US 5,078,820 A · Method and apparatus for pressure sticking a thin film to a base plate

Abstract

Apparatus and method for pressure and heat sticking a thin film to a base plate. The thin film and a base plate on a film like carrier are introduced into a vacuum chamber having upper and lower contact members for compressing the thin film, base member and carrier into a stratified body. The thin film and base plate are held separate from one another in the chamber. The lower contact member moves upward to contact the carrier and base plate and to compress the stratified body between it and the upper contact member. The upper contact member is convex in shape and made of an elastic material so that the contact pressure on the thin film and base plate starts near the center and spreads toward the periphery resulting in improved sticking of thin film to the base plate with no air bubbles and no wrinkling. The pressure is applied in a vacuum or reduced atmospheric pressure and heat is simultaneously applied. A further compression in the air at atmospheric pressure is carried out by a heat and pressure roller.

Claims18

Dependent claims

In a process for producing a printed circuit, a method of pressure and heat sticking a dry, thin film to a base plate, comprising the steps of:

(a) introducing into a vacuum chamber said thin film and said base plate at positions separated from one another by a prescribed distance and between an upper contact member and a lower contact member;
said upper contact member being thicker in the center than on its peripheral portions and being made of an elastic material, and said lower contact member being flat and made of a material of higher rigidity than said base plate and said upper contact member;
(b) sealing said film and base plate in said vacuum chamber;
(c) reducing the pressure in said vacuum chamber to a near vacuum;
(d) applying pressure to the combination of said thin film and base plate by moving at least one of said upper and lower contact members to cause said contact members to bring together said base plate and said thin film in a pressurized relationship whereby the thicker part of said upper contact member first comes in contact with a central portion of said thin film covering said base plate and then elastically deforms resulting in pressure first being applied to the central portion of said thin film-base plate combination and then spreading the applied pressure outward toward the periphery of said combination;
and
(e) applying heat during the step of applying pressure;
further comprising the step of removing the combination thin film-base plate from said vacuum chamber and applying further pressure and heat to said combination at atmospheric pressure by means of a heating and pressure sticking roller.

5 more elements

Apparatus for automatically pressure and heat sticking a dry, thin film to a base plate, the apparatus comprising:

a vacuum chamber having an inlet and outlet for conveying said thin film and said base plate separately into and combined out of said chamber upper and lower contact members within said chamber and means to position said thin film and said base plate between said upper and lower contact members in the order of upper contact member, thin film base plate and lower contact member;
said upper contact member having an elastically deformable convex surface facing said thin film;
said lower contact member being rigid and having a flat surface;
means for degassing said chamber to create a vacuum or near vacuum;
means for moving said lower contact member in a direction to cause said thin film and base plate to be pressure sandwiched between said upper and lower base plates whereby said upper contact member s elastic convex surface deforms thereby causing pressure to be applied to said thin film-base plate combination initially at a center portion thereof and spreading outwardly therefrom to cause said thin film to adhere to said base plate;
means for heating said thin film and base plate while in said vacuum during pressurization by said contact members and a heat a pressure sticking roller means, outside said chamber, for applying heat to the combination thin film and base plate in an atmospheric pressure environment.

3 more elements

Apparatus for automatically pressure and heat sticking a dry, thin film to base plates, the apparatus comprising:

a base plate loader for loading base plates from a base plate cassette into a moving film-like carrier;
carrier supply means for supplying a film-like carrier to carry said base plates;
thin film supply means for supplying continuous thin film for sticking to said base plates;
pulling means for pulling said carrier and said thin film to cause said thin film, said carrier, and said base plates to move through several operating stations;
a vacuum chamber operating station through which said thin film, said carrier and said base plates move and at which a stratified body of thin film, carrier and base plate are stuck together by pressure and heat under vacuum or near vacuum conditions;
a vacuum chamber at said vacuum station having inlet and outlet ports;
upper and lower contact members in said vacuum chamber;
said upper contact member having a larger thickness at a central portion thereof to result in a downward facing convex surface of elasticity;
said lower contact member having a flat shape and being made of a material having a higher hardness than said upper contact member;
said lower contact member movably positioned in said chamber to move in a direction to compress said carrier, base plate and thin film between said upper and lower contact members;
holding means for holding said thin film and said base plate at a prescribed distance from each other prior to compressing same;
means for degassing said chamber to generate a reduced pressure therein;
means for heating said thin film and base plate to a prescribed temperature;
means for causing upward movement of said lower contact member to pinch said film, base plate, and carrier between said upper and lower members at a prescribed force to cause them to stick together and form a stratified body;
said pulling means comprising stratified body pull out means for pulling out said body from said chamber while holding one end of said body;
film cut off means provided generally between said vacuum chamber and said pulling means;
and
an unloader for loading said stratified body into a cassette;
further comprising a heat and pressure sticking roller for sticking the components of the stratified body to each other, under heat and pressure, in an environment of air at atmospheric pressure;
said roller being provided between said vacuum chamber and said film cutoff means.

17 more elements

Apparatus for automatically pressure and heat sticking a dry, thin film to base plates, the apparatus comprising:

a base plate loader for loading base plates from a base plate cassette into a moving film-like carrier;
carrier supply means for supplying a film-like carrier to carry said base plates;
thin film supply means for supplying continuous thin film for sticking to said base plates;
pulling means for pulling said carrier and said thin film to cause said thin film, said carrier, and said base plates to move through several operating stations;
a vacuum chamber operating station through which said thin film, said carrier and said base plates move and at which a stratified body of thin film, carrier and base plate are stuck together by pressure and heat under vacuum or near vacuum conditions;
a vacuum chamber at said vacuum station having inlet and outlet ports;
upper and lower contact members in said vacuum chamber;
said upper contact member having a larger thickness at a central portion thereof to result in a downward facing convex surface of elasticity;
said lower contact member having a flat shape and being made of a material having as higher hardness than said upper contact member;
said lower contact member movably positioned in said chamber to move in a direction to compress said carrier, base plate and thin film between said upper and lower contact members;
holding means for holding said thin film and said base plate at a prescribed distance from each other prior to compressing same;
means for degassing said chamber to generate a reduced pressure therein;
means for heating said thin film and base plate to a prescribed temperature;
means for causing upward movement of said lower contact member to pinch said film, base plate, and carrier between said upper and lower members at a prescribed force to cause them to stick together and form a stratified body;
said pulling means comprising stratified body pull out means for pulling out said body from said chamber while holding one end of said body;
film cut off means provided generally between said vacuum chamber and said pulling means;
and
an unloader for loading said stratified body into a cassette;
wherein said heating means comprises a heater provided on said upper contact member to stick the thin film to the base plate, under pressure, at a prescribed temperature;
and
further comprising a heat and pressure sticking roller for sticking the components of the stratified body to each other, under heat and pressure, in an environment of air at atmospheric pressure;
said roller being provided between said vacuum chamber and said film cutoff means.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and apparatus for pressure sticking a thin film to a base plate

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Method and apparatus for pressure sticking a thin film to a base plate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18