Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1527952
OCTOBER 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 81 Are you using many different metal alloys in your sputtering process or focusing on the standard metals? We have experimented with quite a number of metals. We have not, unfortunately, used all 93 metals from the periodic table yet. But we have worked with both metals and alloys. Copper is the classic one, of course. We have experimented with gold, titanium, niobium, and constantan. ey each have very different properties, and, so far, we have not seen many limitations. As for the dielectric itself, we have used both rigid and flex material. Again, we did not see limitations. What do you mean by "no limitations?" When you build a PCB, you need to make sure that it meets certain electrical properties. With titanium, for example, it has poor conductiv- ity compared to copper, but it's a good resistor. So, we can look at using titanium for resistors. is is what I meant by saying each metal has its unique properties that may be appropriate for specific applications. You can just choose what you need on your PCB and can function- alize it by using another metal. That seems so simple, but also kind of groundbreaking at the same time. Am I correct in understanding that sputtering lends itself to this because, using this technique, you can more easily switch between specific metals for specific parts of your PCB? Yes, that is a benefit to sputtering. Does Dyconex see this rolling out into more mainstream PCB fabrication? It is always our goal to meet our customers' requirements in the best possible way, to be able to build in all the functionality that they require. In general, we are seeing demand for even greater functionalization and miniatur- ization of PCBs. One way to achieve this is with sputtering and by incorporating different metals. Sputtering is an additive technology, so we can achieve very small lines and spaces. At the moment we can hold 15 microns for sub- tractive technology, which is really good. But when you want to go less than 15 microns, you need to switch to additive technology. Sputter- ing is good because you can create copper seed layers. How small of features can sputtering achieve? We can consistently achieve under 15 microns, also on flex. We are still working at consistently achieving 10 microns. Figure 2: Dyconex images of sputtered products.