3D-Printed mm-Wave PCB Embedding to Reduce RF Parasitics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional PCB fabrication for mm-wave antennas is limited by surface mounting technologies that restrict component placement to the board's surface, leading to parasitic inductances, long fabrication cycles, and difficulty in achieving the required resolution for small design features.
Innovation Solution
A 3D printing process is employed to embed electrical components within and between dielectric layers of the PCB, allowing for integrated designs with reduced parasitics, faster fabrication, and customizable dielectric layer thicknesses, enabling high-resolution, monolithic integration of components like capacitors, inductors, and antennas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If surface mount technologies are used to bond components to the PCB surface, then components can be mounted on the board, but the components are restricted to surface placement only, creating parasitic inductances and limiting integration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D surface mounting to 3D embedding by using vertical vias to place components throughout the thickness of the PCB. This allows components to be positioned in the Z-dimension (depth) as well as X-Y plane, enabling direct connection to internal traces without surface parasitics and achieving true volumetric integration.
2Reliability
If conventional laminated PCB fabrication is used, then dielectric layers can be bonded together, but the fabrication cycle becomes very long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate fabrication steps into a single integrated process. The dielectric layers, conductive traces, and component embeddings are all formed in one continuous fabrication sequence rather than through separate lamination and assembly steps, dramatically reducing cycle time while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary embedding of components within the dielectric layers during the fabrication process itself, rather than mounting them afterward. This preliminary placement allows components to be integrated into the board structure as it is being built, eliminating subsequent assembly steps and reducing overall fabrication time.
3Manufacturing precision
If conventional PCB fabrication is used for mm-wave antennas, then the board can be manufactured, but the resolution required for small design features is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical PCB fabrication processes (laminating, etching, drilling) with a direct-write additive manufacturing approach. This allows precise deposition of dielectric and conductive materials layer-by-layer with high resolution, enabling fine mm-wave features to be manufactured more easily than with traditional mechanical methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A printed circuit board (PCB) that has been fabricated by a 3D printing process. The PCB includes a substrate printed by the 3D printing process, a plurality of stacked dielectric layers printed on the substrate by the 3D printing process, and a plurality of embedded electrical circuit components printed by the 3D printing process on and throughout the substrate and the plurality of dielectric layers. The PCB can be part of a device that operates at millimeter wave frequencies, such as a mm-wave antenna.