Anisotropic Materials for Additive Packaging Solutions: Anisotropic Ink for Flexible and Conformal Circuits.

As demands for additively manufactured circuits increase, there exists an ever-growing demand for flexible circuits and circuits on non-traditional substrates. This work presents the effects of a commercial off the shelf anisotropic ink (Creative Materials 124-19A) on advanced packaging solutions related to printed, conformal, and flexible RF electronics. This abstract analyzes the effects of anisotropic ink to simplify the manufacturing process by creating customized vertical pathways for electrical connections. Specifically, we analyze reliability, conductivity, loss, cross-coupling, and adhesion for surface mount components ranging from discrete passive electronics to high frequency packaged RF components. These results include long term bend testing, electrical testing, and temperature cycling. We will describe methods to successfully utilize anisotropic material systems in ways that will decrease pick-and-place alignment tolerances, improve reliability, and enable free form integration with customized structures and interposers.