Simon Rihm | Notion Systems GmbH: Is photolithography obsolete? How additive printing can slash 5 process steps into 1 for electronics manufacturing.
01:32 - 03:25
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Summary of the clip:
Is photolithography obsolete? How additive printing can slash 5 process steps into 1 for electronics manufacturing.
The traditional way to pattern functional layers in electronics is through a multi-step subtractive process rooted in photolithography. This involves coating a full layer of material, applying a photoresist, exposing the resist with UV light through a mask, developing it, etching the underlying functional layer, and finally stripping the remaining resist. This complex, material-intensive, and wasteful process chain must be repeated for every single layer in a device, contributing significantly to cost and production time.
Additive inkjet printing offers a radical simplification by depositing material only where it is needed. One powerful approach is to directly print the etch resist, which immediately eliminates several steps from the conventional lithographic workflow, such as resist coating and exposure. This hybrid method maintains the integrity of well-established functional layers while streamlining the patterning process, provided the required resolution is within the printer's capability.
The ultimate goal, or "holy grail," of additive electronics is to bypass the etch resist and bulk deposition entirely. By directly printing the functional material—be it a conductive ink for interconnects, a dielectric for insulation, or an active material for a sensor or display pixel—the manufacturing process is condensed from five or more steps down to a single, efficient printing and curing step. This represents a paradigm shift towards more sustainable, cost-effective, and agile electronics production.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The 5 key steps in a traditional subtractive photolithography process chain.
* How inkjet printing can be used as a hybrid approach to pattern etch resists more efficiently.
* The concept of direct-write printing, where functional materials are deposited to create devices in a single step.
📋 **Clip Abstract** This clip contrasts the complex, multi-step subtractive photolithography process with the efficiency of additive inkjet printing. It explores two key additive strategies: printing etch resists to simplify existing workflows and directly printing functional materials to revolutionize device fabrication.
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#Photolithography, #AdditivePrinting, #InkjetPrinting, #DirectWriteElectronics, #PrintedElectronics, #FlexibleElectronics
This is a highlight of the presentation:
High-Resolution, High-Impact: EHD Printing for Advanced Electronics
More Highlights from the same talk.
00:03:22 - 00:05:40
Can additive manufacturing really replace a 6-step subtractive photolithography process with a single step?
Can additive manufacturing really replace a 6-step subtractive photolithography process with a single step?
Subtractive photolithography has long been the bottleneck in electronic and advanced display manufacturing. A typical functional layer requires six distinct steps: substrate preparation, uniform layer deposition, resist coating, exposure, development, etching, and final resist stripping. This multi-step cycle results in significant material waste, high energy consumption, and long cycle times, limiting rapid prototyping and high-yield manufacturing scalability.
By transitioning to direct-write additive manufacturing via inkjet technology, companies can bypass this entire lithographic loop. Printing the etch resist directly eliminates two entire process steps. More dramatically, directly printing the functional material itself reduces the manufacturing workflow from six steps down to a single, high-precision deposition step.
This process consolidation translates into a paradigm shift for display and semiconductor packaging. It minimizes capital expenditure on etching equipment, slashes chemical waste, and drastically lowers environmental impact, demonstrating the massive commercial viability of industrial inkjet systems.
In this short video, you can learn:
* Why traditional subtractive processing requires six separate, resource-intensive lithography steps.
* How direct-write additive manufacturing consolidates the production workflow down to a single step.
* The strategic cost, energy, and material advantages of replacing subtractive etching with additive inkjet technology.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Direct-write additive inkjet printing offers a highly efficient alternative to traditional multi-step subtractive photolithography. By depositing functional layers in a single step, manufacturers can bypass complex etch-and-strip cycles, saving substantial time, energy, and raw materials.
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#DirectWriteInkjet, #EtchResistPrinting, #SubtractiveToAdditive, #AdditiveElectronics, #SemiconductorPackaging, #PrintedElectronics
00:09:49 - 00:12:42
What happens inside the complex parameter space that dictates successful functional material printing?
What happens inside the complex parameter space that dictates successful functional material printing?
Scaling inkjet technology from R&D to high-volume semiconductor and display manufacturing requires conquering a highly complex, multi-dimensional parameter space. The physical interaction between the functional ink, the nozzle geometry, and the target substrate is governed by a delicate balance of fluid viscosity, surface tension, substrate wettability, and acoustic velocity. Slight variations in any of these variables can lead to nozzle clogging, poor drop placement, or irregular film morphology.
To mitigate these risks, advanced tool architectures integrate real-time diagnostic systems, such as specialized drop watchers. These diagnostic systems analyze droplet flight dynamics in real time, measuring satellite drop formation, nozzle consistency, and droplet velocity uniformity. This immediate feedback loop is critical for refining the complex driving waveforms needed for stable, industrial-scale jetting.
Furthermore, modern R&D systems use modular, plug-and-play printing modules to handle multiple functional inks on a single substrate. Highly precise linear axes and advanced camera alignment systems ensure repeatable drop placement within a single micron, providing a robust path to transition advanced material processes from the lab to the factory floor.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The critical fluid parameters, such as viscosity and surface tension, that define the inkjet parameter space.
* How real-time drop watch systems diagnose satellite droplet formation and nozzle consistency during flight.
* The role of high-precision linear stages and camera systems in achieving one-micron placement repeatability.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Navigating the complex fluid dynamics of functional inkjet printing requires precise control over viscosity, surface tension, and jetting waveforms. Real-time droplet diagnostics and high-precision mechanical stages allow developers to optimize these parameters for reliable industrial scale-up.
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#DropWatcherDiagnostics, #JettingWaveformOptimization, #MicronPlacementAccuracy, #FunctionalInkDynamics, #PrintedElectronics, #AdditiveMicrofabrication
00:07:47 - 00:09:46
How do modern industrial printheads coordinate ten thousand nozzles ejecting 100,000 droplets per second?
How do modern industrial printheads coordinate ten thousand nozzles ejecting 100,000 droplets per second?
At the heart of industrial inkjet printing lies the precise control of fluid dynamics and piezoelectric mechanics. Inside each nozzle chamber, an integrated piezoelectric membrane acts as a mechanical actuator. When triggered by a highly optimized electrical pulse—referred to as a fire pulse or waveform—the membrane deflects, initiating an acoustic pressure wave that propagates within the fluid cavity to cleanly eject a single droplet.
This mechanism operates as a massive parallel processing system, rather than a slow serialized print. Modern printheads feature over 10,000 individually addressable nozzles per unit, with each nozzle capable of firing up to 100,000 micro-droplets per second. This high firing frequency enables rapid pattern generation without sacrificing high spatial resolution.
Because the digital controller can make localized, microsecond-level decisions for each independent nozzle, this non-contact process avoids the need for physical masks or screen-printing frames. This contactless, digital architecture makes wet-on-wet processing and rapid design alterations instantly realizable on the factory floor.
In this short video, you can learn:
* The exact electromechanical principles of piezoelectric membrane deflection and acoustic wave generation in inkjet nozzles.
* How massive parallelization scales inkjet throughput with over 10,000 nozzles per unit.
* Why digital, touchless, maskless operation enables immediate wet-on-wet processing changes.
📋 **Clip Abstract** Piezoelectric inkjet technology leverages acoustic waves within fluid micro-chambers to eject droplets at ultra-high frequencies. With thousands of parallel, digitally controlled nozzles, this non-contact process enables high-throughput pattern deposition without physical masks.
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#PiezoelectricInkjet, #AcousticWaveEjection, #MasklessDeposition, #DropOnDemand, #PrintedElectronics, #AdditiveManufacturing