Mechatronics toward development of a fully automated meniscus coating system

Material deposition techniques can be a significant contributor to the overall electronics manufacturing costs. We have investigated meniscus coating as a low-cost tool for large area polymer deposition. This paper reports materials and process optimization for 12 in×12 in substrates which is scalable to 24 in×24 in substrates. A variety of polymer photoresists and polymer dielectrics are used for thick film coating on 12 in PWB and glass substrates. An automated coating workcell is designed for the 24 in coating substrates. The proposed coating workcell includes a robotic material handling and convection drying of coated films with automated loading/unloading capability. Design and fabrication of the integrated workcell, coating throughput and uniformity of coating are addressed. Preliminary study indicates that a throughput of ∼20 substrates per hour is achievable by optimizing the turnaround time of the coater heads, substrate holder, and substrate loading/unloading by the robot. Thickness on the order of a micrometer has been obtained on 24 in glass substrates using liquid polymers.