# US 12,114,436 B2 · Composite circuit board and method of manufacturing the same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,114,436 B2 - Document ID: US12114436B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/054,157 - Filed: 2022-11-10 - Published: 2023-03-09 - Granted: 2024-10-08 - Earliest claimed: 2020-09-09 - Assignees: Shennan Circuits Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Shennan Circuits Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Zhicheng Yang; Xianyou Deng; Jinfeng Liu; Hegen Zhang; Tao Luo; Zhishen Wang - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12114436B2 ## CPC - H05K 3/361: {Assembling flexible printed circuits with other printed circuits} - H05K 3/4691: {Rigid-flexible multilayer circuits comprising rigid and flexible layers, e.g. having in the bending regions only flexible layers} - H05K 1/142: {Arrangements of planar printed circuit boards in the same plane, e.g. auxiliary printed circuit insert mounted in a main printed circuit} - H05K 1/148: {Arrangements of two or more hingeably connected rigid printed circuit boards, i.e. connected by flexible means} - H05K 3/4611: {by laminating two or more circuit boards (H05K3/4652 takes precedence)} - H05K 2201/09163: Slotted edge - H05K 2201/09845: Stepped hole, via, edge, bump or conductor - H05K 2203/061: of previously made multilayered subassemblies - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract A composite circuit board includes a flexible board, rigid boards, adhesive layers, and protection glue; the adhesive layers are sandwiched between the rigid boards and the flexible board and used for bonding the rigid boards and the flexible board; the rigid boards are provided with step slots passing through the rigid boards; the adhesive layers are provided with through slots passing through the adhesive layers; the step slots and the through slots are communicated with each other to form a thinning recess; the thinning recess exposes the flexible board; and the protection glue covers steps of the thinning recess and at least a portion of the exposed area of the flexible board. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A composite circuit board, comprising: a flexible board, a rigid board, an adhesive layer and a protective adhesive, wherein the adhesive layer is disposed between the rigid board and the flexible board and configured to bond the rigid board with the flexible board; the rigid board defines a stepped groove that extends through the rigid board, the adhesive layer defines a through slot that extends through the adhesive layer, the stepped groove and the through slot are communicated with each other to form a thinning groove; the flexible board is exposed from the thinning groove; the protective adhesive covers at least one stepped wall of the thinning groove and at least a part of an exposed region of the flexible board; a height of one of the at least one stepped wall adjacent to the flexible board is in a range of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm in a lamination direction of the composite circuit board; and a width of an orthographic projection of each of the at least one stepped wall onto the flexible board in a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction is in a range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein a side wall of the stepped groove has a side facing towards an inside of the thinning groove; and a side wall of the through slot is disposed on the side and is served as another stepped wall. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the stepped groove has at least two stepped walls; a cross-sectional area of the stepped groove decreases in a direction approaching the flexible board; a side wall of the stepped groove at a position having a smallest cross-sectional area is overlapped with the side wall of the through slot or is disposed at a periphery of the through slot. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the rigid board comprises a first rigid board and a second rigid board, and the adhesive layer comprises a first adhesive layer and a second adhesive layer, the stepped groove comprises a first stepped groove and a second stepped groove, the through slot comprises a first through slot and a second through slot, the thinning groove comprises a first thinning groove and a second thinning groove; the first rigid board and the second rigid board are arranged on opposite sides of the flexible board, along the lamination direction of the composite circuit board; the first adhesive layer is disposed between the flexible board and the first rigid board to bond the first rigid board with the flexible board, and the second adhesive layer is disposed between the flexible board and the second rigid board to bond the second rigid board with the flexible board; the first rigid board defines the first stepped groove that extends through the first rigid board, and the second rigid board defines the second stepped groove that extends through the second rigid board; the first adhesive layer defines the first through slot that extends through the first adhesive layer, and the second adhesive layer defines the second through slot that extends through the second adhesive layer; the first stepped groove and the first through slot are communicated with each other to form the first thinning groove, the second stepped groove and the second through slot are communicated with each other to form the second thinning groove, the opposite sides of the flexible board are exposed from the first thinning groove and the second thinning groove respectively; the protective adhesive is arranged on each of the opposite sides of the flexible board along the lamination direction of the composite circuit board, and the protective adhesive covers the at least one stepped wall and at least a part of the exposed side of the flexible board. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein a width of an orthographic projection of the protective adhesive on the flexible board, in a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction of the composite circuit board, is in a range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the protective adhesive is made of at least one of an epoxy adhesive and an acrylic adhesive. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is at least one of a pure adhesive and a semi-cured sheet. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The composite circuit board according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is a high speed pure adhesive, and the high speed pure adhesive has a dielectric loss of less than or equal to 3.0. ### Claim 9 A composite circuit board, comprising: a flexible board, a rigid board, an adhesive layer and a protective adhesive, wherein the adhesive layer is disposed between the rigid board and the flexible board and configured to bond the rigid board with the flexible board; the rigid board defines a stepped groove that extends through the rigid board, the adhesive layer defines a through slot that extends through the adhesive layer, the stepped groove and the through slot are communicated with each other to form a thinning groove; the flexible board is exposed from the thinning groove; the protective adhesive covers at least one stepped wall of the thinning groove and at least a part of an exposed region of the flexible board. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein a side wall of the stepped groove has a side facing towards an inside of the thinning groove; and a side wall of the through slot is disposed on the side and is served as another stepped wall. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein the stepped groove has at least two stepped walls; a cross-sectional area of the stepped groove decreases in a direction approaching the flexible board; a side wall of the stepped groove at a position having a smallest cross-sectional area is overlapped with the side wall of the through slot or is disposed at a periphery of the through slot. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein the rigid board comprises a first rigid board and a second rigid board, and the adhesive layer comprises a first adhesive layer and a second adhesive layer, the stepped groove comprises a first stepped groove and a second stepped groove, the through slot comprises a first through slot and a second through slot, the thinning groove comprises a first thinning groove and a second thinning groove; the first rigid board and the second rigid board are arranged on opposite sides of the flexible board, along the lamination direction of the composite circuit board; the first adhesive layer is disposed between the flexible board and the first rigid board to bond the first rigid board with the flexible board, and the second adhesive layer is disposed between the flexible board and the second rigid board to bond the second rigid board with the flexible board; the first rigid board defines the first stepped groove that extends through the first rigid board, and the second rigid board defines the second stepped groove that extends through the second rigid board; the first adhesive layer defines the first through slot that extends through the first adhesive layer, and the second adhesive layer defines the second through slot that extends through the second adhesive layer; the first stepped groove and the first through slot are communicated with each other to form the first thinning groove, the second stepped groove and the second through slot are communicated with each other to form the second thinning groove, the opposite sides of the flexible board are exposed from the first thinning groove and the second thinning groove respectively; the protective adhesive is arranged on each of the opposite sides of the flexible board along the lamination direction of the composite circuit board, and the protective adhesive covers the at least one stepped wall and at least a part of the exposed side of the flexible board. ### Claim 13 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein a height of one of the at least one stepped wall adjacent to the flexible board is in a range of 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm in a lamination direction of the composite circuit board. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein a width of an orthographic projection of each of the at least one stepped wall onto the flexible board in a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction is in a range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein a width of an orthographic projection of the protective adhesive on the flexible board, in a direction perpendicular to the lamination direction of the composite circuit board, is in a range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein the protective adhesive is made of at least one of an epoxy adhesive and an acrylic adhesive. ### Claim 17 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive layer is at least one of a pure adhesive and a semi-cured sheet. ### Claim 18 (depends on 9) The composite circuit board according to claim 9, wherein the adhesive layer is a high speed pure adhesive, and the high speed pure adhesive has a dielectric loss of less than or equal to 3.0. ### Claim 19 A method of manufacturing a composite circuit board, comprising: providing a core plate assembly, wherein the core plate assembly comprises a flexible board, a rigid board and an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer is disposed between the rigid board and the flexible board and is configured to bond the rigid board and the flexible board; defining a groove in the core plate assembly to define a thinning groove, which extends through the rigid board and the adhesive layer and exposes the flexible board, wherein the thinning groove has at least one stepped wall; applying a protective adhesive on the at least one stepped wall, and enabling the protective adhesive to flow to reach the flexible board; and curing the protection adhesive. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method according to claim 19, wherein the applying a protective adhesive on the at least one stepped wall, comprises: selecting a stepped wall, which is furthest from the flexible board and is to be covered by the protective adhesive, from the at least one stepped wall; and applying the protective adhesive at selected a position wherein the stepped wall is arranged, enabling the protective adhesive to flow along the at least one stepped wall to reach the flexible board.