Flex-rigid wiring board

• US 7,423,219 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2005
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ibiden Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Ibiden Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Mikado, Yukinobu, Futamura, Hirofumi, Kawaguchi, Katsuo, Ito, Sotarou
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris; Jeremy C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Semenenko; Yuriy
• Application Number:
  US10/558,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20070012475A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 174/260, 174/254
• US Class Current: 174/254
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/117 Pads along the edge of rigid circuit boards, e.g. for pluggable connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09063 Holes or slots in insulating substrate not used for electrical connections
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09481 Via in pad; Pad over filled via if used for surface mounting H05K1/113
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/096 Vertically aligned vias, holes or stacked vias
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09781 Dummy conductors, i.e. not used for normal transport of current; Dummy electrodes of components
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/09845 Stepped hole, via, edge, bump or conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/063 of preperforated insulating layer
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/244 Finish plating of conductors, especially of copper conductors, e.g. for pads or lands selective plating methods H05K3/243; finish plating of conductors made by printing techniques H05K3/246; solder as finish H05K3/3457, e.g. by plating H05K3/3473
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/323 by applying an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer over an array of pads
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/361 Assembling flexible printed circuits with other printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4614 the electrical connections between the circuit boards being made during lamination
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/462 characterized by laminating only or mainly similar double-sided circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4691 Rigid-flexible multilayer circuits comprising rigid and flexible layers, e.g. having in the bending regions only flexible layers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases

Abstract

In a flex-rigid wiring board in which a rigid substrate formed from a rigid base material and a flexible substrate formed from a flexible base material are stack-joined and electrically connected to each other, the flexible substrate including a conductive layer having interconnecting electrode pads provided on at least one surface thereof, and the rigid substrate including a conductive layer having interconnecting electrode pads provided on at least one surface thereof in a position opposite to the interconnecting electrode pads on the rigid substrate, are locally connected electrically to each other with an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer interposed between conductive layers of substrate portions each including at least the interconnecting electrode pads.

Claims

1. A flex-rigid wiring board comprising:

a flexible substrate comprising a flexible base material and a first conductive layer having first interconnecting electrode pads provided on at least one surface of the flexible substrate;

a rigid substrate comprising a rigid base material and a second conductive layer having second interconnecting electrode pads provided on at least one surface of the rigid substrate in a position opposite to the first interconnecting electrode pads on the flexible substrate;

a coverlay interposed between the first and second conductive layers and having a plurality of openings aligned such that each of the first interconnecting electrode pads are exposed to a respective second interconnecting electrode pad through a respective opening formed in the coverlay; and

an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer provided at least within said openings and interposed between opposing first and second interconnecting electrode pads.

2. The flex-rigid wiring board according to claim 1, wherein said coverlay is provided on at least one of the flexible substrate or rigid substrate.

3. The flex-rigid wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of openings formed in the coverlay are provided adjacent to each other and spaced 20 to 500 μ

m from each other.

4. The flex-rigid wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate further comprises a via-hole formed from a through-hole extending from a top surface of the flexible substrate to a bottom surface of the flexible substrate and filled with a conductive substance, wherein the first interconnecting electrode pads are provided above the via-hole.

5. A flex-rigid wiring board comprising:

a flexible substrate comprising a flexible base material, a plurality of first interconnecting pads located at an end of the flexible substrate and a plurality of first conductor layers respectively connected to the first interconnecting pads and extending to an opposite end of the flexible substrate;

a rigid substrate disposed adjacent to the flexible substrate and comprising a rigid base material, a frame pattern provided on an end of the rigid substrate and surrounding a plurality of second interconnecting pads a plurality of via-contacts respectively provided in said second interconnecting pads and a plurality of second conductor layers connected to respective via-contacts;

a coverlay provided between the first conductor layers and the frame pattern to electrically insulate the frame pattern from the first conductor layers; and

an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer provided between the first and second interconnecting pads within the frame pattern to form a compression connection between the first and second interconnecting pads.

6. A flexible substrate comprising a flexible base material and a plurality of first conductor layers and first interconnecting pads;

a rigid substrate comprising;

a first rigid-substrate layer having a cut formed at an end thereof, and

a second rigid-substrate layer disposed under the first rigid-substrate layer and including;

a frame pattern formed to be exposed through the cut in the first rigid-substrate layer,

a plurality of second interconnecting pads formed in an area surrounded by the frame pattern,

a plurality of via-contacts formed beneath the second interconnecting pads, respectively, and

a second conductor layer connected to each of the via-contacts;

a coverlay provided between the first conductor layers and the frame pattern to electrically insulate the frame pattern from the first conductor layers; and

an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer provided between the first and second interconnecting pads within the frame pattern to provide a compression connection between the first and second interconnecting pads.

7. The flex-rigid wiring board according to claim 6, wherein the first and second interconnecting pads are substantially equal in width to each other and clearances between adjacent interconnecting pads are substantially identical to each other.

8. The flex-rigid wiring board according to claim 6, further comprising a plurality of through-holes is formed in the area surrounded by the frame pattern provided on the second rigid-substrate layer.

9. The flex-rigid wiring board according to claim 6, further comprising a plated nickel/gold layer is formed on the surface of each of the first and second interconnecting pads.

10. A method of producing a flex-rigid wiring board in which a rigid substrate formed from a stack of rigid base materials and a flexible substrate formed from a flexible base material are joined to each other, the method comprising the steps of:

preparing a flexible substrate including a plurality of first interconnecting pads and a plurality of first conductor layers connected to the first interconnecting pads, respectively;

preparing a first rigid-substrate layer having a cut formed at either end thereof while preparing a second rigid-substrate layer including a frame pattern exposed from the cuts, a plurality of second interconnecting pads formed in an area surrounded by the frame pattern, a plurality of via-contacts formed beneath the second interconnecting pads, respectively, and a second conductor layer connected to each of the via-contacts;

stacking the first and second rigid-substrate layers together to form a rigid substrate;

forming a coverlay between the first conductor layers of the flexible substrate and the frame pattern of the second rigid-substrate layer to electrically insulate the frame pattern from the first conductor layers;

forming an anisotropic conductive adhesive layer between the first interconnecting pads of the flexible substrate and second interconnecting pads of the rigid substrate; and

fitting the free end of the flexible substrate into the cut in the rigid substrate to provide a compression connection between the first and second interconnecting pads via the anisotropic conductive adhesive layer.