Printer for additively manufactured printed circuit boards and electronics

• Subject Area: Electrical Engineering and Information Technology
• Term: Funded in 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 516724307

The subject of this proposal is the procurement of a system ("printer") for additively manufactured circuit boards (PCBs) and additively manufactured electronics. In the current state of the art, conventionally manufactured circuit boards often represent the bottleneck with respect to the achievable integration density and the achievable form factor of (quantum) sensor systems; since, on the one hand, they do not enable true 3D integration of integrated circuits and optoelectronic elements, and on the other hand, especially the minimum manufacturable via size represents a strong limitation for the achievable integration density. 3D printing of printed circuit boards offers immense advantages in terms of the available degrees of freedom, which can be used both to increase the integration density and to improve system performance – e.g. through better high-frequency properties of the printed vias or through the feasibility of entirely new concepts for coils and coil arrays. The proposed device will be used mainly for research towards noel concepts for the hybrid microintegration of first- and second-generation quantum sensors. The main focus will be on inductive sensors for classical nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, as well as sensors based on solid-state defects in semiconductor materials such as diamond and silicon carbide. Here, the additively manufactured printed circuit boards enable the efficient and volume-saving connection of the integrated transceiver circuits researched at the Institute of Smart Sensors at the University of Stuttgart for the above-mentioned applications. Moreover, the inductive structures required for a precise spin control can be integrated directly and with arbitrary three-dimensional form into the printed circuit boards. This allows for a potential improvement in sensitivity and, at the same time, an improved form factor. Especially for the fabrication of sensor systems for NMR experiments making use of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) for enhanced spin sensitivities, 3D-printed coil structures, which can be directly integrated into the printed circuit board together with the transceiver electronics, offer immense advantages over classical fabrication approaches. For quantum sensors based on solid-state defects in semiconductors, which often require optical excitation and readout in addition to magnetic control of the qubits, 3D-printed PCBs enable an optimal form factor while maximizing performance for hybrid integration of electronic and optoelectronic components.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Drucker für additiv gefertigte Leiterplatten und Elektronik
• Instrumentation Group: 2190 Werkzeugmaschinen, spanlos, und andere Bearbeitungsmaschinen (außer 210 und 217)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Stuttgart
• Leader: Professor Dr. Jens Anders