Additive Manufacturing Method for High Performance Copper Electronic Components

The proposed technology will enable made to order production of copper-based high performance electronic structures, with fine tolerances and smooth surfaces. Thus, we will meet the Navy’s need for a rapid manufacturing strategy to produce complex, low cost, high frequency electronic structures. Conventionally, complex copper-based high frequency electronic structures are conventionally manufactured by welding/brazing together multiple high-purity wrought Cu segments, that were shaped using conventional machining. The resulting joints throughout the electronic structure negatively affects performance during high frequency operation, due to surface impurities and surface finish defects at these joints. Additive manufacturing can produce seamless structures from pure Cu but operating performance is limited due to the inherent surface roughness of internal passages and oxygen content in the material. The proposed technology is a two-step on-demand manufacturing approach to directly print and finish copper-based high frequency electronic structures. Additive manufacturing will produce the electronic structure platform and electrochemical finishing (polishing/plating) will improve the surface roughness of the passage and apply an oxygen-free Cu coating throughout the passage length. This approach enables made-to-order fabrication of complex high performance electronic structures that are seamless, high frequency compatible, and vacuum compatible, from high thermal conductivity materials.