Described are component carriers including a stepped cavity into which a stepped component assembly is embedded. The component carriers have (a) fully cured electrically insulating material originating from at least one electrically insulating layer structure of the component carrier and circumferentially surrounding the stepped component assembly and/or (b) an undercut in a transition region between a narrow recess and a wide recess of the stepped cavity. Further described are methods for manufacturing such component carriers.

A multi-layer ceramic electronic component includes: a ceramic body including internal electrodes laminated in one axial direction and having a main surface facing in the one axial direction; and an external electrode including a base layer including a step portion formed on the main surface, and a plated layer formed on the base layer, the external electrode being connected to the internal electrodes.

A board having an electronic component embedded therein, includes a core layer having a groove with a bottom surface, an electronic component disposed above the bottom surface of the groove and spaced apart from the bottom surface of the groove, and an insulating layer disposed on the core layer and covering at least a portion of the electronic component. The insulating layer is disposed in at least a portion of a space between the bottom surface of the groove and the electronic component.

This work develops a novel microfluidic method to fabricate conductive graphene-based 3D micro-electronic circuits on any solid substrate including, Teflon, Delrin, silicon wafer, glass, metal or biodegradable/non-biodegradable polymer-based, 3D microstructured, flexible films. It was demonstrated that this novel method can be universally applied to many different natural or synthetic polymer-based films or any other solid substrates with proper pattern to create graphene-based conductive electronic circuits. This approach also enables fabrication of 3D circuits of flexible electronic films or solid substrates. It is a green process preventing the need for expensive and harsh postprocessing requirements for other fabrication methods such as ink-jet printing or photolithography. We reported that it is possible to fill the pattern channels with different dimensions as low as 10×10 μm. The graphene nanoplatelet solution with a concentration of 60 mg/mL in 70% ethanol, pre-annealed at 75° C. for 3 h, provided ˜0.5-2 kOhm resistance. The filling of the pattern channels with this solution at a flow rate of 100 μL/min created a continuous conductive graphene pattern on flexible polymeric films. The amount of graphene used to coat 1 cm.sup.2 of area is estimated as ˜10 μg. A second method regarding the transfer of graphene material-based circuits with small features size (5 μm depth, 10 μm width) from any solid surface to flexible polymeric films via polymer solvent casting approach was demonstrated. This method is applicable to any natural/synthetic polymer and their respective organic/inorganic solvents.

Systems and methods in which dot-like portions of a material (e.g., a viscous material such as a solder paste) are printed or otherwise transferred onto an intermediate substrate at a first printing unit, the intermediate substrate having the dot-like portions of material printed thereon is transferred to a second printing unit, and the dot-like portions of material are transferred from the intermediate substrate to a final substrate at the second printing unit. Optionally, the first printing unit includes a coating system that creates a uniform layer of the material on a donor substrate, and the material is transferred in the individual dot-like portions from the donor substrate onto the intermediate substrate at the first printing unit. Each of the first and second printing units may employ a variety of printing or other transfer technologies. The system may also include material curing and imaging units to aid in the overall process.

A circuit board structure includes a circuit layer structure, an electronic component, and a stopper. The circuit layer structure includes a plurality of dielectric layers and circuits in the dielectric layers. The electronic component is disposed in the circuit layer structure; the electronic component includes a chip and a conductive bump; the chip has a first surface and a second surface that are oppositely disposed, and the first surface of the chip contacts one of the dielectric layers; the conductive bump is on the second surface of the chip and is electrically connected to the chip. The stopper is within the circuit layer structure and abuts against the conductive bump. A method for fabricating a circuit board structure is also provided herein.

The disclosure describes a soft-matter electronic device having micron-scale features, and methods to fabricate the electronic device. In some embodiments, the device comprises an elastomer mold having microchannels, which are filled with an eutectic alloy to create an electrically conductive element. The microchannels are sealed with a polymer to prevent the alloy from escaping the microchannels. In some embodiments, the alloy is drawn into the microchannels using a micro-transfer printing technique. Additionally, the molds can be created using soft-lithography or other fabrication techniques. The method described herein allows creation of micron-scale circuit features with a line width and spacing that is an order-of-magnitude smaller than those previously demonstrated.

Provide are a method for manufacturing a wiring board or a wiring board material, and the wiring board obtained by the method, which allows columnar metal members to be inserted into the wiring board at once using a simple operation, enables alignment without requiring strict accuracy, can handle columnar metal members having different shapes, and imparts sufficiently high adhesive strength to the columnar metal members.

The method includes the steps of: laminating a laminate material LM including the support sheet 10 having the columnar metal members 14 formed thereon, a wiring board WB or a wiring board material WB′ having a plurality of openings in portions corresponding to the columnar metal members 14, and a prepreg 16′ having a plurality of openings in portions corresponding to the columnar metal members 14 and containing a thermosetting resin such that the columnar metal members 14 are positioned in the respective openings; integrating the laminate material LM by heating and pressing to obtain a laminate LB including a thermosetting resin filled between an inner surface of each of the openings of the wiring board WB or the wiring board material WB′ and each of the columnar metal members 14; and peeling at least the support sheet 14 from the laminate LB.

A semifinished product with a sacrificial structure and two component carriers releasably formed on opposing main surfaces of the sacrificial structure. The component carriers include at least one electrically insulating layer structure, and at least one electrically conductive layer structure. The at least one electrically insulating layer structure relates to a respective one of the component carriers. Located closest to the sacrificial structure are pure or unprocessed electrically insulating layers without electrically conductive material therein.

Described are component carriers including a stepped cavity into which a stepped component assembly is embedded. The component carriers have (a) fully cured electrically insulating material originating from at least one electrically insulating layer structure of the component carrier and circumferentially surrounding the stepped component assembly and/or (b) an undercut in a transition region between a narrow recess and a wide recess of the stepped cavity. Further described are methods for manufacturing such component carriers.