Aerosol Jet and Inkjet Printing Methods for Die-Level Packaging of Custom MEMS Devices

Abstract

In this study, we propose an alternative, low-cost, packaging method using both inkjet and aerosol jet printing (AJP) to fabricate functional interconnects for custom die-level packages assembled on printed circuit boards (PCBs). Our process involves the manufacturing of a stacked structure with insulating and conducting layers, fabricated using inkjet and aerosol jet printing, respectively. In the first part of the study, we characterized UV adhesive deposition on the standard resin-coated PCB to acquire the optimal parameters necessary for the fabrication of the insulating layer with thicknesses around 100 μm. In the second part of our study, we developed a precise method for printing silver conducting lines using an aerosol jet printer, enabling the realization of structures with features as small as 50 μm on nonplanar surfaces. The insulating part of the microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)/PCB structure serves as a ramp ensuring continuity of the aerosol jet printed connection between the PCB and the Si die. A 1 cm × 1 cm Si chip with a custom MEMS microrobot was used to demonstrate the feasibility and flexibility of our approach in practice. After fabrication, we evaluated the interconnects for conductivity and repeatability. The packaging and inspection process was carried out using Nexus, a unique robotic system integrating additive manufacturing, robotic transport, and metrology. The results show that we successfully fabricated printed interconnects between copper PCB pads and Si die cleanroom fabricated gold pads, while electrical characterization revealed resistances in the range of 1–10 Ω. Our approach can be utilized in the manufacturing of electrical interconnects for custom devices on different substrates, including traditional and flexible PCBs. Furthermore, the applied printing techniques enable the use of other insulating or conducting inks and the formation of structures of custom geometries across a wide range of scales—20 μm to 1 mm.