# US 2019/0239946 A1 · Catheter flexible printed wiring board and method for 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 2019/0239946 A1 - Document ID: US20190239946A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/246,695 - Filed: 2019-01-14 - Published: 2019-08-08 - Earliest claimed: 2018-02-05 - Assignees: Nippon Mektron, Ltd. - Applicants: Nippon Mektron, Ltd. - Inventors: Akio YOSHIDA; Ryoichi TOYOSHIMA; Mitsunori SASAKI; Hiroyasu HASEGAWA - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190239946A1 ## CPC - A61B 18/1492: {having a flexible, catheter-like structure, e.g. for heart ablation (A61B18/1477 takes precedence)} - H05K 1/11: Printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits - H05K 1/118: {specially for flexible printed circuits, e.g. using folded portions} - H05K 1/18: structurally associated with non-printed electric components (H05K1/16 takes precedence) - H05K 3/188: {by direct electroplating} - A61B 2018/00577: {Ablation} - H05K 1/189: characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits - H05K 2201/09027: Non-rectangular flat PCB, e.g. circular - H05K 2201/09236: Parallel layout - H05K 2201/09281: Layout details of a single conductor - H05K 2201/09727: Varying width along a single conductor; Conductors or pads having different widths - H05K 2201/09827: Tapered, e.g. tapered hole, via or groove - H05K 2201/10151: Sensor - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ## Abstract A catheter flexible printed wiring board which includes: a long flexible insulating base member having a tip end portion and a base end portion; and a conductive pattern formed on the flexible insulating base member and extending from the base end portion to the tip end portion, wherein the conductive pattern at the base end portion is wider than the conductive pattern at the tip end portion and thicker than the conductive pattern at the tip end portion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A catheter flexible printed wiring board comprising: a long flexible insulating base member having a tip end portion and a base end portion; and a conductive pattern formed on the flexible insulating base member and extending from the base end portion to the tip end portion, wherein the conductive pattern at the base end portion is wider than the conductive pattern at the tip end portion and thicker than the conductive pattern at the tip end portion. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein a width of the conductive pattern increases from the tip end portion toward the base end portion, and a thickness of the conductive pattern increases from the tip end portion toward the base end portion. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the conductive pattern at the tip end portion is equal to or less than 1.5 times as large as a width of the conductive pattern at the tip end portion. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein a width of the flexible insulating base member decreases from the base end portion toward the tip end portion. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein an electrode is attached to a tip end of the conductive pattern, and a pad electrically connected to a high-frequency generation device is provided at a base end of the conductive pattern. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, further comprising: a head portion having a pad for mounting a sensor, wherein the head portion extends from the tip end portion, and the pad is electrically connected to the conductive pattern. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern are, as the conductive pattern, formed on the flexible insulating base member, and an interval between the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern is substantially constant. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein a first conductive pattern and a second conductive pattern are, as the conductive pattern, formed on the flexible insulating base member, and an interval between the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern decreases from the base end portion toward the tip end portion. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the flexible insulating base member is integrally formed. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The catheter flexible printed wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the flexible insulating base member has a first partial flexible insulating base member and a second partial flexible insulating base member, a first partial conductive pattern formed on the first partial flexible insulating base member has a first thickness, a second partial conductive pattern formed on the second partial flexible insulating base member and electrically connected to the first partial conductive pattern has a second thickness greater than the first thickness, and the first partial conductive pattern and the second partial conductive pattern form the conductive pattern. ### Claim 11 A catheter flexible printed wiring board manufacturing method comprising: a step of preparing a long flexible insulating base member having a tip end portion and a base end portion and having a seed layer on a surface; a step of patterning a resist layer formed on the seed layer to form a resist mask provided with an opening extending from the tip end portion to the base end portion, a width of the opening at the base end portion being greater than a width of the opening at the tip end portion; a step of forming a plated layer on the seed layer exposed in the opening of the resist mask such that a plating thickness at the base end portion is greater than a plating thickness at the tip end portion; and a step of removing the resist mask and the seed layer therebelow. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The catheter flexible printed wiring board manufacturing method according to claim 11, wherein the step of forming the plated layer comprises: conveying the flexible insulating base member into the horizontally-conveying web plating equipment having multiple cells from the base end portion side, and taking the flexible insulating base member directly out of the horizontally-conveying web plating equipment promptly after plating current is stopped when the base end portion reaches a downstremmost one of the multiple cells, wherein the plurality of cells are continuously provided along a predetermined direction, and an entire length of the multiple cells is equal to or longer than a length of the flexible insulating base member. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The catheter flexible printed wiring board manufacturing method according to claim 12, wherein the step of forming the plated layer comprises forming the plated layer simultaneously at each cell by a roll-to-roll method using the horizontally-conveying web plating equipment, wherein the horizontally-conveying web plating equipment has multiple cells continuously provided along a flow direction, and each width of the multiple cells is equal to or longer than a width of a roll-shaped flexible insulating base member equivalent to multiple flexible insulating base members connected to each other at a predetermined interval with a lateral direction thereof being along the flow direction. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The catheter flexible printed wiring board manufacturing method according to claim 11, wherein the step of forming the plated layer comprises using a separated sheet plating equipment having a cell extending in a predetermined direction and multiple anode electrodes provided along the predetermined direction in the cell, arranging, in the cell, the flexible insulating base member negatively charged, and applying different positive voltages to the multiple anode electrodes such that a plating current density increases from a tip end portion side toward the base end portion side. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The catheter flexible printed wiring board manufacturing method according to claim 11, wherein the step of forming the plated layer comprises using a separated sheet plating equipment having a cell extending in a predetermined direction and an anode electrode, wherein the anode electrode is provided inclined with respect to the flexible insulating base member disposed in the cell such that the distance to the flexible insulating base member decreases from the tip end portion side toward the base end portion side. ### Claim 16 A catheter flexible printed wiring board manufacturing method comprising: a step of preparing a long flexible insulating base member having a tip end portion and a base end portion and a metal-clad laminate having metal foil on a surface of the flexible insulating base member; a step of forming a resist mask extending from the tip end portion to the base end portion on the metal foil and having a greater width at the base end portion than a width at the tip end portion; an etching step of removing, by etching, a portion of the metal foil uncovered with the resist mask; and a step of removing the resist mask, wherein the etching step comprises etching the metal foil such that a thickness of the metal foil at the base end portion is greater than a thickness of the metal foil at the tip end portion.