Production and characterization of high-temperature substrates through selective laser melting (SLM) for power electronics

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a key technology as energy, material and resource efficient alternative to conventional subtractive and formative production technologies enabling better flexibility and customization. In this contribution, powder-based additive layered manufacturing namely selective laser melting (SLM) is focused to check the potential for substrate manufacturing, system integration and packaging concepts in electronic systems particularly for high-temperature mechatronic applications. This work focuses on the process development for the generation of conductive patterns on ceramic substrates by SLM technique for copper based powder materials. The obtained layer thicknesses and the mechanical stability are discussed. The generated structures were characterized by investigating the current carrying capability and also to identify the defects and process-generated failure mechanisms. The potential of SLM for high temperature applicability is further discussed.