Materials jetting for advanced optoelectronic interconnect: technologies and application

This report covers the work carried out on Teaching Company Scheme No. 2275 "Materials Jetting for Advanced Interconnect" between February 1998 and February 2000. The project was conducted at the Harlow laboratories of Nortel Networks with the support of the Department of Manufacturing Engineering of Loughborough University. Technical direction and supervision has been provided by Mr Paul Conway, Reader, at Loughborough University, Professor Ken Snowdon and Mr Chris Tanner of Nortel Networks. The aim of the project was to produce and deposit minute and precise volumes of a range of materials, such as metallic alloys, glasses and polymers, onto a variety of substrates commonly used in the electronics and optoelectronics fields. The technology, which is analogous to ink-jet printing, firstly had to be refined to accommodate higher processing temperatures of up to 350°C. The ultimate project deliverable was to produce a specification for jetting equipment suited towards volume manufacturing. [Continues.]