Matrix-controlled printhead for an electrochemical additive manufacturing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022349046-A1
Application number	US-202217863272-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 12, 2022
Priority date	Aug 23, 2019
Publication date	Nov 3, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

Process for manufacturing a printhead for a 3D manufacturing system that uses metal electrodeposition to construct parts. The printhead may be constructed by depositing layers on top of a backplane that contains control and power circuits. Deposited layers may include insulating layers and an anode layer that contain deposition anodes that are in contact with the electrolyte to drive electrodeposition. Insulating layers may for example be constructed of silicon nitride or silicon dioxide; the anode layer may contain an insoluble conductive material such as platinum group metals and their associated oxides, highly doped semiconducting materials, and carbon based conductors. The anode layer may be deposited using chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition. Alternatively in one or more embodiments the printhead may be constructed by manufacturing a separate anode plane component, and then bonding the anode plane to the backplane.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of making an electrochemical-deposition printhead, the method comprising steps of:
forming deposition anodes by filling openings with a conductive material, the openings extending from a top surface to a bottom surface of a substrate that comprises an insulating material; and coupling the deposition anodes to a backplane, wherein the backplane comprises:
a grid control circuit, comprising an array of row traces, an array of column traces, a row driver circuit, electrically coupled to the row traces, and a column driver circuit, electrically coupled to the column traces;
a power distribution circuit; and
deposition-control circuits, aligned with a deposition grid, wherein each of the deposition-control circuits is electrically coupled to the power distribution circuit, an associated one of the row traces, and an associated one of the column traces.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising depositing bonding bumps onto the bottom surface of the substrate, so that each of the bonding bumps is electrically coupled to the conductive material in one of the openings.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane comprises coupling each of the bonding bumps to one of the deposition-control circuits to establish an electrical connection between each of the deposition-control circuits and a corresponding one of the deposition anodes.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the step coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane comprises coupling each of the bonding bumps to one of the deposition-control circuits using one or more of eutectic bonding, thermocompression bonding, or controlled-collapse solder bonding.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising aligning the substrate with the backplane before the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:
each of the deposition anodes comprises an insoluble conductive material, each of the deposition-control circuits comprises one of a plurality of contact pads, and the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane establishes an electrical connection between each of the deposition anodes and one of the plurality of contact pads.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane comprises bonding the substrate to the backplane using an anisotropic conductive adhesive so that an electrical connection is established between each of the deposition-control circuits and a corresponding one of the deposition anodes through the anisotropic conductive adhesive.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising polishing the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate.

9 . An electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly, comprising:
a substrate, made of an insulating material and comprising openings, extending from a top surface to a bottom surface of the substrate; deposition anodes, comprising conductive material that fills the openings; and a backplane, coupled to the substrate, wherein the backplane comprises:
a grid control circuit, comprising an array of row traces, an array of column traces, a row driver circuit, electrically coupled to the row traces, and a column driver circuit, electrically coupled to the column traces;
a power distribution circuit; and
deposition-control circuits, aligned with a deposition grid, wherein each of the deposition-control circuits is electrically coupled to the power distribution circuit, an associated one of the row traces, and an associated one of the column traces.

10 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein:
the conductive material is an insoluble conductive material, each of the deposition-control circuits comprises one of a plurality of contact pads, and each of the deposition anodes is coupled to one of the plurality of contact pads so that an electrical connection is established between each of the deposition anodes and a corresponding one of the deposition-control circuits.

11 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 10 , further comprising bonding bumps that establish an electrical connection between each of the deposition anodes and a corresponding one of the plurality of contact pads.

12 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 11 , wherein the bonding bumps are made of at least one of gold, copper, silver, lead, or tin.

13 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 10 , wherein the insoluble conductive material comprises one or more of platinum group metals and their associated oxides, highly doped semiconducting materials, or carbon nanotubes.

14 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , further comprising an anisotropic conductive adhesive, located between the substrate and the backplane so that an electrical connection is established between each of the deposition-control circuits and a corresponding one of the deposition anodes.

15 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the conductive material that fills the openings is a metal-ceramic composite material.

16 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the conductive material that fills the openings is one of copper, silver, nickel, tungsten.

17 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the substrate is made of glass.

18 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the substrate is made of silicon.

19 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate are polished.

20 . The electrochemical-deposition printhead assembly of claim 9 , wherein the substrate has a thickness from 50 nanometers to 2000 micrometers.

Assignees

• Fabric8Labs Inc

Inventors

• Pain David
• Edmonds Andrew
• Herman Jeffrey
• Pateros Charles
• Shaik Kareemullah
• White Edward

Classifications

• Y02P10/25

  Process efficiency · CPC title

• C23C14/08

  Oxides (C23C14/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C14/042

  using masks · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• C23C16/278

  doping or introduction of a secondary phase in the diamond · CPC title