Heterogeneous Process Development for Electronic Device Packaging with Direct Printed Additive Manufacturing
Next generation electronics will not change drastically in function; batteries will last longer, devices will have more functions and devices will take unique shapes, but for the next several years, electronics will travel the path it has been traveling for a couple of decades. To meet the demands of more functions per device and unique shapes, the status quo of electronic manufacturing cannot persist. Solder, wire bonds, FR4, printed circuit boards, surface mount and packaging will fight for survival, but just as hand held phones have evolved, so will the electronics that support them. Standard electronic packaging techniques are reaching size and density limits forcing a search for alternative approaches. The idea of using Additive Manufacturing as an alternative for packaging has not been taken seriously, but there is an opportunity to demonstrate the significant advantages of true 3D electronic packages by allowing the package to be the printed circuit board and by utilizing direct print and bare die approaches to print and structure diverse electronics.