Medical circuit forming process
First Claim
1. A process to manufacture disposable medical flat flexible printed circuits 10 comprisingdepositing conductive metal in the range of 1000 to 2500 Angstroms thick onto a flexible film having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 10 mils.,covering first portions of the metal with a resist material arranged in a pattern,depositing metal circuit material onto second portions of the metal,overplating the metal circuit material with a corrosion resistant metal,removing the resist material and the first portions of the metal andlaminating the circuit with a polymeric material.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A process to manufacture disposable medical flat flexible printed circuits 10. The process entails depositing conductive metal in the range of 1000 to 2500 Angstroms thick onto a flexible film having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 10 mils. The first portions of the conductive metal are covered with a resist material arranged in a pattern. Metal circuit material is deposited onto second portions of the conductive metal. Overplating the metal circuit material with a corrosion resistant metal. Lastly, removing the resist material and the first portions of the metal and laminating the circuit.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A process to manufacture disposable medical flat flexible printed circuits 10 comprising
depositing conductive metal in the range of 1000 to 2500 Angstroms thick onto a flexible film having a thickness in the range of 0.1 to 10 mils., covering first portions of the metal with a resist material arranged in a pattern, depositing metal circuit material onto second portions of the metal, overplating the metal circuit material with a corrosion resistant metal, removing the resist material and the first portions of the metal and laminating the circuit with a polymeric material.
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9. In a method to manufacture disposable medical flat flexible printed circuits 10 by ink jet printing, wherein a pattern of ink is applied by an ink jet, the improvement comprising:
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applying a pattern of an ink resistant to basic chemical baths by ink jet onto a composite sheet constructed of a first metal covering a polyester, depositing metal circuit material onto the metal without depositing the metal onto the ink, overplating the metal circuit material with a corrosion resistant metal, removing the ink and the first metal to provide a circuit on the sheet, and laminating a second layer of polyester to protect the circuit; wherein the ink resistant has at least two depths, at the edges of the pattern the ink resistant is equal or greater than the desired depth of the metal circuit material and the remaining pattern is coated sufficiently with ink resistant to prevent electrochemical growth of the metal circuit material. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method to manufacture disposable medical flat flexible printed circuits 10 comprising the steps of:
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Sputtering 100 to 300 Angstroms and evaporating 2700 Angstroms thick conductive layer onto polyester film having a range of thickness from 0.001 inch (0.0025 cm.) to 0.10 inch; Applying circuit masks, Plating a Nickel onto circuit patterns circumscribed by the masks to produce a circuit having a desired thickness; Plating a Gold layer to the desired thickness onto the Nickel; Removing the masks to expose the Copper film; and Removing the Copper film exposed by removal of the masks with the Nickel circuit being protected by the Gold; Cleaning and drying the circuit and the polyester film, and laminating a second layer of polyester on the circuit to protect the circuit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. In a method to manufacture disposable medical flat flexible printed circuits 10, wherein a pattern of ink is applied by a seamless rotary screen, the improvement comprising:
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pre-conditioning the polyester by exposing it to a temperature that is equal to or greater the maximum temperature the film or circuit will experience in later processing or in final service life; applying a pattern of an ink resistant to basic chemical baths by a seamless rotary screen onto a composite sheet constructed of a first metal covering a flexible film, depositing metal circuit material onto the metal without depositing the metal onto the ink, and removing the ink and the first metal to provide a circuit on the sheet. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification