Integrated optical and electronic interconnect printed circuit board manufacturing

Abstract

Structured AbstractPurpose -to introduce the Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC) Flagship Project: Integrated Optical and Electronic Interconnect PCB Manufacturing (OPCB), its objectives, its consortium of 3 Universities and 10 companies and to describe the university research being carried out. This paper briefly reviews the motivation for developing novel polymer formulations, fabrication techniques, layout design rules and characterisation techniques for hybrid electronic and optical printed circuit boards using multimode polymer optical waveguide interconnects.Design/methodology/approach -We are investigating a number of different fabrication techniques which we compare with each other and with modelled calculations waveguide components. The fabrication techniques include photolithography, laser ablation, direct laser writing, embossing, extrusion and ink jet printing.Findings -A number of design rules for polymer multimode waveguides have been found and published. Techniques for ink jetting polymer to print waveguides and laser ablation techniques have been developed. New formulations of polymer which cure faster for direct writing have also been developed. Research limitations/implications-Further work is needed to thicken the ink jet printed polymer and to investigate side wall roughness of the ablated waveguides and development of new polymer formulations for dry film. Further research is also needed on construction of prototype system demonstrators.Practical Implications -the fabrication techniques being developed are designed to be transferred to industrial PCB manufacturers to enable them to make higher value optical printed circuit boards. The design rules being discovered are being entered into commercial PCB layout software to aid designers of optical printed circuit boards.Originality/value -The paper is of interest to PCB manufacturers who wish to upgrade their processes to be able to manufacture optical printed circuit boards. The university research is original and some published to date in the publications in the reference list.

Polymer multimode waveguide optical and electronic PCB manufacturing

“…The project has 7 more months to run before completion. In addition to the papers already cited, the partners, in this and in earlier projects, have fully disseminated the research as it was being performed via further published papers, conference talks, book chapters, visits to companies, universities, and to schools [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Integrated optical and electronic interconnect PCB manufacturing research

“…In the subsequent three year UK EPSRC Innovative Electronics Manufacturing Research Centre (IeMRC)‐funded Flagship project, Integrated Optical and Electronic Interconnect PCB Manufacturing, OPCB, that consortium of partner institutions and companies was expanded to include partners having a wide range of contrasting expertise including both large and small to medium enterprises, in the main having UK manufacturing bases and forming a supply chain and route to market for the technology. This project (Selviah et al , 2008c, d) concentrated on both fundamental and applied research with development of polymer formulations, computer‐aided design (CAD) tools, fabrication procedures, test and measurement procedures and transfer of this technology into industry. The consortium consisted of three university groups – the Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department, UCL (Technical Leader); the School of Physics, Heriot‐Watt University (HWU), Edinburgh; and the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University (LU) – together with eight companies: Xyratex Technology (project manager and manufacturer of petabyte data storage systems), BAE Systems (global aerospace, security and defence company), Renishaw, Dow Corning USA (polymer supplier), Exxelis (polymer supplier), Stevenage Circuits Ltd (PCB manufacturer), Cadence Design Systems (PCB layout software supplier), National Physical Laboratory, National Standards Laboratory (NPL).…”

Far-field Scatter Measurements of Planar Optical Waveguides using a Variable Launch System

“…Polymer planar optical waveguides fabricated onto electrical printed circuit boards and incorporated onto computer backplanes are an emerging cost effective technology to facilitate high-speed data transfer in modern high speed computing and data storage systems. The integrated manufacture of these OPCBs has been investigated (Selviah, 2008, Bamiedakis, 2012 and is being further refined with demonstrators currently operating >10 Gb/s. Their bandwidth capacity, size and lower energy demands ensure continuing interest among the leading international communications companies.…”