Electroninks, the Austin-based producer of steel natural decomposition (MOD) inks for additive manufacturing (AM) and semiconductor packaging, has launched what the corporate claims is the “world’s first” commercially obtainable copper MOD ink. Based on Electroninks, one notably sought-after utility driving curiosity in copper inks “seed layer printing”, which entails the deposition of extraordinarily skinny layers of steel onto a substrate, making subsequent plating processes simpler and extra environment friendly.
Photo voltaic cells appear to be one of many areas wherein seed layer printing exhibits essentially the most promise. Electroninks claims that, in comparison with the at the moment dominant processes of electroless (e-less) copper plating and bodily vapor deposition (PVD), AM with copper inks requires each far much less water and vitality.
Along with enhancing the sustainability of the underlying manufacturing processes, that additionally contributes to prospects’ capability to fabricate the related elements with far much less CAPEX than is required with standard strategies. Together with seed layer printing, Electroninks is already working with prospects to discover the potential for its copper MOD inks in areas like superior semiconductor packaging.
In a press launch Electroninks CEO and co-founder Brett Walker, mentioned, “These copper inks bolster Electroninks’ robust and various MOD ink product portfolio and ship best-in-class ESG and value financial savings to prospects.”
Jim Haley, the VP of Advertising for the Worldwide Microelectronics and Meeting Packaging Society (IMAPS) Govt Council, mentioned, “MOD inks, which have been in the marketplace from Electroninks for a couple of years now, present distinctive properties which might be properly suited to in the present day’s semiconductor wafer and module-based packages requiring high-performance thermal and energy administration. By introducing a copper-based MOD product, markets and prospects are usually extra supportive, as copper is a normal in digital design for a lot of use-cases. Whereas silver, gold, and different MOD inks will proceed to serve this market, we welcome copper MOD inks to deal with key wants in superior packaging.”
Along with serving to the reshoring effort within the US for the industries the place it issues most — semiconductor packaging and inexperienced vitality — Electroninks has made important inroads into the Asian Pacific market lately, specifically in Japan and Taiwan. In fact, this bolsters the US’s reshoring effort as properly, because the American home market can’t advance ahead with out heightened cross-collaboration between the US and its main commerce companions outdoors the Chinese language mainland.
As far behind because the US should be in reaching its objectives to construct the home inexperienced vitality and semiconductor manufacturing bases, the brilliant facet to that is that the nation can, to a big extent, begin from scratch in constructing its new industrial ecosystem. Whereas different nations have already dedicated themselves to doing issues the outdated means, the US can deal with accentuating its benefits in really forward-thinking areas like conductive inks.
Photos courtesy of Electroninks
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