This paper aims to demonstrate that novel additive manufacturing (AM) technologies like metal adhesive laminate and multilayer inkjet printing can be effectively exploited to fabricate high-performing radio-frequency passive components on flexible substrates. Both processes are substrate independent and therefore suitable for manufacturing circuits on several unconventional materials, such as photo-paper. In addition, their complementary features can be combined to develop a novel hybrid process. Proof-of-concept AM prototypes of passive components, such as capacitors and inductors, exhibiting quality factors over 70, never achieved before on paper, and self-resonant frequencies beyond 4 GHz are described. The maximum inductance and capacitance per unit area are 1.4 nH/mm² and 6.5 pF/mm², respectively. Moreover, an AM RF mixer with a conversion loss below 10 dB is demonstrated still on paper substrate. The mixer, fabricated with the copper adhesive laminate method, operates at 1 GHz and exploits a lumped balun transformer connected to two packaged diodes in series.
High-Performance RF Devices and Components on Flexible Cellulose Substrate by Vertically Integrated Additive Manufacturing Technologies
MARIOTTI, CHIARAMembro del Collaboration Group
;ALIMENTI, Federico
Membro del Collaboration Group
;ROSELLI, LucaMembro del Collaboration Group
;
2017
Abstract
This paper aims to demonstrate that novel additive manufacturing (AM) technologies like metal adhesive laminate and multilayer inkjet printing can be effectively exploited to fabricate high-performing radio-frequency passive components on flexible substrates. Both processes are substrate independent and therefore suitable for manufacturing circuits on several unconventional materials, such as photo-paper. In addition, their complementary features can be combined to develop a novel hybrid process. Proof-of-concept AM prototypes of passive components, such as capacitors and inductors, exhibiting quality factors over 70, never achieved before on paper, and self-resonant frequencies beyond 4 GHz are described. The maximum inductance and capacitance per unit area are 1.4 nH/mm² and 6.5 pF/mm², respectively. Moreover, an AM RF mixer with a conversion loss below 10 dB is demonstrated still on paper substrate. The mixer, fabricated with the copper adhesive laminate method, operates at 1 GHz and exploits a lumped balun transformer connected to two packaged diodes in series.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
