Io Tech Group Ltd.

Orbotech Limited

Reophotonics, Ltd.

Ivoclar Vivadent Ag

Granat Research, Ltd.

Michael Zenou

Christian Ritzberger

Ziv Gilan

Guy Nesher

Zvi Kotler

Daniel Liptz

Wolfgang Josef Wachter

Lorenz Josef Bonderer

Yuval Shai

Jürgen Rudolf Laubersheimer

Claudio Rottman

Eliezer Lipman

Golan Hanina

Itay Peled

Elad Dotan

Hendrik John

Marc Altman

Ofer Fogel

Oleg Ermak

Boris Greenberg

Abraham Rotnemer

Jonathan Ankri

Jürgen Lauberscheimer

Mark Sheridan

Stéphane Etienne

Jürgen Laubersheimer

In systems for printing a viscous material, the printing and post processing of the viscous material are performed sequentially one after another. In an initial step, a viscous material is printed on a sample mounted on a receiver substrate using a donor module and a laser scanner, and then the donor module is replaced with a post processing system for performing a post processing operation (and vice versa). Multiple post processing operations can be performed, and multiple different materials can be printed on the same layer. The systems can increase the speed, resolution and diversity of materials printed on the same sample, and opens the possibilities for new designs.

Systems for printing viscous materials using laser assisted deposition

In a method for filling through-holes of a substrate with a metal paste, an upper lamination foil is secured to the top surface of the substrate and a lower lamination foil is secured to the bottom surface of the substrate. A laser beam is used to generate a first plurality of holes in the upper lamination foil, and a second plurality of holes in the lower lamination foil. Respective locations of the first and second plurality of holes are aligned with the through-holes of the substrate. Metal paste is applied into the through-holes through the first plurality of holes using a squeegee or a knife. Any metal paste that is pressed out from the second plurality of holes may be scraped off by the squeegee or the knife and recycled. Finally, the upper and lower lamination foils may be removed from the substrate.

Methods to fill through-holes of a substrate with metal paste

The invention relates to a material for use as construction material for energy-pulse-induced transfer printing, which contains (a) at least one polymerizable binder, (b) at least one volume expansion component, (c) at least one initiator for the polymerization and (d) preferably at least one energy transformation component. The invention furthermore relates to a process for producing three-dimensional objects using the material.

Process and material for producing 3D objects by energy-pulse-induced transfer printing

Systems and methods for printing a printed circuit board (PCB) from substrate to full integration utilize a laser-assisted deposition (LAD) system to print a flowable material on top of a substrate by laser jetting to create a PCB structure to be used as an electronic device. One such system for PCB printing includes a jet printing unit, an imaging unit, curing units, and a drilling unit to print metals and other materials (epoxies, solder masks, etc.) directly on a PCB substrate such as a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material (e.g., FR4) or others. The jet printing unit can also be used for sintering and/or ablation of materials. Printed materials are cured by heating or by infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. PCBs produced according to the present systems and methods may be single-sided or double-sided.

PCB production by laser systems

Apparatus and methods for printing metal on a receiving substrate in a desired geometry using a foil pre-coated with a layer of material. The deposition process includes laser ablation to define desired material geometry, selective application of adhesive to the material to be deposited, and selective release of the material from a carrier substrate.

Method for transferring a material

A solvent layer is coated on a metal layer carried by a donor substrate, allowing the fabrication of solid metal lines at a high resolution. The laser jetting involves ejecting metal particles, constrained within a solvent membrane, from the metal layer. Once the metal particles have been deposited onto a receiver substrate, the solvent can be evaporated. Since this printing procedure can be performed with the solvent layer in direct contact with the receiver substrate or separated therefrom by a small distance, the resolution of the metal lines can be very high and depends directly on the laser spot size and defocus. The solvent constrains the droplet size of the metal particles, which can increase or maintain the resolution of the laser beam. As this process is a continuous sequence production, the metal line production can be performed at a very rapid rate.

Methods for printing metal lines and patterns at high resolution

In a coating system, two rollers are arranged adjacent to one another. A donor foil with rheological material dispensed thereon is advanced through a gap between the two rollers. Such gap spreads the dispensed material over the donor foil, coating the donor foil with a layer of the material with a uniform thickness associated with the gap width. Each roller is supported on a holder. Adjustment of the gap width may be effected by keeping the position of one of the holders fixed, while horizontally translating the position of the other holder. The position of the translatable holder may be adjusted by pistons and linear actuators. The pistons may bias the moveable holder towards the stationary holder. The linear actuators mounted on the moveable holder may extend respective arms against the stationary holder, thereby countering the biasing of the pistons and pushing the moveable holder away from the stationary holder.

Coating system with an adjustable gap between two rollers

A material for use as support material for energy-pulse-induced transfer printing, which contains (a) at least one energy transformation component, (b) at least one volume expansion component and (c) at least one binder and which has a viscosity at 25° C. of from 0.2 Pas to 1000 Pas and a surface tension at 25° C. of from 20 to 150 mN/m. The invention furthermore relates to a process for producing three-dimensional objects using the support material.

Process for energy-pulse-induced transfer printing

Spacers may be attached onto a membrane by a method in which adjacent ones of the spacers are spaced apart from one another with spacings that are accurate to a very fine tolerance. In the method, adjacent ones of the spacers may be attached to one another via lateral members so as to fix the relative spacing between the spacers. The spacers arranged with the fixed spacing may be attached to a transparent substrate via one or more intermediate layers, and thereafter, the lateral members may be severed. Afterwards, a surface of each of the spacers facing away from the transparent substrate may be coated with an adhesive layer. The spacers may be pressed against a membrane so as to attach the spacers to the membrane via the adhesive layer. After being attached to the membrane, the spacers may be detached from the transparent substrate.

Methods for depositing spacers on a membrane

Systems and methods in which a material or materials (e.g., a viscous material) are printed or otherwise transferred onto an intermediate substrate at a printing unit(s). The intermediate substrate having an image of material printed thereon is subsequently transferred to a sample building unit, and the image of material is transferred from the intermediate substrate to a sample at the sample building unit. Optionally, the printing unit(s) includes a coating system that creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the material is transferred from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate at the printing unit(s). Each of the printing units may employ a variety of printing or other transfer technologies. The system may also include material curing, heating, sintering, ablating, material filling, imaging and cleaning units to aid in the overall process.

Systems and methods for 3D printing with vacuum assisted laser printing machine

Methods for creating a conductive pillar on a receiver substrate may include forming a dried metal paste pillar by printing metal paste over an area of a receiver substrate, drying the metal paste, and repeating the printing and drying steps. The dried metal paste pillar may be inspected so as to determine a height of the dried metal paste pillar. If the height of the dried metal paste pillar is less than a desired height, additional metal paste may be printed onto to the dried metal paste pillar and dried. If the height of the dried metal paste pillar exceeds the desired height, a portion of the dried metal paste pillar may be ablated. The dried metal paste pillar may be sintered so as to form the conductive pillar. Conductive pillars that are produced according to the methods may be used as part of the formation of a flip-chip assembly.

Methods for printing a conductive pillar with high precision

Systems and methods for printing a printed circuit board (PCB) from substrate to full integration utilize a laser-assisted deposition (LAD) system to print a flowable material on top of a substrate by laser jetting to create a PCB structure to be used as an electronic device. One such system for PCB printing includes a jet printing unit, an imaging unit, curing units, and a drilling unit to print metals and other materials (epoxies, solder masks, etc.) directly on a PCB substrate such as a glass-reinforced epoxy laminate material (e.g., FR4) or others. The jet printing unit can also be used for sintering and/or ablation of materials. Printed materials are cured by heating or by infrared (IR) or ultraviolet (UV) radiation. PCB s produced according to the present systems and methods may be single-sided or double-sided.

Support material for energy-pulse-induced transfer printing

Systems and methods for coating a thin film with a viscous material, such as a liquid, a paste, or an adhesive, at a desired thickness. In such a system, two films move adjacent to one another, optionally in opposite directions, atop two rollers separated by a known gap that defines a coating thickness, with the material being transferred from one film to the other. The rollers may be maintained in their relative positions by springs and/or linear actuators and positioned using linear encoders. In alternative arrangements, the material to be coated could be low viscosity material such as a polymeric solution. Air knives may be provided near the gap to create an air flow that aids in preventing the free flow of low viscosity materials outside the bounds of the film during coating.

Method for operating a wire-less variable gap coater device

A method for fabricating a three-dimensional (3D) electronic device. A liquid support material (e.g., an epoxy acrylate with a photoinitiator) is applied by a laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) process to a printed circuit board (PCB) having one or more connectors and one or more electronic components thereon, and then cured to solid form by cooling and/or exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A layer of conductive material (e.g., a metal) is printed on the solidified support material by LIFT to electrically connect the one or more electronic components to respective ones of the connectors on the PCB. Subsequently, the layer of conductive material is dried by heating and metal particles in the conductive layer sintered using a laser beam. The assembly may then be encapsulated in an encapsulant.

Growing community of inventors

Hashmonaim, Israel

Michael Zenou