INTENNA MANUFACTURING METHOD HAVING CAPABILITY TO IMPROVE PLATING RELIABILITY

• US 20160149294A1
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bon-Sool Koo, Intops Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Bon Sool Koo, Intops Company Limited
• Inventors: KOO, Bon-sool
• Granted Patent: US 9,819,076 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 18/16 by reduction or substitution, e.g. electroless plating C23C18/54 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 28/023 only coatings of metal elements only
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/024 using locally applied electromagnetic radiation, e.g. lasers
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/34 Pretreatment of metallic surfaces to be electroplated
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 5/48 After-treatment of electroplated surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 7/00 Electroplating characterised by the article coated
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an internal antenna (intenna) and, in particular, to a method for manufacturing an intenna, which allows a resin molded product to be smoothly and securely plated with a metal by applying a primer paint on the surface of the resin molded product, and thereby improves the reliability of the metal plating formed on the resin molded product.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an intenna having improved reliability of plating by using electroplating, the method comprising steps of:

(a) forming a paint layer on a resin molded product with a primer paint;

(b) forming a metal plating layer on a top surface of the paint layer;

(c) etching the metal plating layer with a laser beam so that a radiation pattern portion and an antenna contact portion are formed to be electrically separated from a non-radiation pattern portion;

(d) hanging the resin molded product, which is laser-etched to allow the radiation pattern portion and the antenna contact portion to be electrically separated from the non-radiation pattern portion, on a hanger and dipping the resin molded product in an electroplating bath;

(e) forming a primary conductive layer on the radiation pattern portion and the antenna contact portion;

(f) forced exfoliating the metal plating layer formed on the non-radiation pattern portion excluding the radiation pattern portion and the antenna contact portion;

(g) forming a secondary conductive layer on the radiation pattern portion and the antenna contact portion;

(h) forming an electrolytic nickel plating layer on the radiation pattern portion and the antenna contact portion on which the secondary conductive layer is formed; and

(i) sealing, washing, and drying the resin molded product on which the nickel plating layer is formed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the paint is composed of 30 wt % to 40 wt % of acetone, 30 wt % to 40 wt % of methyl ethyl ketone, 10 wt % to 20 wt % of cyclohexanone, and 10 wt % to 20 wt % of an acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) copolymer or a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) resin.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step (c), a distance between the non-radiation pattern portion and the radiation pattern portion and antenna contact portion is formed to be in a range of 100 μ

m to 200 μ

m to prevent a failure due to a short-circuit phenomenon during electroplating.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forced exfoliating of the metal plating layer in the step (f) is performed by chemical exfoliation including sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide, instead of electrolytic exfoliation.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the ABS copolymer is used in a case in which an operating temperature of the paint is 85°

C. or less, and the LCP resin is used in a case in which the operating temperature of the paint is in a range of 85°

C. or more to 240°

C. or less.