Quality Assessment of Metal Traces Manufactured by Localized Electrochemical Deposition Printing and Electroless Plating

In the quest for more compact and efficient electronic devices, the manufacturing of circuit traces has undergone significant innovations. Traditional subtractive methods like photolithography, while effective, are costly and require cleanroom facilities. Additive manufacturing, particularly 3D printing technologies, offers cost-effective alternatives. Among these, Confined Electrodeposition (CED) stands out for its precise control over metal microstructure, enabling the printing of high-conductivity metals such as copper and nickel. This study focuses on assessing the quality of circuit traces produced using a hybrid approach that combines localized electrodeposition printing and electroless plating. Utilizing microscopy and high throughput nanoindentation (~10,000 indentations) techniques, we observed both uniform and non-uniform regions within the metal traces, attributing the inconsistencies primarily to the electroless plating step. Our findings contribute insights for the future design and fabrication of circuit traces in printed electronics, circuit boards, and electronic packaging.