Experimental study of influential process parameters in hot embossing for micropattern formation on low temperature cofirable ceramic green substrates

Micropunching and laser drilling are conventional techniques for patterning microcavities as well as microvias on low temperature cofirable ceramic (LTCC) green tapes. Micro-hot-embossing is, however, an emerging and promising method for fabricating microstructures on prefired ceramic green tapes. This article presents experimental studies of influential process parameters in hot embossing for micropattern formation on LTCC green substrates. By means of dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, the impacts of process temperature and holding time on embossed profiles were studied and their correlation was discussed. When the temperature exceeds a certain range, the organic additives in the LTCC green substrates start to decompose at the isothermal condition, and this loss of organic additives increases the difficulty in embossing. Micropatterns with various dimensional scales, including microchannels, were formed on green ceramic substrates under optimal process parameters, and the patterned ceramic substrates ...