PROCESS DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT FOR STENCIL PRINTING REPRESENTATIVE FEATURES OF A MICRO BATTERY CURRENT COLLECTOR LAYER

摘要

Stencil printing is the conventional method for depositing solder paste in surface-mount-technology assembly of printed circuit boards. Process capabilities developed in stencil printing for achieving a wide range of geometry and high quality in deposited features are also attractive for other applications in printed electronics. This attractiveness is enhanced by recent advances in customizing the composition of metallic inks, which provide for a new level of process control during printing. This logic led the authors to explore the preparation of microelectronic power components by means of stencil printing, concentrating on batteries and antennas. The following paper describes a model for printing micro-batteries and presents a process design for depositing the most challenging of the elements of such a device -- the current collector layer. The process model is based upon laboratory printing of a test vehicle, using industrial-grade equipment, and extensive characterization of experimentally printed features. The paper concludes with an appraisal of the applicability of stencil printing for production of micro-batteries.