Additive Manufacturing, more popularly referred to as 3D printing, has most notably been employed to make structural objects in arbitrary 3D forms from materials including polymers, ceramics, metals and even paper. On a parallel path, Printed Electronics, in particular the Aerosol Jet method, has emerged as a production capable technique for printing all variety of electronic elements and even devices, ranging from simple tracework to embedded passives (ie: resistors) to functional antenna and even fully operational transistor circuits. The purpose of this proposal is to further the convergence of these next generation manufacturing technologies, combining structural printing with functional printing specific to applications in semiconductor packaging. Specifically, the project seeks to develop and demonstrate a method for printing the entirety of a semiconductor package, including the underlying substrate that host a COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) die, 3-dimensional interconnects to and from that die, surrounding circuitry and requisite insulation and encapsulation. The project will assess the applicability of various micro-printing technologies, including Aerosol Jet for precision 2D/3D deposition of conductors, dielectricsand potentially structure; and micro-stereolithography for relative bulk deposition of structure. The team will work to deliver a functional demonstrator electronic system using these methods.Approved for Public Release | 17-MDA-9395(24 Oct 17)
