# US 12,000,038 B2 · Method for manufacturing an electrochemical deposition printhead with grid control circuit and backplane > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,000,038 B2 - Document ID: US12000038B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/863,272 - Filed: 2022-07-12 - Published: 2022-11-03 - Granted: 2024-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-23 - Assignees: Fabric8Labs, Inc. - Applicants: Fabric8Labs, Inc. - Inventors: David Pain; Andrew Edmonds; Jeffrey Herman; Charles Pateros; Kareemullah Shaik; Edward White - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12000038B2 ## CPC - C23C 16/042: {using masks} - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - C23C 14/042: {using masks} - C23C 14/08: Oxides (C23C14/10 takes precedence) - C23C 14/14: Metallic material, boron or silicon - C23C 16/0272: {Deposition of sub-layers, e.g. to promote the adhesion of the main coating} - C23C 16/278: {doping or introduction of a secondary phase in the diamond} - C25D 1/00: Electroforming - C25D 1/003: {3D structures, e.g. superposed patterned layers} - C25D 5/10: Electroplating with more than one layer of the same or of different metals (for bearings C25D7/10) - C25D 17/00: Constructional parts, or assemblies thereof, of cells for electrolytic coating - B29C 64/112: using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads - B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - C23C: COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THE SURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL (making metal-coated products by extrusion B21C23/22; covering with metal by connecting pre-existing layers to articles, see the relevant places, e.g. B21D39/00, B23K; metallising of glass C03C; metallising mortars, concrete, artificial stone, ceramics or natural stone C04B41/00; enamelling of, or applying a vitreous layer to, metals C23D; treating metal surfaces or coating of metals by electrolysis or electrophoresis C25D; single-crystal film growth C30B; by metallising textiles D06M11/83; decorating textiles by locally metallising D06Q1/04) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING - C25D: PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Process for manufacturing a printhead for a 3D manufacturing system that uses metal electrodeposition to construct parts. The printhead may be constructed by depositing layers on top of a backplane that contains control and power circuits. Deposited layers may include insulating layers and an anode layer that contain deposition anodes that are in contact with the electrolyte to drive electrodeposition. Insulating layers may for example be constructed of silicon nitride or silicon dioxide; the anode layer may contain an insoluble conductive material such as platinum group metals and their associated oxides, highly doped semiconducting materials, and carbon based conductors. The anode layer may be deposited using chemical vapor deposition or physical vapor deposition. Alternatively in one or more embodiments the printhead may be constructed by manufacturing a separate anode plane component, and then bonding the anode plane to the backplane. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of making an electrochemical-deposition printhead, the method comprising steps of: forming deposition anodes by filling openings with a conductive material, the openings extending from a top surface to a bottom surface of a substrate that comprises an insulating material; and coupling the deposition anodes to a backplane, wherein the backplane comprises: a grid control circuit, comprising an array of row traces, an array of column traces, a row driver circuit, electrically coupled to the row traces, and a column driver circuit, electrically coupled to the column traces; a power distribution circuit; and deposition-control circuits, aligned with a deposition grid, wherein each of the deposition-control circuits is electrically coupled to the power distribution circuit, an associated one of the row traces, and an associated one of the column traces. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising depositing bonding bumps onto the bottom surface of the substrate, so that each of the bonding bumps is electrically coupled to the conductive material in one of the openings. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane comprises coupling each of the bonding bumps to one of the deposition-control circuits to establish an electrical connection between each of the deposition-control circuits and a corresponding one of the deposition anodes. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the step coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane comprises coupling each of the bonding bumps to one of the deposition-control circuits using one or more of eutectic bonding, thermocompression bonding, or controlled-collapse solder bonding. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising aligning the substrate with the backplane before the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein: each of the deposition anodes comprises an insoluble conductive material, each of the deposition-control circuits comprises one of a plurality of contact pads, and the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane establishes an electrical connection between each of the deposition anodes and one of the plurality of contact pads. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the step of coupling the deposition anodes to the backplane comprises bonding the substrate to the backplane using an anisotropic conductive adhesive so that an electrical connection is established between each of the deposition-control circuits and a corresponding one of the deposition anodes through the anisotropic conductive adhesive. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising polishing the top surface and the bottom surface of the substrate. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the bonding bumps are made of at least one of gold, copper, silver, lead, or tin. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the insoluble conductive material comprises one or more of platinum group metals and their associated oxides, highly doped semiconducting materials, or carbon nanotubes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive material that fills the openings is a metal-ceramic composite material. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive material that fills the openings is one of copper, silver, nickel, tungsten. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of glass. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of silicon. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a thickness from 50 nanometers to 2000 micrometers. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the deposition anodes further comprises depositing anode layers onto the top surface of the substrate so that each one of the anode layers is in electrical contact with the conductive material in a corresponding one of the openings. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, further comprising depositing an insulation layer onto the substrate and onto only a portion of each one of the anode layers. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the openings are filled via an electrochemical deposition process. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the openings are filled via a chemical vapor deposition process. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the openings are filled by: heating a powder, made of a metal material and a ceramic material, to a melting point of the ceramic material to create a matrix that holds the metal material; and applying the matrix and the metal material onto the openings to create a hermetic seal across the openings.