Rigid flex printed circuit configuration
AssigneeSheldahl, Inc.
InventorJay Desai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for fabricating a multi-layer flex and rigid-flex board and the board disclosed which substantially reduces the amount of expansion in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the board which occurs between laminated pattern circuit layers in a manner that substantially reduces the tendency of the through-hole plated connections to fail. This is done without sacrificing the attributes of using some flexible material in the rigid zones.
Claims20
A process for fabricating a rigid-flex printed circuit structure having rigid and flexible sections comprising the steps of:
- acquiring a first pair of conductor layers laminated on opposite surfaces of a central insulator layer wherein said insulator layer is further processed to be of a first composition in the rigid sections and of a second composition in the flexible section;
- forming first conductor patterns in said first pair of conductor layers by imaging and etching;
- laminating a first pair of dielectric film layers over said first conductor patterns in both said rigid and said flexible sections;
- laminating a second pair of conductor layers on said pair of first dielectric film layers;
- drilling holes through the rigid section;
- plating through the holes with conductor material to form a conductive lining therein said lining connecting conductors in the conductor patterns of the conductor layers where they meet the holes.
A process for fabricating a rigid-flex printed circuit structure having rigid and flexible sections comprising the steps of:
- laminating a first pair of conductor layers on opposite surfaces of a first dielectric layer wherein said first dielectric layer extends through both rigid and flexible sections;
- forming conductor patterns in said conductor layers by imaging and etching;
- selectively laminating a pair of first flexible dielectric film layers to said conductor layers in said flexible section;
- applying a pair of over layers of rigid conductor material to said first pair of conductor layers in said rigid sections using an adhesive material;
- drilling holes in the rigid sections of the printed circuit structure;
- plating through the holes with a conductive material to form conductive layers therein, said layers connecting conductors in the conductor pattern of the conductor layers where they meet the holes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.