Aerosol Jet Printing of Thermally Reliable Hybrid Interconnects via a Conformal Dielectric

Abstract

Digital printing technologies offer a versatile platform to integrate bare die and discrete components in heterogeneous electronics assemblies. Such hybrid electronics, combining traditional microelectronics and printed components, offer considerable design flexibility, but pose a key technical challenge to achieve robust performance in complex topographies. Here, we demonstrate a concept for thermally robust nonplanar interconnects with a conformal architecture, in which printed silver interconnects traverse the vertical step between device planes, supported by a thin dielectric layer and compact fillet. This physical design allows effective use of thermally stable dielectrics such as benzocyclobutene, and thermal testing validates electrical performance following single-shot exposures up to 300 °C, 30 thermal cycles from room temperature to 250 °C, and 100 thermal cycles to 150 °C, performance levels that challenge conventional photocurable fillet materials. The conformal architecture scales efficiently to tall step edges (2 mm) and dense multi-step structures. This combination of compact footprint, high thermal stability, reduced material requirements, and geometric scalability establishes conformal interconnects as a compelling architecture for thermally robust hybrid electronics and advanced packaging.