Multiple digital printing techniques for fabricating printed circuits

• US 20060160432A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lexmark International Incorporated (Ninestar Corporation)
• Inventors: Silveston-Keith, Rebecca
• Granted Patent: US 7,615,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/733.100
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/224 Machines for forming tactile or three dimensional images by electrographic means, e.g. braille, 3d printing
• CPC Class Codes: G03G 15/6585 by using non-standard toners, e.g. transparent toner, gloss adding devices
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/0517 Electrographic patterning
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1241 by ink-jet printing or drawing by dispensing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/1266 by electrographic or magnetographic printing
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/465 by applying an insulating layer having channels for the next circuit layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4664 Adding a circuit layer by thick film methods, e.g. printing techniques or by other techniques for making conductive patterns by using pastes, inks or powders H05K3/4647 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods of fabricating a printed circuit and printed circuits, including a method comprising: (a) depositing a conductive material to form a first conductive pathway upon a substrate; (b) depositing a dielectric material directly over at least a first portion of the conductive pathway utilizing an electrophotographic process; and (c) depositing a conductive material over at least a portion of the dielectric material to form a second conductive pathway, where the second conductive pathway is in electrical communication with the first conductive pathway.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a printed circuit comprising:

depositing a first conductive material to form a first conductive pathway upon a substrate;

depositing a dielectric material directly over at least a first portion of the conductive pathway utilizing an electrophotographic process; and

depositing a second conductive material over at least a portion of the dielectric material to form a second conductive pathway, where the second conductive pathway is in electrical communication with the first conductive pathway.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the act of depositing the first conductive material to form the first conductive pathway upon the substrate includes utilization of a first set of inkjet nozzles to deposit the first conductive material; and

the act of depositing the second conductive material over at least a portion of the dielectric material to form the second conductive pathway upon the substrate includes utilization of a second set of inkjet nozzles to deposit the second conductive material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the act of depositing the dielectric material over at least the first portion of the conductive pathway includes selectively depositing the dielectric material to form at least one via leaving exposed a second portion of the first conductive pathway; and

the act of depositing the second conductive material over at least a portion of the dielectric material to form the second conductive pathway upon the substrate includes utilizing an inkjet process to deposit the second conductive material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of depositing the dielectric material over at least the first portion of the conductive pathway utilizing an electrophotographic process includes:

depositing the dielectric material to form a first dielectric layer over at least the first portion of the first conductive pathway; and

depositing the dielectric material over the first dielectric layer to form a second dielectric layer that at least partially defines a trench into which the second conductive material forming the second conductive pathway is deposited;

wherein the acts of depositing the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer create a via enabling electrical communication between the first conductive pathway and the second conductive pathway.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the act of depositing the dielectric material to form the first dielectric layer includes utilizing toner from a first toner cartridge of a laser printer;

the act of depositing the dielectric material to form the second dielectric layer includes utilizing toner from a second toner cartridge of the laser printer.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the act of depositing the first layer and second layer of the dielectric material are deposited in a single pass.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the act of depositing the second conductive material to form the second conductive pathway upon the substrate includes depositing the second conductive material within the via and within the trench.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

curing the first conductive material deposited upon the substrate prior to the act of depositing the dielectric material over at least the first portion of the first conductive material; and

curing the second conductive material deposited over the dielectric material prior to the act of depositing the conductive material over at least the portion of the dielectric material.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is at least one of silicon-based, polymer-based, lingo-cellulose-based, and glass.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of subjecting at least one of the first conductive material, the dielectric material, and the second conductive material to a vacuum.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the act of subjecting at least one of the first conductive material, the dielectric material, and the second conductive material to an elevated temperature environment.

12. A method of fabricating a printed circuit comprising:

depositing a conductive material to form a first conductive pathway upon a substrate;

depositing a dielectric material in contact with at least a first portion of the first conductive pathway; and

depositing a conductive material directly over the dielectric material to form a second conductive pathway in a stacked structure;

wherein the act of depositing a dielectric material in contact with at least a first portion of the first conductive pathway includes the act of vertically electrically insulating the first portion of the conductive pathway from the second conductive pathway.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the act of depositing the conductive material to form the first conductive pathway upon the substrate includes utilization of a first set of inkjet nozzles to deposit the first conductive pathway upon the substrate; and

the act of depositing the conductive material to form the second conductive pathway upon the substrate includes utilization of a second set of inkjet nozzles to deposit the second conductive pathway upon the substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the act of depositing the dielectric material in contact with at least the first portion of the conductive pathway includes utilizing an electrophotographic process to deposit the dielectric material to form at least one via; and

the act of depositing the conductive material to form the second conductive pathway upon the substrate includes utilizing an inkjet process to deposit the conductive material within at least one via.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the act of depositing the dielectric material in contact with at least the first portion of the conductive pathway utilizing an electrophotographic process includes:

depositing the dielectric material to form a first layer in contact with at least the first portion of the conductive pathway; and

depositing the dielectric material to form a second layer in contact with the first layer of dielectric material layer to define vias.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the act of depositing the dielectric material to form the first layer includes utilizing toner from a first toner cartridge of a laser printer;

the act of depositing the dielectric material to form the second layer includes utilizing toner from a second toner cartridge of the laser printer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the act of depositing the first layer and second layer of the dielectric material are deposited in a single pass.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of depositing the conductive material to form the second conductive pathway upon the substrate to provide the stacked structure includes depositing the conductive material within the vias to provide the stacked structure.

19. An RFID antenna, comprising:

a first conductive material forming a first conductive pathway;

a dielectric material directly contacting a portion of the first conductive pathway and likewise leaving exposed a portion of the first conductive pathway; and

a second conductive material directly in concurrent contact with the first conductive material and the dielectric material, where a majority of the second conductive material is vertically elevated and physically separated from the majority of the first conductive material.