Method For Producing A Foil Arrangement And Corresponding Foil Arrangement

Abstract

A method for producing a foil arrangement includes structuring a conductive foil to be applied or applied onto a support foil upper side of a support foil and coating a conductive foil upper side of the structured conductive foil with a protective layer. A cover foil is laminated onto the support foil upper side and onto a protective layer upper side of the protective layer after the coating step.

Claims

1-10. (canceled)

11. A method for producing a foil configuration, which comprises the steps of: structuring a conductive foil applied or to be applied to a carrier foil top side of a carrier foil resulting in a structured conductive foil; coating a conductive foil top side of the structured conductive foil with a protective layer; and laminating a cover foil onto the carrier foil top side and onto a protective layer top side of the protective layer after performing the coating step.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the coating step includes electroplating the conductive foil top side.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein before performing the structuring of the conductive foil, adhesively bonding the conductive foil to the carrier foil.

14. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises populating the foil configuration with structural parts after completion of the laminating step.

15. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises forming an overlap region during the coating of the structured conductive foil with the protective layer.

16. A foil configuration, comprising: a carrier foil having a carrier foil top side; a conductive foil applied to said carrier foil top side and having a structuring and a conductive foil top side; a protective layer applied to said conductive foil top side and having a protective layer top side; and a cover foil laminated onto said carrier foil top side and said protective layer top side.

17. The foil configuration according to claim 16, wherein said conductive foil contains a metal.

18. The foil configuration according to claim 16, wherein said protective layer has an electroplated layer.

19. The foil configuration according to claim 17, wherein said electroplated layer contains at least one of gold, a gold alloy, nickel, a nickel alloy, tin or a tin alloy.

20. The foil configuration according to claim 17, wherein said carrier foil contains a polyethylene or a polyimide.

21. The foil configuration according to claim 16, wherein said conductive foil contains a metal selected from the group consisting of copper and a copper alloy.

22. The foil configuration according to claim 17, wherein said carrier foil contains polybismaleimide, polybenzimidazole, polyoxadiazobenzimidazole, polyimide sulfone or polymethacrylimide.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The accompanying drawings are intended to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. They illustrate embodiments and, in conjunction with the description, serve to explain concepts of the present invention.

[0038] Other embodiments and many of the advantages mentioned become apparent with a view to the drawings. The elements shown in the drawings are riot necessarily shown true to scale in relation to one another.

[0039] In the drawings:

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] FIG. 2 shows schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to a further embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to a further embodiment of the invention;

[0043] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to a further embodiment of the invention;

[0044] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a flow chart of a method for producing a foil arrangement according to a further embodiment of the invention; and

[0045] FIG. 6 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement for explaining the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0046] In the figures of the drawings, identical reference signs denote identical or functionally identical elements, structural parts, components or method steps, unless stated to the contrary.

[0047] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] A carrier foil 10 has, for example, a carrier foil top side 11. A conductive foil 20 which is applied to the carrier foil top side 11 and has been adhesively bonded, for example, by means of an adhesive layer 22 is structured S1.

[0049] FIG. 2 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Proceeding from the degree of completion of the foil arrangement as shown in FIG. 1, in FIG. 2 a conductive foil top side 21 of the structured conductive foil 20 is coated S2 with a protective layer 30; this can be performed by means of electroplating.

[0051] The further reference signs in FIG. 2 have already been explained in the previous descriptions of the figures and therefore will not be described further.

[0052] FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] Furthermore, proceeding from the degree of completion of the foil arrangement as shown in FIG. 2, a cover foil 50 is laminated S3 onto the carrier foil top side 11 and onto a protective layer top side 31 of the protective layer 30 after the coating S2.

[0054] The further reference signs in FIG. 3 have already been explained in the previous descriptions of the figures and therefore will not be described further.

[0055] FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] A connection pin 70 of an electronic structural part can be connected to the structured conductive foil 20 by a soldered connection 60, for example, with an overlap region 35 being formed during the coating S3 of the structured conductive foil 20 with the protective layer 50.

[0057] FIG. 4 shows mounting in the form of lead-through mounting (through-hole technology, THT; pin-in-hole technology, PIH). The lead-through mounting is characterized in that the structural elements have wire connections (wired structural elements).

[0058] During mounting, for example, these are inserted through contact holes in the printed circuit board and then connected to the conductor track by soldering, manual soldering, wave soldering or selective soldering.

[0059] However, the foil arrangement 100 can also be used in further methods of mounting in mounting and connection technology, for instance in surface mounting (surface-mounting technology, SMT).

[0060] The overlap region 35 makes it possible for the conductive foil 20 to be covered completely with the protective layer 30 at the corrosion regions F1.

[0061] The further reference signs in FIG. 4 have already been explained in the previous descriptions of the figures and therefore will not be described further.

[0062] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a flow chart of a method for producing a foil arrangement according to a further embodiment of the invention.

[0063] As a first method step, structuring S1 of a conductive foil 20 applied to a carrier foil top side 11 of a carrier foil 10 is affected.

[0064] As a second method step, coating S2 of a conductive foil top side 21 of the structured conductive foil 20 with a protective layer 30 is affected.

[0065] By way of example, a nickel-phosphorus layer can be deposited chemicallywithout external currentas the protective layer 30.

[0066] Furthermore, an electrolytically deposited nickel-phosphorus layer can be applied as the protective layer 30.

[0067] For applications on conductive foils which are subject to high mechanical loading, nickel-phosphorus layers having a thickness of, for example, 2 to 4 m are deposited (electrolytically or chemically).

[0068] As a third method step, laminating S3 of a cover foil 50 onto the carrier foil top side 11 and onto a protective layer top side 21 of the protective layer 30 is effected after the coating S2.

[0069] The carrier foil 10 can be in the form of a polyethylene or in the form of a polyimide foil and can have a polyimide thickness of up to 25 m, up to 50 m, up to 100 m or up to 500 m.

[0070] The carrier foil 10 can also comprise polybismaleimide (PBMI), polybenzimidazole (PBI), polyoxadiazobenzimidazole (PBO), polyimide sulfone (PISO), polymethacrylimide (PMI) or polyether imides (PEI) or polyamide imides (PAI).

[0071] The conductive foil 20 can be in the form of a copper foil, on one side or both sides with a thickness of 18 m, 35 m, 70 m or 140 m in the form of rolled copper, suitable for dynamic flexible applications, or in the form of electrolytically deposited copper.

[0072] This advantageously makes it possible to achieve reduced elongation at break.

[0073] As adhesive systems, it is possible to use acrylic adhesives or epoxy adhesives. Metallic cover layers which have been produced by electroplating or chemically and are composed of tin, gold, nickel, copper, chromium, palladium or alloy layers such as nickel-phosphorus (chemical nickel) also bring about corrosion protection through the formation of a protective layer 30 on the conductive foil 20.

[0074] The protective action in the case of metal layers is based on their property of themselves not corroding (precious metals or, for example in the case of nickel, spontaneous self-passivation) or else on passivation of the base metal through the formation of a dense oxide layer on the surface which serves as corrosion protection.

[0075] FIG. 5 shows a schematic illustration of a foil arrangement for explaining the invention.

[0076] No overlap region 35 has been formed during the coating of the structured conductive foil of the foil arrangement shown in FIG. 6 with the protective layer 50.

[0077] Consequently, the conductive foil 20 is not covered completely with the protective layer 30 at the corrosion regions F2.

[0078] The further reference signs in FIG. 6 have already been explained in the previous descriptions of the figures and therefore will not be described further.

[0079] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments, it is not limited thereto, but instead can be modified in variety of ways.

[0080] In particular, the invention can be changed or modified in various ways without departing from the core of the invention.