Localized Material Transfer Onto Metal Elements From a Temporary Support

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for producing metallizations, such as solder bump metallizations, on small electronic chips or irregular surfaces are costly and impractical, especially when using screen printing, as they require collective processing and struggle with surface irregularities.

Innovation Solution

A localized deposition method where a material is initially applied to a temporary support, followed by a heat and/or chemical treatment to enhance adhesion to the target element, ensuring the material remains attached after separation from the support, utilizing materials with judiciously chosen contact angles to achieve higher adhesion to the element than the support.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If screen printing is used to deposit material on small individual electronic chips, then localized deposition can be achieved, but the production cost significantly increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocalized depositionVSAvoidproduction cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The process separates the deposition step from the chip processing step. Material is deposited on a support in a simplified manner, then the support is segmented into individual chip portions, each receiving its material deposit. This avoids the complexity of direct screen printing on each small chip while maintaining localized deposition capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A support structure serves as an intermediary carrier. The material is first deposited on this intermediate support rather than directly on the small chips. The support then mediates the transfer of material to the chips during the cutting/separation process, enabling localized deposition without requiring complex positioning equipment for each individual chip.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If screen printing is used on irregular surfaces with hollows, then material can be deposited, but the paste is not correctly deposited in the hollows and flatness problems occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial deposition accuracyVSAvoidsurface irregularity handling
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The material is deposited on the support in advance, before the support is cut into portions and applied to the chips. This preliminary deposition on a flat support surface avoids the problems of depositing paste directly into hollows on irregular chip surfaces, ensuring uniform material distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The process moves the deposition operation to a different dimensional context - depositing on a flat 2D support surface rather than attempting to deposit directly onto the irregular 3D surface of the chip with hollows. This dimensionality change eliminates the flatness and hollow-filling problems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Productivity

If screen printing screen is pressed against irregular surface, then material can be deposited, but flatness problems occur due to surface irregularities

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvematerial depositionVSAvoidflatness
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSShape

Solution Approach 1:

Material deposition is performed in advance on a flat support surface before the support is conforming to or pressed against the irregular chip surface. This preliminary action on a flat surface ensures uniform material distribution and maintains flatness, while still enabling subsequent application to irregular surfaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enables cost-effective, localized deposition on small, individual electronic chips or irregular surfaces without direct screen printing, ensuring strong adhesion and transfer of patterns, suitable for various applications including metallizations, sealing beads, and functionalization layers.

Implementation Method 1

A heat and/or chemical treatment is then implemented in order to increase the adhesion strength of the material against the part of the element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

annealing is carried out at a temperature greater than or equal to the melting temperature of the fusible material so that the portions 15 pass into the liquid state and then form, at the end of this annealing and after the fusible material has returned to the solid state, balls 16

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMelting: Melting

Implementation Method 3

A heat and/or chemical treatment is then implemented in order to increase the adhesion strength of the material against the part of the element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP4069630B1Method for the localized deposition of a material on a metal element
Publication Date: 2025.10.01 COMMISSARIAT A LENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES
  • EP4069630B1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP4069630B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7
  • EP4069630B1 patent drawingFigure 8~10

AI summary

Method for the localized deposition of a material on an element (110), comprising: - the depositing of a portion (108) of the material on part of a surface (101) of a support (102); - the positioning of a part (112) of the element against the portion of the material; - the annealing of the portion of material, which increases the force of adhesion of the material to the part of the element at the end of the treatment, the materials of the part of the element and of the part of the surface of the support being chosen to be such that the adhesion of the material to the part of the element is, at the end of the annealing operation, greater than that of the material to the part of the surface of the support; - the separating of the element and the support at the interface between the material and the part of the surface of the support, the material remaining attached to the part of the element.