Metal working – Method of mechanical manufacture – Electrical device making
Patent
1989-12-08
1991-11-12
Arbes, Carl J.
Metal working
Method of mechanical manufacture
Electrical device making
428457, 428901, 156233, H05K 332, B32B 1504
Patent
active
050636588
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to an embossing foil, in particular a hot embossing foil, for the production of conductor tracks on a substrate of electrically insulating material, the foil having a carrier foil which carries, in the regions in which there are no conductor tracks, a masking layer which prevents galvanic deposit of a metal layer and which is resistant to galvanic fluids, and, in the regions which are not covered by the masking layer, a metal layer which can be released from the carrier foil and which serves to form the conductor tracks.
There are various methods for producing articles which at a surface are provided at least in a region-wise manner with an electrically conductive metal layer forming conductor tracks on a substrate of electrically insulating material.
For example, DE 32 15 205 Al describes a method for the production of printed circuits, wherein the conductor tracks are provided on a plate or board of insulating material. In an identical method, conductor tracks can also be applied to other articles of plastic material, for example by means of what is known as the "Inmold" method. In that method a foil which carries a metal layer forming the conductor tracks is introduced into the mould for the production of the article and plastic material is then injected behind same so that, after removal of the article from the mould, the conductor tracks adhere to the surface of the article while the intermediate carrier can be stripped off.
In a procedure as disclosed in DE 32 15 205 Al, use is made of an intermediate carrier, in which a conductive attachment layer for the metal layer does not adhere too firmly so that, after application of the metal layer forming the conductor tracks to the substrate and removal of the intermediate carrier, the attachment layer is still stuck to the metal layer. The attachment layer then has to be removed in an etching operation. An etching operation of that kind suffers in particular from the disadvantage that it can only be carried out in especially equipped works which can ensure that the etching agent is satisfactorily disposed of. In addition it will be appreciated that any etching process involves risk to the persons dealing with the process. Finally etching apparatuses involve a considerable level of additional capital investment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,976 describes the production of what are known as printed circuits without an etching procedure in such a way that, using a conductive carrier which can also be a foil, firstly a masking layer is applied thereto in a region-wise manner and then a metal layer is galvanically applied in the exposed regions. In that connection in principle reference is also made to the possibility of using a foil as the carrier, that is to say an embossing foil of the general kind set forth herein. In this connection however it is pointed out that, when handling a metal-plated foil as a carrier, there is the danger that delamination of the metal layer occurs as a result of bending, for which reason U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,976 proposes that the metal plating operation and the operation of applying the metal layer to the substrate are to be carried out in a continuous process. If therefore embossing foils were to be produced in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,976, the problem would arise that those foils would be extremely sensitive, which is not acceptable in respect of embossing foils because they are frequently exposed to a very severe bending loading. In comparison therewith, U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,976 only refers to the use of a metal foil as the carrier foil, a 0.1 mm thick foil of stainless steel which is comparatively stiff being mentioned as an example.
EP-A-O 063 347 refers to the possibility of operating in a dry method in the production of printed circuits, wherein the conductor tracks are to be cut out of a copper foil applied to a carrier strip, which in fact is only possible when the carrier strip is very thick and the copper foil is comparatively thin. The production of an embossing foil in that way is extremely comp
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Arbes Carl J.
Leonard Kurz GmbH & Co.
Marn Louis E.
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