Methods of manufacture of electric circuit substrates and components having multiple electric characteristics and substrates and components so manufactured

• US 20020148640A1
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The 323 Trust
• Original Assignee: Holl Technologies Company
• Inventors: Lichtenberger, Philip L., Holl, Richard A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,830,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/256
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/48227 connecting the wire to a bond pad of the item
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/73265 Layer and wire connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/145 Organic substrates, e.g. plastic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/30107 Inductance
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/3011 Impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 11/003 Manufacturing lines with conductors on a substrate, e.g. strip lines, slot lines
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/024 Dielectric details, e.g. changing the dielectric material around a transmission line
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/095 for polymer thick films, i.e. having a permanent organic polymeric binder
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/162 incorporating printed capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/165 incorporating printed inductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/167 incorporating printed resistors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0187 with regions of different dielectrics in the same layer, e.g. in a printed capacitor for locally changing the dielectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0209 Inorganic, non-metallic particles
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/207 using a prefabricated paste pattern, ink pattern or powder pattern
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249994 Composite having a component wherein a constituent is liquid or is contained within preformed walls [e.g., impregnant-filled, previously void containing component, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/249998 Indefinite plurality of similar impregnated thin sheets [e.g., "decorative laminate" type, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/25 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component and including a second component containing structurally defined particles

Abstract

The present invention is directed to methods for producing substrates (24) for electric circuits, particularly ultra high frequency circuits, and electric components (44-48) for mounting thereon employing for the purpose mixtures of polymers and finely powdered filler materials, the latter having specific electric characteristics, such as dielectric constant and/or resistivity. Any one substrate or component can be manufactured to have at least two body regions (24₁, 24₂), and even multiple body regions (24₁-24_n), each of which has a different characteristic such as dielectric constant (Σ₁-Σ_n respectively) or resistivity (R₁-R_n respectively). The regions can be formed separately as substrate or component preforms and thereafter placed together in a mold and united into a single body by a heating and pressing operation that at least melts polymer at the junctions to bond them together. If necessary, the heat and pressure conditions are such as to melt the polymer and force it uniformly into the interstices between the filler particles to form a strong, unitary body. The characteristics can be specifically chosen to assist in impedance matching facilitating the circuit design. Articles produced according to the methods of the invention can be made to have fixed external physical dimensions despite differences in the sizes of the operative elements (46) therein; one of the body regions can encapsulate the other region or regions to simultaneously package them. In addition to significantly increasing ease of circuit design, the components themselves, when manufactured according to the methods of the invention, require fewer additional steps than many common prior art methods.

Claims

1. A substrate or electric component comprising a body of polymer/filler composite material and having different values of an electric characteristic in different body regions thereof, characterized in that it comprises:

at least a first body region (24 or 24₁) having a first electric characteristic; and

at least a second body region (28 or 24₂) joined to the first region to have a boundary (30) between them, the second body region having a second electric characteristic of value different from that of the same electric characteristic of the first body region.

2. A substrate or electric component as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the body regions (24₁-24_n) have been joined to each other at their respective boundaries (30) by a heating and pressing operation.

3. A substrate or electric component as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of said body regions (24₁-24_n) has as its electric characteristic a different dielectric constant (Σ

₁-Σ

_n respectively).

4. A substrate or electric component as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that each of said body regions (24₁-24_n) has as its electric characteristic a different resistivity (R₁-R_n respectively).

5. A substrate or electric component as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by multiple body regions (24₁-24_n) forming a pattern.

6. A substrate or electric component as claimed in claim 5, characterized by multiple body regions (24₁-24_n) forming a nonuniform pattern.

7. A substrate or electric component as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least one of the body regions (24₁-24_n) has as its filler material a mixture of filler materials of selected electric characteristics.

8. A substrate or electric component as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that each polymer/filler material of the body regions (24₁-24_n) comprises a mixture of filler materials of selected electric characteristics and nonpolar, nonfunctionalized polymer material, each with at least 80% by volume of filler material.

9. A substrate or electric component as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the second body region is disposed in a recess in the first body region.

10. A method of manufacturing a substrate or electric circuit component comprising a body of polymer/filler composite material and having different values of an electric characteristic in different body regions thereof, characterized by

forming at least a first body region (24 or 24₁) of the polymer/filler composite material having a first electric characteristic;

and

joining to the first body region a second body region (28 or 24₂) at least one boundary (30) between them by a heat and pressure operation that melts at least polymer at the boundary (30) to effect such joining, the second body region having a second electric characteristic of value different from that of the same electric characteristic of the first body region.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that each of said body regions (24₁-24_n) has as its electric characteristic a different dielectric constant (Σ

₁-Σ

_n respectively).

12. A method as claimed in any one of claim 10 or 11, characterized in that each of said body regions (24₁-24_n) has as its electric characteristic a different resistivity (R₁-R_n respectively).

13. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 12, characterized by multiple body regions (24₁-24_n) forming a pattern.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, characterized by multiple body regions (24₁-24_n) forming a nonuniform pattern.

15. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized by the steps of forming the first region (24 or 24₁) having a recess (26) therein;

depositing the second body region (28 or 24₂) in the recess; and

thereafter heating and pressing the body to adhere the two body regions together.

16. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 14, characterized by the steps of forming the first region (24₁ or 24) having a recess (26) therein;

depositing a polymer/filler composite material capable of forming the second body region (24₂ or 28) in the recess; and

thereafter heating and pressing the body with sufficient pressure and at sufficient temperature to melt the polymer material and disperse the melted polymer material into the interstices between the particles of filler material and to adhere the two regions together.

17. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 16, characterized in that at least one of the body regions (24₁-24_n) has as its filler material a mixture of filler materials of selected electric characteristics.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, characterized in that each polymer/filler material of the body regions (24₁-24_n) comprises a mixture of filler materials of selected electric characteristics and nonpolar, nonfunctionalized polymer material, each with at least 80% by volume of filler material.

19. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 18, characterized by the steps of:

applying an affixing thin layer of a polymer material (32) to a heated mold platen (12) within a mold cavity (16);

placing pairs of conductive leads (44) on the thin layer at spaced intervals;

placing a plurality of component bodies (46) comprising first body regions (24) on respective pairs of the conductive leads;

backfilling the mold cavity (16) with polymer/filler mixture (48) constituting at least one second body region;

applying sufficient heat and pressure to melt the polymer of the backfilled mixture and force it into the interstices between the particles of its filler material, thereby forming a workpiece containing at least one manufactured electric component; and

removing the resultant workpiece from the press mold and dividing it into multiple individual electric components, each component comprising a respective component body (46) with associated conductive leads (44).

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, characterized in that the thus divided multiple individual electric components are all of the same external dimensions.

21. A method as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 20, characterized in that the electric component is a resistor, or a capacitor, or an inductor, or a transmission line.