I-Corps: Manufacturing miniaturized high density printed circuit boards

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发一种新型的印刷电路板（PCB）激光微加工工艺。传统的PCB制造工艺利用湿法化学蚀刻和无电沉积。这些常规工艺需要使用许多危险化学品、加热的蚀刻浴和需要过量用水的多个洗涤循环。 这种小型化的PCB可用于空间受限的电子设备，如移动的、可穿戴和植入式医疗设备，使其更轻，更紧凑，以降低成本为电池创造额外的空间。该I-Corps项目专注于开发新型低成本印刷电路板（PCB）制造技术，生产比传统PCB布线密度更高的PCB，缩小PCB尺寸。 拟议的PCB制造技术采用激光微加工，这是一种无化学品工艺，消除了使用刺激性化学品，减少了水和电力消耗。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a novel printed circuit board (PCB) laser micromachining processes. Conventional PCB manufacturing processes utilize wet chemical etching and electroless deposition. These conventional processes require the use of many hazardous chemicals, heated etching baths, and multiple washing cycles requiring excessive water use. The proposed miniaturized PCBs can be used in space-constrained electronics devices such as mobile, wearable, and implantable medical devices to make them lighter and more compact, creating additional room for a battery at reduce cost.This I-Corps project is focused on the development of novel low-cost printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing technology that produces PCBs with higher wiring density than conventional PCB, reducing the PCB size. The proposed PCB manufacturing technology uses laser-micromachining, a chemical-free process that eliminates the use of harsh chemicals and reduces water and electricity consumption.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.