Application of Thick Film Printing Equipment in Microelectronics Manufacturing

Abstract
Thick film printing equipment is the core machinery for the precise pattern transfer of electronic graphics, widely used in the manufacturing of high-precision electronic components. Modern equipment integrates visual recognition, adaptive alignment, and high-rigidity structures to ensure micron-level accuracy and stability. Using Hengjin Intelligent's fully automatic system as an example, this paper highlights the critical value of thick film printing in the manufacturing of GPS ceramic antennas.

Keywords: Thick Film Printing, Microelectronics Manufacturing, Automation, Screen Printing

Thick film printing equipment is automated machinery used for precisely printing conductive, resistive, or dielectric pastes onto substrates such as ceramics, glass, or polymers. It is a key piece of equipment in thick film manufacturing. Utilizing screen printing or pad printing, it transfers electronic patterns onto the substrate surface. By regulating parameters like squeegee speed, pressure, angle, and screen tension, it achieves high-precision and high-consistency printing. The equipment primarily consists of a substrate positioning platform, screen support, squeegee drive system, tension adjustment mechanism, print head lifting system, and control system. To meet the demands of microelectronics manufacturing, modern equipment is typically equipped with features like visual alignment, automatic deviation correction, and dust-proof design to enhance production stability and yield. Based on the level of automation, thick film printing equipment is categorized into manual, semi-automatic, and fully automatic types, with the latter being suitable for large-scale, high-precision production.

I. Intelligent Control and Design Structure of Thick Film Printing Equipment

1. Control System of Thick Film Printing Equipment
Current high-end thick film printing equipment widely incorporates CCD visual recognition systems and adaptive alignment mechanisms, enabling automatic graphic edge recognition and screen position adjustment. Guided by the CCD system, the equipment can scan the screen pattern and substrate alignment marks in real-time, and based on the image recognition results, drive micro-adjustments of the screen in the X/Y directions and angular correction. Furthermore, to achieve the high consistency required for printing minute patterns, the equipment is further integrated with a substrate platform featuring XYZ three-axis adjustment, allowing for precise adjustment and dynamic compensation of the substrate in all three directions. This effectively addresses the insufficient accuracy of traditional manual alignment. This system supports the linkage of multiple visual points, adapting to irregularly shaped substrates, non-standard graphics, and multi-layer printing requirements, with repeat positioning accuracy stably controlled within ±10μm.

2. Design Structure of Thick Film Printing Equipment
In the continuous pursuit of high precision and stability in thick film printing processes, equipment structural design is also constantly being optimized and upgraded. The four-column gantry architecture employs a high-rigidity four-pillar support design that effectively disperses the pressure generated during the printing process, significantly reducing vibration and deformation during equipment operation, and ensuring stability during prolonged continuous production. This structure is particularly suitable for precision components like ceramic substrates and thick film circuits, which demand extremely high printing accuracy and consistency. Compared to traditional single or double-column structures, the four-column design provides more balanced and robust support for the screen, avoiding defects such as pattern misalignment and uneven film thickness caused by uneven force distribution, thereby improving print quality and yield.

II. Application Fields of Thick Film Printing Equipment

Thick film printing equipment is widely used in fields such as electronic components, new energy, sensors, heating elements, and high-frequency communication modules. This is because it can precisely print conductive, insulating, or resistive pastes onto various substrate surfaces, such as alumina, aluminum nitride, glass-ceramic, or high-frequency ceramics. After drying and high-temperature sintering, these form functional patterns with stable electrical properties, demonstrating excellent process adaptability and electrical stability.

In electronic component manufacturing, thick film technology is commonly used in the production of chip resistors, capacitors, inductors, and hybrid integrated circuits. Thick film resistors account for over 70% of the global chip resistor market share. In the new energy industry, this process is widely used for printing front and back electrodes for crystalline silicon solar cells and for constructing metal layers in fuel cell current collector plates, with an adoption rate as high as 95% in the Chinese market. Furthermore, in the sensor field, thick film printing technology can construct high-precision electrodes and resistor networks for sensing temperature, pressure, gas, etc., suitable for complex environments such as high temperature, high humidity, and high corrosion, widely serving industrial, automotive, and medical applications, with a market Compound Annual Growth Rate exceeding 7%.

In heating elements, thick film technology enables the manufacture of compact, precisely temperature-controlled high-power heating sheets, widely used in automotive defoggers, fast-heating modules in home appliances, and medical physiotherapy equipment.

In the high-frequency communication field, especially in the manufacturing process of GPS ceramic antenna modules, thick film printing technology,relying on its exceptional precision and consistency, has become a key process. This technology can precisely print conductive materials like silver paste onto high-frequency ceramic substrates to form highly conductive feed networks and antenna patterns. Such modules are widely used in scenarios with stringent requirements for signal stability and transmission efficiency, such as vehicle navigation, satellite positioning, and the BeiDou System. According to the "China Communications Industry Yearbook (2023)", the annual output value of GPS ceramic antenna modules in China has exceeded 5 billion RMB, with over 90% of the conductive electrodes relying on thick film printing technology. To meet the extreme demands for pattern accuracy and process repeatability in high-frequency applications, manufacturers commonly use micron-level screens or metal stencils for printing, equipped with automatic visual correction systems and online thickness monitoring equipment to ensure consistent electrical performance and high structural reliability.

III. Application Practice of Fully Automatic Thick Film Printing Equipment in Ceramic Antenna Modules

This article is based on the fully automatic printing equipment independently developed by Guangdong Hengjin Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., combined with the company's long-term customer cases in the antenna manufacturing field, particularly the successful practical applications in several typical GPS ceramic antenna manufacturing enterprises, serving as the practical basis for analysis and demonstration.

1. Process Advantages of Fully Automatic Thick Film Printing Equipment
Compared to traditional manual or semi-automated processes, fully automatic printing equipment demonstrates significant advantages in the metallization manufacturing process of GPS ceramic antenna modules. Firstly, from a labor management perspective, traditional manufacturing models typically rely on multiple skilled workers to perform complex processes such as loading/unloading, front/back and side printing, drying, pin insertion, soldering, marking, and back adhesive application. These operations heavily depend on worker experience, and minor errors can lead to production interruptions, product deviations, or debugging delays. Furthermore, shortages of skilled technicians and inconsistent operating standards further constrain the stability of production plans.

In contrast, Hengjin Intelligent's fully automatic printing system uses PLC or industrial ethernet to achieve centralized scheduling and synchronous control of various process units, combined with a Manufacturing Execution System for real-time production scheduling, equipment status monitoring, and fault预警 (warning). Steps like loading/unloading, positioning, printing, drying, and pin insertion are coordinated by robots and automatic mechanisms, while also incorporating visual recognition and motion compensation algorithms to ensure the unity of precision and speed. Managers only need to monitor the overall production progress and quality data on the central control platform to efficiently complete production management tasks, significantly reducing management complexity and labor coordination costs. With the ongoing promotion of the "Made in China 2025" strategy, high-precision electronics manufacturing places higher demands on the refined control of thick film printing. Future development directions should focus on intelligent detection systems, automatic parameter adjustment, and the application of new functional materials to achieve a thick film printing manufacturing system with higher precision and lower defect rates.

2. Cost Advantages of Fully Automatic Thick Film Printing Equipment
Fully automatic printing systems also offer significant advantages in terms of labor costs. Taking a production line with a daily capacity of 6,000 pieces per team as an example, the traditional model typically requires 8-10 operators working in shifts. Overtime pay for night shifts, holidays, and peak periods significantly increases labor expenses, with total annual costs potentially reaching millions of RMB. In contrast, a fully automated production line only requires 1-2 technicians for material replenishment and equipment inspection to achieve 24/7 uninterrupted production. According to customer statistical data, comprehensive labor costs can be reduced by over 60%, and the equipment investment return period is typically within 12 months, greatly enhancing capital return rates and operational flexibility.

In the traditional model, the complete process cycle for a single GPS ceramic antenna module typically takes 15-20 minutes. In an automated production line, steps like front/back/side printing, drying, pin insertion, soldering, and back adhesive application can be performed simultaneously at independent workstations, reducing the overall cycle time to 4.5 seconds per piece. Especially when dealing with large-volume, short-delivery orders, the automated production solution can effectively alleviate capacity pressure and improve order response speed and customer satisfaction.

3. Quality Advantages of Fully Automatic Thick Film Printing Equipment
Consistency and controllability of product quality are also core advantages of fully automatic printing technology. In traditional screen printing processes, manual operation is susceptible to interference from experience, technique, and environmental factors. Common defects such as pattern misalignment, uneven thickness, and paste clogging occur frequently, leading to significant fluctuations in finished product yield, with rework rates potentially reaching 5%. The fully automatic system uses high-precision metal stencils and servo-controlled print heads, equipped with industrial cameras and deep vision algorithms for automatic pre-print alignment, achieving positioning accuracy of ±0.03 mm. Robots handle the precise transfer and grasping of substrates. Key parameters for each process are recorded in the system database, enabling full-process traceability between batches. Quality consistency is improved by approximately 30% compared to traditional processes, significantly reducing rework rates and quality control costs.

In summary, fully automatic thick film printing equipment in GPS ceramic antenna module manufacturing not only effectively addresses the reliance on manual labor and efficiency bottlenecks but also provides crucial support for manufacturing enterprises in quality control, cost management, and intelligent development directions, possessing broad application prospects and promotion value.

Conclusion
Thanks to its high precision, high stability, and intelligent control technology, thick film printing equipment has become an indispensable core asset in the field of electronics manufacturing. With the continuous advancement of materials science and automation technology, future thick film printing equipment will develop towards higher precision, greater intelligence, and enhanced environmental friendliness, driving the electronics industry towards more efficient and sustainable manufacturing innovation, winning important competitive advantages for China in the field of high-end electronics manufacturing.