I-Corps: Manufacturing miniaturized high density printed circuit boards

这个i-Corps项目的更广泛的影响/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。传统的印刷电路板制造工艺采用湿法化学蚀刻和化学沉积。这些传统工艺需要使用许多危险化学品、加热蚀刻浴以及需要大量用水的多次洗涤循环。建议的小型化印刷电路板可以用于空间受限的电子设备，如移动、可穿戴和植入式医疗设备，使它们更轻、更紧凑，以降低成本为电池创造更多的空间。这个i-Corps项目专注于开发新型的低成本印刷电路板(PCB)制造技术，生产出比传统印刷电路板更高的布线密度，减少印刷电路板的尺寸。拟议的印刷电路板制造技术使用激光微机械加工，这是一种不使用苛刻化学品并减少水和电力消耗的工艺。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.