Enhanced Electronic Interconnects using ZTACH ACA:No Pressure, Low-Temperature, Self-Assembly Material Process

Upcoming HEP projects require physical and electrical bonds between opposite points of thin parallel circuit faces which areless than 50 microns in pitch, but current methods, such as bump-soldering and anisotropic conductive adhesives (ACA) and films (ACF) cannot reach these resolution limits and furthermore require heat and pressure that damage delicate circuitry. SunRay ZTACH™ is an anisotropic conductive adhesive that, in a magnetic field, self-assembles into columns of sub-micron ferromagnetic particles that connect opposing circuit faces and which can be cured at low temperature or even ultraviolet light while requiring no pressure, but rather creating protective structural support between the circuits. During Phase I, SunRay Scientific partnered with Stanford SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Rochester Institute of Technology to fabricate wafers with a range of features and connection radii, assemble the fabricated devices using ZTACH™, and conduct electrical and reliability testing SLAC was responsible for fabricating the wafers and performing conduction and resistance tests across the connections. SunRay Scientific was responsible for the assembly of the devices and researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology performed sheer tests and temperature-humidity tests upon the samples and quantified the internal structure of the conductive columns using electron microscopy. Phase II research will build upon the Phase I results by refining the proof-of-principle success at greater than 100µm pitch and pursuing those methods to achieve 50 µm pitch and lower. During the process developments, material development and reliability studies, the team will ensure compatibility with damage modes specifically related to HEP environments. The final goal is to scale production volume to a rate sufficient to support Phase III prototype orders from customers we have identified during Phase I. Phase III benefits of a commercial product include environmentally-friendly manufacturing, smaller/cheaper/faster electrical devices, new classes of products, healthcare innovations, lighter aeronautic and space equipment, and employment opportunities for new technology and research fields.