Application of Chemical Metallization of Photopolymer Structures Additive Technology in the Production of Components for Electronic Devices

Abstract

In this paper, we studied the operability of various components of vacuum electronic devices manufactured using the novel chemical metallization of photopolymer 3D-printed structures technology (CMPS), which is being applied at the Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS), for operation from microwave to sub-terahertz ranges. The key feature of this production method is the 3D printing (SLA/DLP, MJM technologies) of products and their further metallization. The paper presents the main stages of the process of chemical copper plating of polymer bases in various electrodynamic systems with complex shapes. A significant difference in the geometry and operating conditions of the created elements forms certain approaches to their production, as described in this work. Experimental studies of the implemented microwave components were carried out up to 700 GHz in the “cold” measurements; some electrodynamic structures were examined under conditions of sub-gigawatt peak power; and complex-shaped electrodes with cooling channels were tested under a continuous high thermal load. The conducted research has demonstrated the high potential of the developed methods of additive manufacturing of microwave device components and the prospects for their successful application in the described areas.