The fabrication of multicomponent devices presents a challenge regarding the densification process. In the case of a microcapacitor, a dielectric componenetlike Barium Titanate (BTO) issandwiched between the metallic electrodes. Thedifferent thermal properties of the phases involved posseses make impossible to densify them at the same temperature and time.
The combination of different laser technologies such as Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) could be the key to fabricate these multicomponent devices by using digitazable technologies.
In this work, LIFT and conventional sintering of BTO combined with the LIFT deposition and SLS of silver pastes are proposed for the fabrication of a first prototype.LIFT is a direct writing technique able to print a wide range of materials such as metallics and ceramics. These materials can be transferred, for example, in the form of powders suspended in a liquid matrix. Very small volumes of such materials, in a wide range of densities, can be transferred with high precision. In addition, it is possible to consolidate and sinterize in situ the different components, previously printed, by selective laser sintering .
In a first step, LIFT parameters have been optimized for the deposition of BTO layers. With this aim, a water-based ink of BTO has been developed. Transfer parameters such as pulse energy, the thickness of the ink layer at the donor substrate, and the gap between donor-acceptor substrates were optimized to obtain simetric voxels and lines. In addition, the process speed and geometry and relative position of printed lines were studied to print layers with high resolution. Platinun foil has been used as acceptor subrate acting also as support during the thermal treatment and as the botton electrode. Densification of lines and layers was carried out by conventional sintering and morphologies were observed by Confocal and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).In the second step LIFT deposition of silver pastes and its sintering by SLS have been investigated with the aim of obtaining the second electrode onto the BTO layer.