K.A. Malinovskiy1, A.R. Safin2, A.V. Belyaev3

1,2 National Research University «Moscow Power Engineering Institute» (MPEI), V.A. Kotelnikov Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (Moscow, Russia)

3 Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University) (Moscow, Russia)

1 malinovskiykostya@yandex.ru, 2 arsafin@gmail.com, 3 abv@a2dyn.ru

The paper presents and experimentally evaluates a manufacturing sequence for a three-dimensional electronic microassembly in which surface-mount components are embedded in a polymer structure and interconnected through internal channels filled with conductive ink. The study focuses on the transition from planar routing to a multilayer volumetric arrangement and on the technological constraints that arise when conductive paths are sealed inside a printed body.

Three commercially available silver-based conductive inks were compared using a four-level pyramid test structure. The experiments evaluated the time-dependent resistance of open and sealed channels and the influence of the thermal history of the printed polymer. Ink № 1 showed the most stable response among the tested compositions: the first layer reached approximately 0.4 Ohm, while the second layer decreased to 88 Ohm after sealing. In a separate experiment, the sealed heated sample reached approximately 0.8 Ohm earlier than the open sample.

Additional tests identified critical limitations. A conductive path with a cross-sectional area of about 3 mm2 failed at a current of 7 A, so the same channel geometry cannot be transferred directly from logic to power circuits. For the tested printing process, SMD packages 3216 and 5276 were reproducible, whereas package 1005 led to ink bridging between adjacent contacts. Low-resistance measurements are treated as comparative because a dedicated four-wire measurement procedure was not used.

A functional prototype based on an ESP32-S3-WROOM module was designed in Mentor Xpedition Enterprise and converted into a multilayer 3D microassembly with component cavities and internal conductive paths. Final continuity testing revealed a short circuit. The resulting design recommendations are to increase spacing relative to the tested geometry, preserve visual access to bottom-contact modules, automate ink dispensing and component placement, and introduce intermediate electrical inspection before each layer is permanently closed.

Malinovskiy K.A., Safin A.R., Belyaev A.V. Development of a manufacturing technology for a three-dimensional microassembly using conductive inks // Nanotechnology development and applications-XXI Ce. 2026. V. 18. № 3. P. 45−57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18127/j22250980-202603-04

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