting, #HighIndexPolymers, #CurvedOptics, #DirectWritePrinting, #NearEyeDisplays, #AugmentedRealityOptics
00:12:22 - 00:15:02
Can aerosol-printed 3D interconnects replace wire bonding to slash high-frequency RF losses by over 60%?
Can aerosol-printed 3D interconnects replace wire bonding to slash high-frequency RF losses by over 60%?
Traditional wire bonding introduces parasitic inductance and signal reflection, which significantly degrade high-frequency RF performance in advanced microelectronic packages. As an alternative, aerosol jet systems can print planar and vertical interconnects directly over non-conforming 3D features without requiring Z-axis movement. This allows designers to bridge 3D steps and interconnect dies with smooth, continuous conductive traces.
To solve the step-coverage issue where conductors thin out over sharp 90-degree edges, the system prints a customized dielectric ramp, such as a polyester ramp, prior to metallization. Then, a particle-free silver ink is printed over this ramp, creating a robust, continuous conductive pathway. This ramp profile can elevate more than 100 microns over a distance of less than a millimeter while maintaining trace widths as narrow as 20 microns.
This additive packaging approach yields massive electrical performance benefits at high frequencies, particularly above 100 GHz. Experimental data shows that replacing traditional gold wire bonds with aerosol-printed interconnects drops signal attenuation from 9 dB down to less than 3 dB. This direct-write technique is highly beneficial for prototype packaging, protecting intellectual property, and high-performance RF designs.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Why traditional wire bonds cause high signal loss and how printed 3D ramps mitigate step-coverage thinning.
* The materials and geometries used to print dielectric ramps and silver traces over 80-micron packaging steps.
* How aerosol-printed vertical interconnects reduce high-frequency RF signal loss at 100 GHz and beyond.
π **Clip Abstract** [This segment explores the application of aerosol jet printing for 3D packaging and high-frequency vertical interconnects. By utilizing printed dielectric ramps and particle-free silver ink, this technology replaces wire bonding, dropping RF transmission losses from 9 dB to under 3 dB.]
#AerosolJetPrinting, #3DInterconnects, #ParticleFreeSilverInk, #DielectricRamps, #AdvancedPackaging, #RFPackaging