Method of printing an image on a substrate particularly useful for producing printed circuit boards
AssigneeOrbotech Ltd.
InventorMordechai Brestel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of printing an image on a substrate by applying to the substrate a film which is chemically activated by heat, and scanning the film by a beam of radiation according to the image to be printed, to chemically activate the film by heat and thereby to produce a pattern in the film according to the image scanned. The film includes a reagent capable of undergoing a redox reaction when heated in the presence of another reagent present with the film when scanned by the beam, to produce the redox reaction between the two reagents.
Claims28
A method of printing an image on a substrate by applying to the substrate a film which is chemically activated by heat, and scanning the film by a beam of infrared radiation according to the image to be printed to chemically activate the film by heat and thereby to produce a pattern in the film according to the image scanned;
- characterized in:
- utilizing, in said film, a first reagent having a high absorbence of infrared radiation and capable of undergoing redox reaction when heated in the presence of a second reagent;
- and scanning said film by said beam while said second reagent is present with the film, to produce said redox reaction between said two reagents.
A method of printing a desired image on a substrate including an insulating base and a copper layer thereover, comprising:
- forming a film of a copper compound having high absorbence of infrared radiation on said copper layer and capable of being reduced by a reducing agent in a heat-induced redox reaction to decompose to pure copper;
- while the film is exposed to the reducing agent, scanning said film by a beam of infrared radiation according to the image desired to be printed to induce a redox reaction thereby to produce a pattern of pure copper on first portions of the copper layer, while second portions of the copper layer are covered by said film;
- and removing one of said portions of the copper layer to produce said desired image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.