Method of manufacturing printed circuit boards
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorsWilhelm Tamm, Walter Olbrich, Siegfrid Dippon, Michael Weitmann, Si-Ty Lam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printed circuit board is made by producing recesses and/or holes in an electric insulating substrate by laser ablation. The recesses correspond to a desired pattern of conductor structures and/or holes. Conductive material is then deposited on substantially an entire face of the substrate. Conductive material is then removed from the substrate outside the desired pattern of conductor structures and/or holes.
Claims14
A method of manufacturing a printed circuit board having a desired pattern of conductor structures extending on at least one surface, comprising the following steps:
- a) providing an electric insulating substrate having a predetermined thickness defined by opposed surfaces;
- a1) producing recesses in said electric insulating substrate by laser ablation on at least one of said opposed surfaces, said recesses reaching to a controlled depth which is smaller than the thickness of said insulating substrate, and said recesses forming a pattern on the surface of said insulating substrate corresponding to said desired pattern of conductor structures,
- b) then depositing conductive material on substantially an entire face of the substrate having said recesses formed therein, and
- c) then removing conductive material from the surface of the substrate outside the desired pattern of conductor structures.
The method of claim i wherein the step of removing conductive material from the substrate of step c is performed by grinding the face of the substrate.
A method of manufacturing a printed circuit board, comprising the following steps:
- a) providing a carrier substrate of electric insulating material which becomes conductive when irradiated by optical energy,
- a1) producing recesses in said carrier substrate by laser ablation, said recesses corresponding to a desired pattern of conductor structures,
- b) directing the laser beam which caused the ablation on the material so that a portion of the substrate which is irradiated by the laser beam is changed from an electric insulator to an electric conductor, and
- c) depositing electrically conductive material only in the recesses produced during step a1).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.