With such a wide variety of applications in the printed electronics field (PE) – sensors, displays and photovoltaics, to name a few – there are also plenty of approaches to producing these systems, from printing to deposition techniques.

Advantech US, Inc. is focused on vacuum deposition processes for manufacturing precision micro electronic devices by patterning thin films. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Advantech US has developed itsEvaporation Printing vacuum deposition system for manufacturing microelectronic devices using an additive manufacturing technology that performs in-line material deposition through shadow masks with precision alignment.

Advantech US was founded by Dr. T. Peter Brody, who is best known as the inventor of Active Matrix Thin-Film Transistor display technology while at Westinghouse. Dr. Brody produced the world’s first Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Display (AM-LCD) in 1972, and he has launched a variety of companies through the years.

“Dr. Brody founded our company 10 years ago to make backplanes for OLEDs using alternative technologies,” said Whit Little, Advantech US’s CEO.

The company reports that the Evaporation Printing proc has shown significant potential for the fabrication of chip packaging, microelectronic devices, circuitry, ePaper display backplanes and OLED display front panels, and is compatible with a number of both rigid and flexible substrates using bulk deposition materials. The key to their Evaporation Printing system is its additive process, which differs substantially from photolithography.

“We use shadow masks to deposit materials onto the substrate to create the electronic element,” Little said. “The traditional approach is to use photolithography. Our alternative additive approach builds the element layer by layer using shadow masks, from the oxides, semiconductor material and metals, using a separate vacuum chamber. Our shadow masks have very small feature sizes down to 5 microns, and we use optics to achieve registration with 1 micron, which is world-class.”

Little said that the benefits to the Evaporation Printing technology are numerous.

“The obvious benefit of this technology is the quality this technique delivers when producing specs that require electronics micrometer precision,”Little noted. “Bulk material deposition, precision shadow masks and micrometer alignment are exactly what is needed to meet our customers’ exacting requirements. It’s also faster and more green than photolithography, which has etching steps. It is excellent for shorter runs and specialized applications that require high-quality electronics.”

Advantech US has made inroads and has produced orders in a number of areas, including defense, aerospace and medical electronics.

“We are global, and are working with OLED display makers who are making higher resolution displays,” Little added. “We have an advantage when it comes to high-quality electronic components, and we are getting traction in our markets.”

Little believes that the growing interest in additive processes such as 3-D printing mesh well with the Evaporation Printing system, adding, “Our process is the electronics manufacturing version of 3Dprinting.

“Our outlook is good,” Little concluded. “There are opportunities for additive manufacturing. Our customers tell us they want the ability to use data-driven processes. Making high-quality electronic components for 3D printed mechanical devices is one area where we fit in.”