Method of producing a minutely patterned structure

• US 5,100,498 A
• Filed: 03/01/1991
• Issued: 03/31/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited, Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shirakawa, Kazuo, Yamamoto, Azuma, Segawa, Takao, Takeuchi, Yukihisa, Watanabe, Tetsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, William A.
• Application Number:
  US07/663,178
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 156/629, 156/630, 156/633, 156/634, 156/644, 156/650, 156/651, 156/654, 156/655, 156/656, 156/659.1, 357/70, 29/827, 437/206, 437/220
• US Class Current: 216/14
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/395 Structure of multi-stylus heads
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49537 Plurality of lead frames mounted in one device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49548 Cross section geometry H01L23/49562 takes precedence
• 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 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49121 Beam lead frame or beam lead device
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/12201 Width or thickness variation or marginal cuts repeating longitudinally

Abstract

A patterned structure including a plurality of patterned sheet members which have respective configurations and which are partially superposed on each other and which cooperate with each other to define a plurality of voids. At least one of the sheet members includes a thin-walled portion whose thickness is smaller than a thickness of the other portion. The thin-walled portion is formed by etching the appropriate sheet member or members. The thin-walled portion of one sheet member engages the corresponding thin-walled portion or the other portion of the other sheet member or members.

Claims

1. A method of producing a patterned structure, comprising the steps of:

preparing a plurality of patterned sheet members having predetermined configurations;

subjecting at least one of said plurality of patterned sheet members to an etching operation to form a thin-walled portion whose thickness is smaller than a thickness of the other portion of said at least one of said plurality of patterned sheet members; and

superposing said plurality of patterned sheet members on each other such that at least said thin-walled portion of each of said at least one of said plurality of patterned sheet members engages the corresponding thin-walled portion or said other portion of the other of said plurality of patterned sheet members, such that said plurality of patterned sheet members are positioned relative to each other to define a plurality of voids.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of patterned sheet members is subjected to an etching operation to form said thin-walled portion, and said plurality of patterned sheet members are superposed on each other such that the thin-walled portion of each of said at least one of said plurality of patterned sheet members engages the corresponding portion of the other of said plurality of patterned sheet members, so that a thickness of the patterned structure is substantially equal to said thickness of said other portion of the patterned sheet members.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said thin-walled portion of said each of said at least one of said plurality of patterned sheet members consists of a plurality of thin-walled portions having respective different thicknesses, said plurality of thin-walled portions of said each of said at least one of said plurality of patterned sheet members engage the thin-walled portions of the other of said plurality of patterned sheet members so that a total thickness of the engaging thin-walled portions of said plurality of patterned sheet members is substantially equal to said thickness of said other portion.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of said patterned sheet members is formed from a metallic sheet.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of patterned sheet members are superposed on each other so that a plurality of slits are formed as said plurality of voids, so as to define a plurality of strip portions which are separated from each other by said plurality of voids in a direction of a width thereof.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of patterned sheet members has a plurality of cutouts, and said plurality of patterned sheet members are superposed on each other such that said cutouts of one of said patterned sheet members partially overlap said cutouts of another of said patterned sheet members, so that said plurality of voids are defined by overlapping portions of said cutouts of said one of said patterned sheet members and said another of said patterned sheet members, such that said voids are spaced apart from each other.

7. A method according to claim 6, wherein each of said plurality of patterned sheet members is etched to provide an etched portion as said thin-walled portion, and a plurality of non-etched portions as said other portion, each of said non-etched portions of said one of said plurality of patterned sheet members being fitted in said plurality of cutouts of said another of said plurality of patterned sheet member, respectively, such that said voids are left in said overlapping portions of said cutouts of said one of said plurality of patterned sheet members and said another of said plurality of patterned sheet members.