Flexible Thermoplastic Electronic Module for Harsh Environments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Standard printed circuit board substrates are not chemically inert enough for aggressive environments and have high oxygen and water diffusion rates, limiting their application, especially in implantable devices and harsh conditions, while thermoplastic polymers offer low diffusion rates but are unstable during thermal lamination.
Innovation Solution
An electronic module using a flexible thermoplastic polymer substrate with high melting temperature, allowing for accurate component placement and modification, and featuring metallized vias for stable electrical connections, along with a thermoplastic protective film for enhanced durability and impermeability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If standard printed circuit board substrates are used, then chemical inertness and low diffusion rates are improved, but thermal stability during lamination deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by selecting thermoplastic polymers with specifically high melting temperatures (above 250°C, preferably above 300°C). This parameter change allows the material to maintain dimensional stability during lamination processes while retaining the chemical inertness and low diffusion rates characteristic of thermoplastic polymers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures where a thermoplastic polymer substrate is combined with additional stabilizing layers or treatments. This composite approach enables the substrate to achieve both the chemical resistance of thermoplastics and the thermal stability required for mechanical lamination processes.
2Manufacturing precision
If thermoplastic polymers with high melting temperature are used, then positional accuracy of components is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the specific parameter of high melting temperature in thermoplastic polymers to enable precise component positioning. The high melting point allows the substrate to maintain rigidity during component placement while still being processable through controlled heating, thus achieving both precision and manufacturability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent exploits phase transitions of the thermoplastic polymer during manufacturing. By temporarily heating the substrate above its melting point during component placement to improve flow and positioning accuracy, then cooling it to restore rigidity for subsequent processing steps.
3Adaptability or versatility
If thermoplastic polymer substrate is used, then flexibility and modifiability are improved, but stability during thermal lamination deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selects thermoplastic polymers with melting temperatures above 250°C, which is higher than the temperatures used in mechanical lamination processes. This parameter selection ensures that while the substrate remains flexible and modifiable at lower temperatures, it maintains dimensional stability during thermal lamination operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different thermal treatments to different regions or stages of the manufacturing process. The substrate exhibits flexibility during component placement at ambient or elevated temperatures, then transitions to a stable, rigid state during thermal lamination, and finally returns to a flexible state for post-processing modifications.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The electronic module achieves stable component positioning and enhanced durability, enabling precise placement and use in aggressive environments with reduced water and oxygen permeability, suitable for implantable devices and harsh conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The component contacts are melted or thermally pressed into the surface of the substrate comprising or consisting of a (flexible) thermoplastic polymer
Implementation Method 2
The component contacts are melted or thermally pressed into the surface of the substrate
Implementation Method 3
the components have component contacts, which are electrically connected selectively by way of vias in the circuit substrate and the conductor configuration
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic module on a flexible planar circuit substrate with a conductor configuration on a first substrate surface and a plurality of electronic components on the opposite, second substrate surface, wherein the components have component contacts, which are electrically connected selectively by way of vias in the circuit substrate and the conductor configuration, wherein the circuit substrate is a thermoplastic polymer and the component contacts are melted or thermally pressed into the second substrate surface in the region of the vias.