Conductive Inks

I am trying to find out as much information as possible relating to conductive inks.

If anyone out there is using them please give some advice.

1) How are you curing the ink? 2) What type of substrates are you using and who supplies them? 3) What are some of hte applications for conductive ink? 4) when is ink more desirable to use and why? 5) Is there a significant expense or savings by using ink? 6) Can final products be reworked? 7) How are you applying the ink?

Any and all related information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Steve Skinner

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| I am trying to find out as much information as possible relating to conductive inks. | | If anyone out there is using them please give some advice. | | 1) How are you curing the ink? | 2) What type of substrates are you using and who supplies them? | 3) What are some of hte applications for conductive ink? | 4) when is ink more desirable to use and why? | 5) Is there a significant expense or savings by using ink? | 6) Can final products be reworked? | 7) How are you applying the ink? | | Any and all related information would be greatly appreciated. | | Thanks | Steve Skinner | Good morning Steve: I held off responding, because my knowledge of printing inks in electronics is not current.

Long ago, we placed packaged and chip ICs and chip and other components on ceramic substrates. They were called "hybrids." We printed traces and through holes, resistors and capacitors with liquid inks. Inks can be printed either thick or thin film. Thick films are:

� 0.2 to 2 mils thick. � Printed with a traditional silk screen process. Different screen meshes were used for different materials. Coarse 100 mesh screens are for conductors and resistors and produce uniform deposits. A fine 325 mesh are for precise lines and inductors. � Fired at 700 to 1100C for 1 to 45 minutes to sinter the ink to the ceramic, depending on the ink.

Currently people use inks to add ECOs to a fabricated boards, in MCM assembly, and in CSP packaging, as well as good ol� hybrids. Yes, there are some people that still make �em and haven�t come-up with a sexy name that can be compressed into three letters. To get more current information:

1 Buy a book, either:

Polymer Thick Film, Galleo, Ken, International Thomson Publishing, 1996 Handbook Of Thin Film Technology, Elshabini,-Riad, Aicha & Barlow, Fred, McGraw-Hill, 1998

2 Contact suppliers of inks:

DuPont Heraeus, Cermalloy Metech WR Grace Emerson & Cumming Specialty Polymers (Minico M4100 LR silver conductive ink) Billerica, MA 800-832-4929 fax 978-436-9704 Bob Foley

3 Run a net search and call around.

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