Water-Soluble Polymer Circuit Board Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The subtractive method of manufacturing circuit boards is costly and environmentally harmful due to the use of etching solutions and requires specialized equipment like inkjet devices, making it inefficient and difficult to form circuit patterns without wasting metal and using hazardous chemicals.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a polymer layer with a water-soluble polymer on an insulating substrate, creating a groove using a laser, and filling it with a conductive material, followed by removal of the polymer layer with an aqueous solvent to produce a circuit board without the need for masks, inkjet devices, or harmful etching solutions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the subtractive method with etching solutions is used to form circuit patterns, then circuit boards can be manufactured, but metal foil is wasted and harmful chemicals are used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the resist pattern formation step from the traditional subtractive method by using a water-soluble polymer layer that can be precisely patterned and then easily removed. This allows the circuit pattern to be defined by the polymer layer geometry rather than by subtractive etching, eliminating metal foil waste while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The water-soluble polymer layer serves as an intermediary material between the circuit design and the final circuit pattern. Instead of directly etching metal foil, the polymer layer is first patterned, then used as a mask during electroless plating, and finally removed by water. This intermediary approach enables precise pattern control without wasting metal or requiring harmful etching chemicals.
2Ease of manufacture
If the subtractive method with etching solutions is used to form circuit patterns, then circuit boards can be manufactured, but harmful chemicals are used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the resist material from traditional inkjet resist materials to a water-soluble polymer. This parameter change allows the resist layer to be removed using harmless water instead of harmful etching solutions, eliminating the harmful chemical factor while maintaining the ease of manufacture through a simplified water-based removal process.
3Manufacturing precision
If inkjet devices and specialized equipment are used to form circuit patterns, then precise patterns can be created, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive, complex inkjet devices with a simpler, more disposable approach using water-soluble polymer coatings. The polymer layer can be applied using conventional coating methods and removed easily by water, eliminating the need for specialized inkjet equipment while maintaining circuit pattern precision through the polymer's solubility characteristics.
4Manufacturing precision
If inkjet methods are used to form resist patterns, then circuit patterns can be created, but technical difficulty increases due to resist ink adjustment requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex resist ink formulation and adjustment steps from the manufacturing process by using a water-soluble polymer that requires no such adjustments. The polymer layer is applied, patterned by simple means, and removed by water, eliminating the technical difficulty of resist ink solid content, viscosity, and other parameter adjustments while maintaining manufacturing ease.
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
This method allows for cost-effective and environmentally friendly production of circuit boards with precise control over circuit patterns, enabling easy design changes and industrial applicability by eliminating the need for hazardous chemicals and specialized equipment.
Implementation Method 1
removing the polymer layer (B) with use of an aqueous solvent (F)
Implementation Method 2
forming a groove (C) in the polymer layer (B)
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a circuit board, which includes the steps of preparing an insulating substrate (A), fowling a polymer layer (B) containing a water-soluble polymer on at least one surface of the insulating substrate, forming a groove (C) in the polymer layer (B), forming a circuit pattern (E) in the groove (C) with use of a conductive material (D), and removing the polymer layer (B) with use of an aqueous solvent (F).