Hybrid 3D Printing of Molten Metal Microdroplets and Polymers for Prototyping of Printed Circuit Boards Featuring Interdigitated 3D Capacitors

Abstract

This paper presents layer‐by‐layer additive manufacturing (AM) of molten metal microdroplets and dielectric materials to fabricate multilayer hybrid circuit boards featuring interdigitated 3D capacitors. The printed metal lines have a low resistance of 5 mΩ/mm, 12 times lower than state‐of‐the‐art conductive inks. Exploiting the advantages of Sn‐based oxide as an ideal candidate for Electrical Energy Storage Systems (ESS), we successfully fabricated an out‐of‐plane capacitor module using a combination of polymer and metal materials. The fabrication process exhibited an exceptional aspect ratio of 16, illustrating the successful incorporation of 20 metal layers in the out‐of‐plane capacitor module. Q factor obtained for the 3D capacitor was in the range of 66–500. Additionally, a fully automated printing technique was employed to produce a multilayer hybrid electrical printed circuit board (PCB), eliminating the need for post‐processing. This streamlined approach presents an efficient and comprehensive solution for the one‐stop printing of intricate electrical circuits. © 2024 The Authors. IEEJ Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Engineering published by Institute of Electrical Engineer of Japan and Wiley Periodicals LLC.