TY - GEN

T1 - Structuring of laser activated polymers for sensor applications

AU - Bengsch, Sebastian

AU - Aue, Maximilian

AU - Cromwell, Kevin

AU - Wurz, Marc Christopher

N1 - Funding information: I would like to thank the Institute of Micro Production Technology as well as the Leibniz University Hanover for the opportunity and the equipment to develop the structuring method of laser activated polymers for sensor applications. Further thanks goes out to my co-author and supervisor Dr.-Ing. M.C. Wurz for the excellent supervision regarding this project as well as the support from Maximilian Aue, Sascha de Wall, and especially Dörthe Leifheit for the support regarding sputter deposition processes. The IMPT would also like to thank Bernd Rösener from LPKF Laser & Electronics AG for his support with the laser direct structuring and electroless deposition technology and equipment.

PY - 2019/5

Y1 - 2019/5

N2 - Previous publications have shown that polymer-based materials hold a great potential for the use as substrates for sensors, for example for AMR sensors. Polymers can substitute expensive substrates such as silicon or silicon oxide, and pre-structured substrates can eliminate many necessary cleanroom and micro-technological processes, especially photolithography. Ultimately, process optimization can yield manufacturing processes without expensive procedures (through-silicon vias), guaranteeing a complete abandonment of processes such as photolithography, CMP and the like. At this point, injection molding with laser direct structuring (LDS) polymers offers distinct advantages, such as the electroless and selective deposition of metals through the directly laser-activated polymers, which can be used to implement through-vias. In this context, the LDS-capable polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is employed herein. The thermoplastic polymer has a high glass transition temperature and features chemical resistances to many solvents. As a result, sensors can potentially cover varying areas of application, and it is additionally possible to integrate these components in micro-technological processes. The presented sensor structures were produced by micro-technological processes and contacted using vias realized with the LDS method. As a result, the cost-effective polymer-based module or rather the substrate can be integrated directly into other processes and modules, such as a system on a chip system, without the need for costly process adaptation based on high process variability. To verify this, temperature and magnetic field sensors based on the AMR effect were prepared and evaluated. Accordingly, this article aims to show that wafer-level sensors can be fabricated using a process developed at the Institute of Micro Production Technology (IMPT).

AB - Previous publications have shown that polymer-based materials hold a great potential for the use as substrates for sensors, for example for AMR sensors. Polymers can substitute expensive substrates such as silicon or silicon oxide, and pre-structured substrates can eliminate many necessary cleanroom and micro-technological processes, especially photolithography. Ultimately, process optimization can yield manufacturing processes without expensive procedures (through-silicon vias), guaranteeing a complete abandonment of processes such as photolithography, CMP and the like. At this point, injection molding with laser direct structuring (LDS) polymers offers distinct advantages, such as the electroless and selective deposition of metals through the directly laser-activated polymers, which can be used to implement through-vias. In this context, the LDS-capable polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is employed herein. The thermoplastic polymer has a high glass transition temperature and features chemical resistances to many solvents. As a result, sensors can potentially cover varying areas of application, and it is additionally possible to integrate these components in micro-technological processes. The presented sensor structures were produced by micro-technological processes and contacted using vias realized with the LDS method. As a result, the cost-effective polymer-based module or rather the substrate can be integrated directly into other processes and modules, such as a system on a chip system, without the need for costly process adaptation based on high process variability. To verify this, temperature and magnetic field sensors based on the AMR effect were prepared and evaluated. Accordingly, this article aims to show that wafer-level sensors can be fabricated using a process developed at the Institute of Micro Production Technology (IMPT).

KW - AMR-sensor

KW - Injection molding

KW - Manufacturing technology

KW - PEEK

KW - Polyetheretherketone

KW - Polymer substrate

KW - Sensors

KW - Thermoplastic

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85072269901&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1109/ECTC.2019.00290

DO - 10.1109/ECTC.2019.00290

M3 - Conference contribution

AN - SCOPUS:85072269901

SN - 978-1-7281-1500-9

T3 - Proceedings - Electronic Components and Technology Conference

SP - 1883

EP - 1888

BT - IEEE 69th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC)

PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

T2 - 69th IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference, ECTC 2019

Y2 - 28 May 2019 through 31 May 2019

ER -