ioTech pushes boundaries of miniaturization for semiconductor packaging and assembly

Continuous Laser Assisted Deposition (CLAD) technology opens new design opportunities

ioTech, winner of the 2021 productronica innovation, 2021 fast forward and 2022 LOPEC Start-up Forum awards has come back to productronica. The fast-growing Israeli-based venture shared successful customer use cases and applications that enable next-generation designs and support challenging technological roadmaps for the electronics market.

After introducing its groundbreaking Continuous Laser Assisted Deposition (CLAD) technology in 2021, ioTech successfully completed Beta testing with ASMPT and Henkel Adhesives.

ASMPT, a leading global supplier of hardware and software solutions for semiconductors and electronics manufacturing, installed ioTech’s first io300 CLAD printer to boost innovation.

Henkel Adhesive and Henkel Tech Ventures recognized the business growth potential of the technology early on and invested in ioTech with the objective of promoting innovative solutions for their customers.

Hervé Javice, ioTech’s co-founder and CEO comments: “We are delighted to be back at productronica, especially after experiencing so much enthusiasm from visitors two years ago. This year, we will highlight how our disruptive digital manufacturing technology enables the production of innovative designs. Operations can increase production efficiencies, embrace a more agile manufacturing approach, and deliver “until-now-impossible-to-manufacture” products. The possibilities of our technology are endless. ioTech’s CLAD technology has been validated by key players in the market and is attracting orders from industry leaders in e-Mobility power devices and batteries, µLED, microprocessors and defense.”

A process engineer from a leading European defense manufacturer shared: “Technical limitations are currently physical, the material type is important to us, and smaller dots mean higher performance for a given footprint. ioTech solves some real problems for many of our processes.”

With the io300, manufacturers can use their standard certified industrial materials, control the deposition of each single drop, and reach unmatched production yields. Its speed and resolution drive the delivery of commercial solutions across multiple verticals and open the potential for major miniaturization in semiconductor packaging and assembly.

The printer’s unique nozzle-free, non-contact, laser jet printing and deposition capabilities enable ultra-fast, highly accurate, high-resolution printing of up to five different materials at the same time, from polymers and metals to ceramics and solder paste. Current use cases include printing conductive traces, solder, dielectric, via-filling, encapsulation, underfill and conformal coating.

ioTech’s CLAD technology offers major advantages compared to existing solutions:

• It is material agnostic, allowing the use of current industrial materials that have already met stringent OEM qualification requirements. Ceramics or metal pastes can be deposited alongside with polymers, adhesives, and solder. No material reformulation or additives are required.
• It is a versatile digital method, which unlike screen printing, enables both “mass customization of any geometrical shapes” as well as rapid prototyping. No mask or screen is needed. The rapid deposition of high viscosity materials supports designs with multiple materials and multiple layers.
• It is compatible with any substrate material, including non-planar surfaces, unlike Laser Direct Structuring. The system accommodates 300mm wafers.
• It is agile, capable of handling materials with much higher viscosities than nozzle-based systems such as inkjet as there are no nozzles to clog. Higher viscosity materials enable deposition of thicker layers, reducing deposition time as well as enabling higher aspect ratios, which reduces electrical resistance without taking up extra space on the substrate.
• It is fast enough to match ultra-high productivity requirements of semiconductor packaging assembly plants, giving perfect alternative process solutions to create conductive geometries such as Fan Out, RDL or pillars.
• It is sustainable. The io300 can replace subtractive technologies for ESG and re-shoring.