Screen printing high-volume production

In order to address the needs of field sensing of explosives, it is necessary to move away from traditional bulky electrodes and cells (commonly used in research laboratories). The exploitation of advanced microfabrication techniques allows the replacement of conventional ( beaker-type ) electrochemical cells and electrodes with easy-to-use sensor strips. Both thick-film (screen-printing) and thin-film (lithographic) fabrication processes have thus been used for high-volume production of highly reproducible, effective and inexpensive electrochemical sensor strips. Such strips rely on... 

In the past screen printing in high-volume production operation is 200- to 250-pm vias and 150- J.m lines and spaces. Today a number of manufacturers produce circuits with lOO-pm vias and 75-pm spaces and trace design rules. The trends are toward smaller and smaller vias on tighter pitches with finer lines and spaces. Design rules that include 30- to 50-pm vias are under evaluation. 

Screen-printing has had a remarkable progress to generate fine resolutions. An appropriate combination of the screen printer and screen mask can provide smaller pitch traces than 20 microns as shown in Fig. 63.24. It could be the low cost solution for the volume production for the high density flexible circuits. The process is capable for both conductor materials and insulation materials. A screen printable conductive material could be the key of the process. 

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