Systems and methods for printing solder paste and other viscous materials at high resolution

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021237184-A1
Application number	US-202016807489-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 3, 2020
Priority date	Feb 3, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods in which dot-like portions of a material (e.g., a viscous material such as a solder paste) are printed or otherwise transferred onto an intermediate substrate at a first printing unit, the intermediate substrate having the dot-like portions of material printed thereon is transferred to a second printing unit, and the dot-like portions of material are transferred from the intermediate substrate to a final substrate at the second printing unit. Optionally, the first printing unit includes a coating system that creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the material is transferred in the individual dot-like portions from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate at the first printing unit. Each of the first and second printing units may employ a variety of printing or other transfer technologies. The system may also include material curing and imaging units to aid in the overall process.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising a first printing unit configured to print individual dot-like portions of a material on an intermediate substrate, and a second printing unit configured to receive the intermediate substrate having the dot-like portions of material printed thereon and to transfer the dot-like portions of material from the intermediate substrate to a final substrate.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the first printing unit includes a coating system configured to create a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the first printing unit is further configured to transfer the material in the individual dot-like portions from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the coating system includes a syringe of the material and an air or mechanical pump arranged to drive the material onto the donor substrate, and the coating system is further configured to transport the donor substrate with the material thereon towards and through a well-defined gap between rollers or knifes to create a uniform layer of the material on the donor substrate, the uniform layer of the material having a thickness that is defined by the gap.

4 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the coating system includes a screen-printing module configured to coat a screen or stencil of film having well-defined holes with the material, and the coating system is further configured to transfer the material to the intermediate substrate from the screen or stencil of film using a blade or a squeegee.

5 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the coating system comprises one of: a dispenser or an inkjet head configured to print the material onto the donor substrate, a gravure or micro-gravure system configured to coat the donor substrate with the uniform layer of the material, a slot-die system configured to coat the donor substrate with the uniform layer of the material, or a roller coating system configured to coat the donor substrate with the uniform layer of the material.

6 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the coating system is enclosed in a controlled environment.

7 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the coating system is configured to apply more than one material onto the donor substrate in a plurality of printing procedures.

8 . The system of claim 2 , where the material comprises a solder paste or other metal paste used for printed electronics, a metal paste, a ceramic paste, a highly viscous material, a wax material, a polymer material or a mix of a polymer and a monomer material, a sensitive low viscosity material, a material that can be cured by UV light or by heating, or a material that can be dried.

9 . The system of claim 2 , wherein either or both of the first printing unit and/or the second printing unit comprises a laser-based system that includes a high frequency laser configured to jet the dot-like portions of material from one substrate to another substrate.

10 . The system of claim 2 , wherein either or both of the first printing unit and/or the second printing unit is a laser assisted deposition/laser dispensing system rotated by 0-90 degrees or 90-180 degrees from a main axis of a gravitational field within which it is located.

11 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the first printing unit comprises one of an inkjet head system configured to jet the dot-like portions of material directly to the intermediate substrate; a dispenser head system configured to print the dot-like portions of material directly to the intermediate substrate; an offset printer module, a gravure printing module, or another printing module configured print to the dot-like portions of material directly to the intermediate substrate.

12 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the first printing unit is configured to maintain a well-defined gap between the donor substrate and the intermediate substrate.

13 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the intermediate substrate is a continuous film substrate and the system includes rollers to deliver the dot-like portions of material printed on the intermediate substrate at the first printing unit to the second printing unit.

14 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the intermediate substrate is a transparent solid substrate and the system includes a robotic arm to deliver the dot-like portions of material printed on the intermediate substrate at the first printing unit to the second printing unit.

15 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the system further comprises UV lights and/or a heater arranged to cure the dot-like portions of material printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate from the first printing unit to the second printing unit, to cure the final substrate after transfer of the dot-like portions of material thereto, or both.

16 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the system further comprises one or more imaging systems arranged to image the dot-like portions of material printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate from the first printing unit to the second printing unit, the dot-like portions of material after transfer to the final substrate, or both.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the imaging systems is configured to measure the dot-like portions of material printed on the intermediate substrate during movement of the intermediate substrate from the first printing unit to the second printing unit in two or three dimensions and to transfer data gathered by said measuring to the second printing unit for use in transfer of the dots of material onto the final substrate.

18 . A method, comprising of a first printing unit combined or uncombined with a coating unit, that prints a viscous material on an intermediate substrate, then, moves to a second printing unit and there the material is printed on a final substrate.

19 . A method, comprising printing individual dot-like portions of a material onto an intermediate substrate by a first printing unit, and transferring the dot-like portions of material printed on the intermediate substrate to a final substrate by a second printing unit configured to receive the intermediate substrate having the dot-like portions of material printed thereon.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the first printing unit includes a coating system, the coating system creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the first printing unit transfers the material in the individual dot-like portions from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate.

21 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the coating system includes a syringe of the material, the material is driven from the syringe onto the donor substrate, and the coating system transports the donor substrate with the material thereon towards and through a well-defined gap between rollers or knifes to create a uniform layer of the material on the donor substrate, the uniform layer of the material having a thickness that is defined by the gap.

22 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the coating system includes a screen-printing module, the screen-printing module coats a screen or stencil of film having well-defined holes with the material, and the coating system transfers the material to the intermediate substrate from the screen or stencil of film using a blade or a squeegee.

23 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the coating system applies more than one material onto the donor substrate in a

Assignees

• Io Tech Group Ltd

Inventors

• Zenou Michael
• Gilan Ziv
• Nesher Guy

Classifications

• H05K2203/163

  Monitoring a manufacturing process · CPC title

• H05K2203/107

  Using laser light · CPC title

• H05K2203/0534

  Offset printing, i.e. transfer of a pattern from a carrier onto the substrate by using an intermediate member · CPC title

• H05K2203/0528

  Patterning during transfer, i.e. without preformed pattern, e.g. by using a die, a programmed tool or a laser · CPC title

• H05K2203/0338

  Transferring metal or conductive material other than a circuit pattern, e.g. bump, solder, printed component · CPC title