Conductive film and method for manufacturing the same, conductive elastic terminal

Abstract

The application provides a conductive film and a preparation method thereof, and a conductive elastic terminal. The preparation method comprises the following steps: arranging a base; arranging a calendered copper layer on one side of the base; and arranging a conductive metal layer on the side of the calendered copper layer away from the base. By arranging the calendered copper layer between the base and the conductive metal layer, the ductility and bending reliability of the conductive film are ensured by using the characteristics of the calendered copper. The conductive film prepared by the preparation method and the conductive elastic terminal formed by the conductive film also have the ductility and bending reliability, and the product use reliability and service life are improved. The problem of low ductility and low reliability of the elastic electric contact terminal in the prior art is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of electrical contact terminal technology, specifically to a conductive thin film and its preparation method, and a conductive elastic terminal. Background Technology

[0002] In high-density electronic assembly fields such as microelectronic packaging, mobile communication terminals, and automotive electronics, semiconductor devices on integrated circuits need to be connected to surfaces such as housings via a conductive elastomer to achieve functions such as grounding and interference prevention. Surface mount conductive elastomer contact terminals play a crucial role in electromagnetic shielding and high-frequency grounding between the structural housing and the circuit board. As equipment becomes thinner and more integrated, terminals must not only be suitable for surface mount applications but also maintain extremely low and stable contact resistance and excellent resilience during long-term operation.

[0003] The applicant's earlier patent application, "Packing Method and Mounting Structure of Flexible Electrical Contact Terminal" (application number: 202310139879.7, application date: 2023.02.08), involves a flexible electrical contact terminal whose metal layer 240 is formed by electroplating, which has problems of low ductility and low reliability. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a conductive thin film and its preparation method, as well as a conductive elastic terminal, to solve the problems of low ductility and low reliability of elastic electrical contact terminals in the prior art.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, one technical solution adopted in this application is: to provide a method for preparing a conductive thin film, wherein the method includes: setting a substrate; setting a rolled copper layer on one side of the substrate; and setting a conductive metal layer on the side of the rolled copper layer opposite to the substrate.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted in this application is: to provide a conductive thin film, wherein the conductive thin film is obtained by any of the preparation methods in the above embodiments, comprising: a substrate; a rolled copper layer disposed on one side of the substrate; and a conductive metal layer disposed on the side of the rolled copper layer opposite to the substrate.

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, another technical solution adopted in this application is: to provide a conductive elastic terminal, wherein the conductive elastic terminal includes: an elastic body, both ends of the elastic body are provided with protruding ends that are raised in the same direction; the conductive film described in the above embodiment is disposed on the outside of the elastic body, a hole is provided between the conductive film and the elastic body, and the inner sidewall of the conductive film is connected to the protruding ends.

[0008] The beneficial effects of this application are as follows: Unlike existing technologies, this application provides a conductive thin film, its preparation method, and a conductive elastic terminal. The preparation method of the conductive thin film includes: setting a substrate; setting a rolled copper layer on one side of the substrate; and setting a conductive metal layer on the side of the rolled copper layer facing away from the substrate. By setting a rolled copper layer between the substrate and the conductive metal layer, the properties of rolled copper are utilized to ensure the stretching and bending reliability of the conductive thin film. The conductive thin film prepared by this method, and the conductive elastic terminal formed from the conductive thin film, also possess stretching and bending reliability, which can improve the reliability and service life of the product and solve the problems of low stretchability and low reliability of elastic electrical contact terminals in existing technologies. Attached Figure Description

[0009] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of the application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort, wherein: Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a method for preparing a conductive thin film according to this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a conductive thin film according to this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the method for preparing a conductive thin film according to this application; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a conductive thin film according to this application; Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a conductive elastic terminal according to this application; Figure 6 yes Figure 5 A schematic diagram of one embodiment of the conductive elastic terminal is shown. Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The diagram shows a structural schematic of an application embodiment of a conductive elastic terminal. Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another application embodiment of a conductive elastic terminal according to this application. Detailed Implementation

[0010] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0011] It should be noted that if the embodiments of this application involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0012] Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only if they are based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0013] Please see Figures 1-2 , Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of a method for preparing a conductive thin film according to this application. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of a conductive thin film according to this application. Corresponding to the preparation method disclosed in this embodiment, this application also proposes a conductive thin film 100, comprising: a substrate 10; a rolled copper layer 20 disposed on one side of the substrate 10; and a conductive metal layer 30 disposed on the side of the rolled copper layer 20 facing away from the substrate 10. The preparation method includes the following steps: S11: Set the base.

[0014] In preparing the conductive thin film 100, a substrate 10 material is provided, and various functional layers are deposited on the substrate 10 as a carrier to form the conductive thin film 100. The material of the substrate 10 can be specifically set according to actual needs.

[0015] S12: A rolled copper layer is provided on one side of the substrate.

[0016] To ensure the reliability of the conductive film 100 during stretching and bending, a rolled copper layer 20 is disposed on the substrate 10.

[0017] S13: A conductive metal layer is provided on the side of the rolled copper layer away from the substrate.

[0018] A conductive metal layer 30 is disposed on the other side of the rolled copper layer 20. At this time, the rolled copper layer 20 is located between the substrate 10 and the conductive metal layer 30, and both the rolled copper and the conductive metal layer 30 serve as conductive layers.

[0019] This application provides a method for preparing a conductive thin film, comprising: setting a substrate; setting a rolled copper layer on one side of the substrate; and setting a conductive metal layer 30 on the side of the rolled copper layer facing away from the substrate. By setting a rolled copper layer between the substrate and the conductive metal layer, the properties of rolled copper are utilized to ensure the stretching and bending reliability of the conductive thin film. The conductive thin film prepared by this method, as well as the conductive elastic terminal formed from the conductive thin film, also possess stretching and bending reliability, thereby improving the reliability and service life of the product.

[0020] Based on the above implementation methods, please refer to Figures 3-4 , Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of the method for preparing a conductive thin film according to this application. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a conductive thin film according to this application. Corresponding to the preparation method disclosed in this embodiment, this application also proposes a conductive thin film 100, comprising: a substrate 10; a rolled copper layer 20 disposed on one side of the substrate 10; a conductive metal layer 30 disposed on the side of the rolled copper layer 20 facing away from the substrate 10; and a gold-plated layer 3040 disposed on the side of the conductive metal layer 30 facing away from the rolled copper layer 20. The parts that are the same as in the above embodiments will not be repeated here. The method disclosed in this embodiment includes the following steps: S21: Set the base.

[0021] In one specific embodiment, the material of the substrate 10 is polyimide or silicone.

[0022] S22: A rolled copper layer is set on one side of the substrate through a lamination process.

[0023] In one specific embodiment, the rolled copper can also be electrolytic copper, that is, an electrolytic copper layer can be formed on one side of the substrate.

[0024] S23: A conductive metal layer 30 is formed on the side of the rolled copper layer away from the substrate by electroplating.

[0025] In one specific embodiment, the conductive metal layer is made of one of nickel, tin, gold, silver, or platinum.

[0026] S24: A gold plating layer is provided on the side of the conductive metal layer that is away from the rolled copper layer.

[0027] This process design is primarily to ensure that the cut surface of the conductive film 100 will not experience oxidation or aging in harsh operating environments such as salt spray and high temperatures, thus ensuring the long-term reliability of the applied product performance. Simultaneously, the gold plating layer 30 can improve the welding strength and reliability of subsequent products.

[0028] The conductive film 100 uses polyimide or silicone as the base carrier and rolled copper and electroplated conductive metal layer 30 as the conductive layer. The properties of rolled copper can ensure the reliability of the conductive film 100 in stretching and bending.

[0029] In specific embodiments, the materials of the substrate 10 and the conductive metal layer 30 can be combined as needed, for example: polyimide + rolled copper + nickel, polyimide + rolled copper + tin, polyimide + rolled copper + gold, polyimide + rolled copper + silver, polyimide + rolled copper + platinum, silicone material + rolled copper + nickel, silicone material + rolled copper + tin, silicone material + rolled copper + gold, silicone material + rolled copper + silver, silicone material + rolled copper + platinum. Additionally, a gold plating layer 30 can be added as needed, for example, polyimide + rolled copper + tin + gold, or silicone material + rolled copper + tin + gold.

[0030] This application provides a method for preparing a conductive thin film 100, comprising: setting a substrate 10; setting a rolled copper layer 20 on one side of the substrate 10 by a lamination process; setting a conductive metal layer 30 on the side of the rolled copper layer 20 away from the substrate 10 by an electroplating process; and setting a gold plating layer 30 on the side of the conductive metal layer 30 away from the rolled copper layer 20. By setting a rolled copper layer 20 on one side of the substrate 10 by a lamination process, and then adding a conductive metal layer 30 by an electroplating process, the rolled copper layer 20 and the conductive metal layer 30 together form a conductive layer. The addition of a gold plating layer 30 utilizes the characteristics of rolled copper to ensure the stretching and bending reliability of the conductive thin film 100. The gold plating layer 30 prevents oxidation and aging problems on the cut surface of the conductive thin film 100 in harsh operating environments such as salt spray and high temperature. The conductive thin film 100 prepared by this method, and the conductive elastic terminal formed by the conductive thin film 100, also have stretching and bending reliability, which can improve the reliability and service life of the product.

[0031] Based on the above implementation methods, please refer to Figures 5-7 , Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a conductive elastic terminal according to this application. Figure 6 yes Figure 5 The diagram shows a structural schematic of one embodiment of the conductive elastic terminal. Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The diagram shows a structural schematic of an application embodiment of the conductive elastic terminal.

[0032] The conductive elastic terminal 500 disclosed in this embodiment includes: an elastic body 200, with protruding ends 20 that are raised in the same direction at both ends of the elastic body 200; a conductive film 100 disposed on the outside of the elastic body 200, with a hole 300 between the conductive film 100 and the elastic body 200, and the protruding ends 20 connected to the inner sidewall of the conductive film 100.

[0033] One or more circular, elliptical, rectangular, trapezoidal, waist-shaped, V-shaped, and irregular holes 300 are added to the top, left and right sides, and bottom of the conductive film 100 and the elastomer 200 to increase the product's compression ratio, reduce weight, and reduce resilience.

[0034] In one specific embodiment, the elastomer 200 has holes 300 within it. The elastomer 200 is made of a material with a certain degree of hardness and resilience, such as extruded silicone strips or slit-formed foamed materials. To increase product elasticity and compressibility, as well as reduce weight, one or more circular, elliptical, rectangular, trapezoidal, waist-shaped, V-shaped, and irregular holes 300 are provided in the center of the elastomer 200. This enables the product to increase compressibility, reduce weight, and decrease resilience.

[0035] In one specific embodiment, the conductive elastic terminal 500 further includes an adhesive 400 disposed on the side of the conductive film 100 opposite to the elastomer 200.

[0036] The adhesive component 400 can be a tape or an adhesive backing, which allows the elastomer 200 and the conductive film 100 to be directly mounted on the printed circuit board (PCB) using SMT (Surface Mount Technology) process after being combined. For non-SMT process requirements, the use of tape can meet the needs of automatic bonding and mounting.

[0037] After the conductive film 100 is laminated with the elastomer 200 or tape, the conductive elastic terminal 500 is formed by die-cutting. Then, the entire product is gold-plated to form a complete gold plating layer on the outside of the conductive film 100. This ensures that the cut surface of the conductive elastic terminal 500 will not oxidize or age in harsh operating environments such as salt spray and high temperature, thus ensuring the long-term reliability of the product performance. At the same time, the gold plating layer can improve the welding strength and reliability.

[0038] In one specific embodiment, the elastomer 200 is silicone or a foam material. For example, in this embodiment, the elastomer 200 is an extruded silicone strip or a slit foam or other foam material.

[0039] In one specific embodiment, the protruding end 20 is tilted toward one side of the elastic body 200, and the middle part of the elastic body 200 and the two protruding ends 20 form a recess 21, the bottom surface of the recess 21 being connected to the inner sidewall of the conductive film 100.

[0040] In one specific embodiment, when preparing the conductive elastic terminal 500, the elastomer 200 is first extruded or die-cut, then the conductive film 100 is laminated with the elastomer 200, an adhesive is applied, and then die-cutting is performed.

[0041] In one specific embodiment, when preparing the conductive elastic terminal 500, the elastomer 200 is first extruded or slit, then the conductive film 100 is laminated with the elastomer 200, an adhesive backing is applied, and then die-cutting is performed.

[0042] In one specific embodiment, when preparing the conductive elastic terminal 500, the elastomer 200 is first extruded or slit, then the conductive film 100 is laminated with the elastomer 200, an adhesive backing is applied, and then die-cutting is performed. That is, after the conductive film 100 and the elastomer 200 are laminated, the entire assembly is then subjected to a surface electroplating process to form a gold plating layer.

[0043] The following will illustrate this with specific application examples.

[0044] In applications such as under-display mobile phones, antennas, camera modules, and motherboards, different structural materials for the conductive film 100 and elastomer 200 are selected based on the conductivity requirements of the devices. Because the mounting gaps between devices in these applications are extremely thin, approaching 0.3mm in extreme cases, and the rebound force of the conductive elastic terminal 500 is required to be very low while ensuring long-term connection reliability, the structural design of the terminal 500 must simultaneously meet both high compression ratio and low rebound force requirements. For these applications, the conductive film 100 and elastomer 200 are specially designed. The internal holes 300 of the conductive elastic terminal 500 can function as overflow space under high compression ratios, ensuring low rebound force even under high compression ratios. Simultaneously, the two protruding ends 20 on the upper part of the elastomer 200 can, in actual use, gently wipe the conductive film 100 by contacting the mounting device, achieving a self-cleaning effect and effectively preventing aging of the conductive layer.

[0045] For example, when the product itself is 0.35mm thick and the compression rate reaches 30%, the spaces 300 in the middle and on both sides of the elastomer 200 can absorb the overflow generated during product compression, ensuring good contact while maintaining low rebound force.

[0046] Please refer to the following: Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another application embodiment of a conductive elastic terminal according to this application.

[0047] In this embodiment, the elastomer 200 has holes 300 in the middle and at the bottom. In actual applications, when subjected to pressure and undergoing compression deformation, the holes 300 in the middle and at the bottom can absorb the overflow generated during product compression. At the same time, the upper and lower contact surfaces of the product can completely fit with the device, ensuring low rebound force under high compression ratio. The larger contact surface also ensures good electrical performance. Meanwhile, the recess 21 of the elastomer 200 (shown as the upper part in the schematic diagram) adopts an arc design. In the actual use environment, the raised part of the product (i.e., the bottom surface of the recess 21) can slightly wipe the conductive film 100 by contacting the mounting device, playing a self-cleaning role and effectively preventing the aging of the conductive layer.

[0048] This application provides a conductive elastic terminal 500, which includes: an elastic body 200, with protruding ends 20 at both ends of the elastic body 200 that curve upwards in the same direction; a conductive film 100 disposed on the outer side of the elastic body 200, with a hole 300 between the conductive film 100 and the elastic body 200, and the inner sidewall of the conductive film 100 connected to the protruding ends 20. Through the stretching and bending reliability of the conductive film 100, the conductive elastic terminal 500 formed by the conductive film 100 possesses stretching and bending reliability, thereby improving product reliability and service life.

[0049] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of apparatuses or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0050] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0051] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0052] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0053] The above are merely embodiments of this application and do not limit the scope of this patent application. Any equivalent structural or procedural changes made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the scope of patent protection of this application.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a conductive thin film, characterized in that, The method includes: Set the substrate; A rolled copper layer is disposed on one side of the substrate; A conductive metal layer is disposed on the side of the rolled copper layer that is away from the substrate.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate is made of polyimide or silicone; the conductive metal layer is made of nickel, tin, gold, silver or platinum.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The step of forming a rolled copper layer on one side of the substrate includes: The rolled copper layer is formed on one side of the substrate through a lamination process.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of forming a conductive metal layer on the side of the rolled copper layer away from the substrate includes: A conductive metal layer is formed on the side of the rolled copper layer that is away from the substrate by an electroplating process. The steps following the deposition of a conductive metal layer on the side of the rolled copper layer away from the substrate include: A gold plating layer is provided on the side of the conductive metal layer opposite to the rolled copper layer.

5. A conductive thin film, characterized in that, The conductive thin film is obtained by any one of the preparation methods of claims 1-4, comprising: Matrix; A rolled copper layer is disposed on one side of the substrate; A conductive metal layer is disposed on the side of the rolled copper layer away from the substrate.

6. A conductive elastic terminal, characterized in that, The conductive elastic terminal includes: An elastomer, wherein both ends of the elastomer are provided with protruding ends that curve upwards in the same direction; The conductive film of claim 5 is disposed on the outer side of the elastic body, and a hole is provided between the conductive film and the elastic body, and the inner sidewall of the conductive film is connected to the protruding end.

7. The conductive elastic terminal according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conductive elastic terminal also includes an adhesive element disposed on the side of the conductive film opposite to the elastomer.

8. The conductive elastic terminal according to claim 6, characterized in that, The elastomer is silicone or a foam material.

9. The conductive elastic terminal according to claim 6, characterized in that, The protruding end curves upward toward one side of the elastic body, and the middle part of the elastic body forms a concave portion with the two protruding ends. The bottom surface of the concave portion is connected to the inner sidewall of the conductive film.

10. The conductive elastic terminal according to claim 9, characterized in that, The elastic body has pores.

Images