Classifications

• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
  • H05K3/0011—Working of insulating substrates or insulating layers
  • H05K3/0014—Shaping of the substrate, e.g. by moulding
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K1/00—Printed circuits
  • H05K1/02—Details
  • H05K1/03—Use of materials for the substrate
  • H05K1/0393—Flexible materials
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K1/00—Printed circuits
  • H05K1/18—Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components
  • H05K1/181—Printed circuits structurally associated with non-printed electric components associated with surface mounted components
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
  • H05K2201/01—Dielectrics
  • H05K2201/0104—Properties and characteristics in general
  • H05K2201/0129—Thermoplastic polymer, e.g. auto-adhesive layer; Shaping of thermoplastic polymer
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
  • H05K2201/09—Shape and layout
  • H05K2201/09009—Substrate related
  • H05K2201/09018—Rigid curved substrate
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
  • H05K2201/09—Shape and layout
  • H05K2201/09209—Shape and layout details of conductors
  • H05K2201/09218—Conductive traces
  • H05K2201/09263—Meander
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2201/00—Indexing scheme relating to printed circuits covered by H05K1/00
  • H05K2201/20—Details of printed circuits not provided for in H05K2201/01 - H05K2201/10
  • H05K2201/2009—Reinforced areas, e.g. for a specific part of a flexible printed circuit
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
  • H05K2203/01—Tools for processing; Objects used during processing
  • H05K2203/0104—Tools for processing; Objects used during processing for patterning or coating
  • H05K2203/013—Inkjet printing, e.g. for printing insulating material or resist
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
  • H05K2203/11—Treatments characterised by their effect, e.g. heating, cooling, roughening
  • H05K2203/1105—Heating or thermal processing not related to soldering, firing, curing or laminating, e.g. for shaping the substrate or during finish plating
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K2203/00—Indexing scheme relating to apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits covered by H05K3/00
  • H05K2203/30—Details of processes not otherwise provided for in H05K2203/01 - H05K2203/17
  • H05K2203/302—Bending a rigid substrate; Breaking rigid substrates by bending
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H05—ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H05K—PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
  • H05K3/00—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits
  • H05K3/10—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern
  • H05K3/12—Apparatus or processes for manufacturing printed circuits in which conductive material is applied to the insulating support in such a manner as to form the desired conductive pattern using thick film techniques, e.g. printing techniques to apply the conductive material or similar techniques for applying conductive paste or ink patterns

Definitions

• the present disclosure relates to methods of manufacturing a curved electronic device by means of a thermoforming process and products resulting there from.
• the inventors find that currently printed inmold electronics structures may suffer from reliability issues due to the instability of the substrate during the molding process. For example, it is difficult to reliably bond complex (heavy) components onto structures which will be inmolded.
• One remedy may include avoiding bonding complex components (QFN, LEDs) packages onto thermoform able substrates, or maybe find more stretchable electrical components and interconnect materials.
• Other solutions may involve use of foils such as PET/PEN onto which the electronics including components is integrated, cutout the foils to the right pattern and apply the foil to a substrate to thermoform the whole stack. However, cutting small patterns from a foil may be exceedingly difficult.
• US 2016/316570 Al describes a method for manufacturing a non- planar printed circuit board assembly, wherein damaging of electrical circuit traces is avoided by curing the patterns only after thermoforming. However, this puts restrictions on the handling of the unformed PCB and restricts the use of materials and process conditions.
• US 2005/206047 Al describes contoured circuit boards; JP 2004 356144 A describes a component mounting flexible circuit board.
• a patterned layer of non-conductive support material is printed to form a support pattern onto a substrate comprising a thermoplastic material.
• the support pattern comprises a plurality of support islands interconnected by support lines bridging open areas of the thermoplastic substrate without the support material between the support islands.
• An electrical circuit is applied onto the support pattern.
• the electrical circuit comprises circuit lines comprising a conductive material applied onto the support lines.
• thermoforming process with an elevated processing temperature is used for deforming a shape of the substrate with the support pattern and electrical circuit according to a predefined surface curvature.
• the support material can have a higher resistance to the deforming than the thermoplastic material of the substrate. In this way the deforming can be concentrated to the open areas between the support islands while the higher resistance of the support material to the deforming maintains a structural integrity of the electrical circuit applied thereon during the thermoforming process.
• the support material can be a relatively stiff material which does bend or stretch as easily as the thermoplastic substrate during the thermoforming process.
• the support material may have a relatively high glass transition or melting temperature compared to the thermoplastic material so it remains relatively solid and/or more highly viscous during the thermoforming process.
• FIGs 1A and IB schematically illustrate top views of steps in manufacturing one embodiment of a curved electronic device
• FIGs 2A-2E schematically illustrate cross-section views of other or further steps in manufacturing the embodiment of the curved electronic device.
• Embodiments may be described with reference to schematic and/or cross- section illustrations of possibly idealized embodiments and intermediate structures of the invention.
• hke numbers refer to like elements throughout.
• Relative terms as well as derivatives thereof should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the system be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless stated otherwise.
• FIGs 1A and IB schematically illustrate top views of steps in manufacturing one embodiment of a curved electronic device.
• FIGs 2A-2E schematically illustrate cross-section views of other or further steps in manufacturing the embodiment of the curved electronic device.
• a substrate 11 comprising or essentially consisting of a thermoplastic material 11m.
• a thermoplastic, or thermosoftening plastic is a plastic material which may become pliable or moldable above a specific temperature and which may solidify (again) upon cooling.
• thermoplastics may be reshaped by heating and are typically used to produce shaped parts by various polymer processing techniques such as injection molding, compression molding, calendering, and extrusion.
• One preferred thermoplastic material 11m for the substrate 11 as described herein is Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), also known as acrylic, which is a transparent thermoplastic.
• PMMA Poly(methyl methacrylate)
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• glycol also known as
• thermoplastics may include e.g. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Nylon or polyamide, Polylactic acid (PLA), Polybenzimidazole, Polyether sulfone,
• a patterned layer of non-conductive support material 12m is applied by printing onto the substrate 11.
• the support pattern 12 comprises a polymer material. It will be recognized that a polymer is a large molecule, or macromolecule, composed of many repeated subunits. Polymers are typically created via polymerization of many small molecules, known as monomers. Their consequently large molecular mass relative to small molecule compounds typically produce unique physical properties, including toughness, viscoelasticity, and a tendency to form glasses and semicrystalline structures rather than crystals.
• the support pattern 12 comprise an amorphous to semi crystalline, medium cross linked polymer.
• the crosslinking is sufficient to ensure that the film exhibits a high melt temperature while its brittle ness remains low.
• the support pattern 12 may comprise an epoxy, acrylic or polyimide.
• a reactive epoxy is used. It will be recognized that a polymer formed from epoxide precursors can be referred to as an epoxy, even if such materials may no longer contain epoxide groups or contain only a few residual epoxy groups that remain unreacted in the formation of the resin.
• the support pattern 12 comprises a plurality of support islands 12a.
• the substrate 11 also has open areas 11a between the support islands 12a without the support material 12m.
• the support islands 12a can be interconnected by support lines 12b can thus function to bridge the open areas 11a.
• an electrical circuit 13, 14 is apphed onto the support pattern 12. This is also illustrated in FIG IB.
• the electrical circuit comprises circuit lines 13 comprising a conductive material 13m which is applied onto the support lines 12b.
• the circuit also comprises electrical components 14 applied onto the support islands 12a. The electrical components 14 can be electrically interconnected by the circuit lines 13 as shown schematically in FIG IB.
• thermoforming process“P” is applied for deforming“S” a shape of the substrate 11 with the support pattern 12 and electrical circuit 13,14.
• the shape is deformed from a flat shape to a curved shape according to a predefined surface curvature“C”.
• C surface curvature
• the thermoforming process involve apphcation of an elevated processing temperature“T” suitable for the thermoforming process.
• the processing temperature is more than fifty degrees Celsius, typically more than eighty degrees, or more, e.g. between hundred and two hundred degrees.
• the support material 12m has a higher resistance to the deforming than the thermoplastic material 11m of the substrate 11. In this way the deforming is concentrated to the open areas 11a between the support islands 12a while the higher resistance of the support material 12m to the deforming maintains a structural integrity of the electrical circuit 13, 14 applied thereon during the thermoforming process“P”.
• the deforming is schematically illustrated by the arrow“S” which may generally include changes to the curvature and/or length (stretching/compressing) of predominantly the substrate along one or more dimensions.
• the support material 12m has a higher stiffness than the thermoplastic material 11m of the substrate 11, e.g. at least ten percent higher, preferably at least fifty percent higher, at least twice as high, or more. The higher the relative stiffness of the support pattern material compared to the substrate material, the less the
• the stiffness is higher at least during the thermoforming process “P” when the deforming takes place, and more preferably also there after to at least partially keep resisting the deforming“S” at areas where the electrical circuit is applied.
• the elastic modulus will be recognized as a material property that may quantify or measure an object or substance's resistance to being deformed elastically (non-permanently) when a stress is applied to it.
• the support pattern comprises or essentially consists of a support material 12m with a relatively high elastic modulus as expressed in one or more, preferably all, of the moduli defined above, at least compared to the thermoplastic material 11m.
• the support material 12m has a higher glass transition temperature“Tg” than the thermoplastic material 11m of the substrate 11. It will be recognized that glass transition can be a process which may occur between a range of temperatures. Different operational definitions of the glass transition temperature are in use which may differ a few Kelvins for a specific material. Nevertheless glass transitions
• temperatures according to any definition may still be relatively compared as being relatively lower or higher.
• one definition which may relevant to the present applications refers to the viscosity, e.g. fixing the glass transition temperature“Tg” at a value of 10 12 Pa s.
• the glass transition temperature of the support material 12m is at least ten degrees Celsius higher than that of the
• thermoplastic material 1 lm preferably at least twenty degrees Celsius, at least thirty or at least fifty. It will be appreciated that for a sufficiently different glass transition temperature, the processing temperature of the thermoforming process can be suitably selected there between.
• thermoforming process“P” comprises heating at least the substrate 11 to a processing temperature“T” above a glass transition temperature“Tg”.n of the substrate 11, wherein the processing temperature is kept below a glass transition temperature“Tg” ,i 2 of the support pattern 12 or at least below a melting temperature of the support pattern 12.
• the support material 12m does not have a glass transition, in which case the glass transition
• the support pattern 12 does not undergo glass transition or at least does not melt in the thermoforming process“P”. At least, the support pattern 12 preferably has a higher melting temperature than the substrate 11.
• the support pattern 12 may at least have a higher viscosity than the substrate 11 during the thermoforming process r
• the thermoplastic material 11m of the substrate 11 has a glass transition temperature which is not too high, e.g. below three hundred degrees Celsius, or below two hundred degrees Celsius, at least below a damage temperature of the electrical components 14.
• the thermoplastic material 11m has a glass transition temperature which is not too low, e.g. above seventy degrees Celsius, preferably above hundred degrees Celsius, at least high enough to prevent inadvertent deformation of the electronic device 100 during normal use after manufacturing.
• Tg values of commercial grades of PMMA typically range from 85 to 165 °C.
• the deforming comprises bending the substrate 11 according to the predefined surface curvature“C”.
• the substrate 11 is deformed using a mould 15, as illustrated in FIG 2E, which can determine the predefined surface curvature“C”.
• the mould 15 may also become part of the electronic device 100 in some embodiments, or a further support structure can be provided in addition to the mould. Also other molding or thermoforming processes than shown can be envisaged for deforming the shape of the substrate, support layer and circuit.
• the support pattern 12 covers some areas of the substrate 11 while leaving other areas 11a between the covered areas open, i.e. without the support pattern 12.
• the open areas may provide most of the deformation.
• the deforming, e.g. bending comprises stretching and/or compressing different areas of the substrate 11.
• the support pattern 12 may at least partially prevents the deforming“S” of the substrate 11 at positions of the electrical circuit 13, 14.
• the deforming“S” is preferably concentrated to the open areas 11a of the substrate 11 between the support pattern 12. Accordingly, an amount of stretching, compressing and/or bending is concentrated to the open areas 11a of the substrate 11 not covered by the support pattern 12.
• a first radius of curvature R1 at the open areas 11a of the substrate 11 is smaller than a second radius of curvature R2 of the substrate areas covered by the support pattern 12, in particular the areas covered by the support islands 12a.
• the curvature may be higher at the open areas 11a than the covered areas
• the first radius of curvature R1 can be less than one meter, less than half meter, or less, e.g. between one and ten centimeter.
• the second radius of curvature R2 can be larger than the first radius of curvature R1 by more than ten percent (i.e. a factor 1.1), in some cases more than twenty percent or even more, e.g.
• the second radius of curvature R2 is kept above a threshold radius preventing structural damage to the electrical circuit 13, 14.
• the support pattern 12 maintains the second radius of curvature R2 above a threshold of more than one meter, more than two meter, or even more, e.g. keeping a substantially flat shape particularly at the support islands 12a. The flatter the support pattern 12 is kept at areas where the electrical circuit 13, 14 is applied, the more damage may be prevented.
• a third radius of curvature R3 as illustrated being experienced by the circuit pattern 13, 14 deposited on top of the support pattern 12 may be the same or larger than the second radius of curvature R2 (i.e. even less curved).
• an amount of stretching or compressing of the substrate 11 at the open areas 11a of the substrate 11 is higher than at the substrate areas covered by the support pattern 12, in particular the areas covered by the support islands 12a.
• the stretching or compressing particularly along the substrate surface may be particularly concentrated to the open areas 11a between the support islands 12a.
• the stretching or compressing at the areas covered by the support pattern 12 may be kept below a threshold percentage for preventing structural damage to the electrical circuit 13, 14.
• the support pattern 12 maintains its length along one or more dimensions parallel to the substrate surface within twenty percent (i.e.
• the length is maintained within ten percent, more preferably within five percent, or even less than one percent, or substantially no stretching/compressing.
• the stretching (or bending) of the open areas 11a between the support islands 12a does not necessarily lead to much stretching along (or bending transverse to) the length of the support lines 12b particularly if these are provided with buffer structures such as meandering lines.
• buffer structures such as meandering lines.
• the support pattern 12 comprises a plurality of support islands 12a e.g. wherein the electrical circuit comprises electrical components 14 placed on the support islands 12a.
• the support islands 12a have a minimum cross-section diameter 12d along a surface of the substrate of e.g. more than half a millimeter, more than one millimeter, more than half a centimeter, more than a centimeter, or more.
• the support islands 12a provide a minimal margin 12r around the respective one or more electrical components 14 on the island.
• the minimal margin 12r of the support islands 12a between the respective one or more components 14 and an edge of the island 12 is e.g. more than half a millimeter, more than one millimeter, more than half a centimeter, or more.
• the inventors find that larger margins may better protect the respective components against deformation especially when the component is placed at or near a center of the respective island.
• the inventors find that larger islands may be less prone to migration during the thermoforming process. So increasing the island size may ensure the relative placement of the component to a predefined position which can be particularly beneficial for components such as LEDs and/or buttons providing signaling or outside interaction with the electronic device 100.
• electrical (external) connectors to the circuit are preferably placed on top of relatively large support islands. This may ensure more predictable placement of the connector making it easier to form a connection to the electronic device 100.
• the support pattern 12 comprises a plurality of support lines 12b e.g. wherein the electrical circuit comprises circuit lines 13 i.e. electrically conducting lanes forming electrical interconnections on top of the support lines 12b.
• the support lines 12b follow respective paths of respective corresponding circuit lines 13 applied on top thereof.
• the paths of circuit lines 13 are preferably parallel with the paths of the support lines 12b.
• circuit lines 13 form electrical interconnections between the electrical components 14.
• support lines 12b may form supporting interconnections between the support islands 12a.
• the support lanes or hnes 12b have a lane width 12w of e.g. at least ten micrometer, preferably at least fifty micrometer, e.g. between hundred and five hundred micrometer, preferably less than two hundred micrometers.
• the support lines are preferably wide enough to provide sufficient support and protect the circuit lines 13 against damage.
• the support lines are preferably sufficiently narrow to not to hinder a flexibility which may be provided by the pattern of the circuit lines 13, e.g. a meandering pattern as shown.
• the lane width 12w is (almost) equal to or only a bit larger than a width 13w of the circuit lines 13.
• the edges of the support lines 12b extending beyond the edges circuit hnes 13 have an edge width 12e less than hundred micrometer, preferably less than fifty micrometer, less than twenty micrometer or less, e.g. ranging between no edge and an edge of less than ten micrometer.
• a width 13 w of the circuit lanes 13 (along a surface of the substrate) can be less than two hundred micrometer, preferably less than hundred micrometer, e.g. between ten and fifty micrometer. Relatively narrow support lines may provide better flexibility while preventing stretching the circuit hnes 13 along there length.
• the support lines 12b, and circuit lines 13 on top comprise a buffer structure, e.g. as shown in FIG 1A following a meandering or curved path between support islands 12a.
• a length along the meandering or curved path may higher than a shortest straight distance between the two end points of the path (not along the path), e.g. higher by at least fifty percent, preferably at least a factor two, at least a factor three, at least a factor five, or more.
• the meandering path changes its direction multiple times in opposite directions, e.g. at least twice, preferably at least three, four or more times. This may allow the path to uncoil providing additional flexibility.
• each time the direction may changes over an angle“a” of at least forty degrees plane angle, preferably at least ninety degrees, at least hundred-thirty, or even hundred-eighty degrees, or more (e.g. in a swirl).
• the direction can change back and forth.
• the path first bends left over an angle of about ninety degrees, then at the top it bends right over an angle of about hundred eighty degrees, then at the bottom it bends left again over an angle of about hundred eighty degrees, and finally it bends right again over an angle of about ninety degrees.
• other meandering patterns can be envisaged.
• the support pattern 12 has certain a layer thickness 12t, e.g. between one and hundred micrometers, preferably between five and fifty micrometers, more preferably between ten and twenty micrometer.
• the layer thickness may be variable, e.g. thicker at the support islands 12a than at the support lines 12b.
• at least the support pattern 12 is capable of maintaining dimensional integrity of the electronic circuitry on top.
• at least the support lines 12b and circuit lines 13 on top may allow limited stretching.
• the support pattern 12 has an elongation to break of at least ten percent, e.g.
• the support pattern 12 can have at least some elasticity allowing for reversible deformation, e.g. returning to an original form event when elongated by at least one percent i.e. a factor 1.01, or more, e.g. between two and five percent.
• the support material 12m has a Young’s modulus between 100 MPa - 10 GPa.
• the support pattern 12 does not considerably soften or melt during the thermoforming process which may otherwise result in an undesired large drop of the Young’s modulus.
• the support pattern 12 preferably comprises or is formed by a printable or printed material.
• the printing of the support pattern 12 comprises applying a (liquid) printing material 12p onto the substrate 11.
• the printing material 12p may be hardened to form the support material 12m of the support pattern 12.
• the printing material 12p comprises s precursor (e.g. monomers) and the hardening comprises polymerizing and at least partially crosslinking the precursor to form the support pattern 12.
• the printing material 12p comprises a solvent and the hardening comprises drying the solvent leaving the support pattern 12.
• Also further or other processes can be envisaged for hardening the printing material 12p, e.g. heat treatment and/or hardening with light, e.g. UV. Suitable processes for printing of the support pattern 12 may e.g. comprise screen printing.
• This may be performed in a sheet to sheet manner but could also be done in a continuous R2R manner, using a stop and go process. Alternatively a rotary screen print process can be utilized.
• the circuit lines 13 comprise electrically conductive material. Accordingly, wherein the circuit lines 13 are configured to conduct electricity e.g. between the electrical components 14 and/or between the components and (external) electrical connections.
• the circuit lines 13 comprise a metal ink, most preferably silver ink.
• the circuit lines 13 are deposited, e.g. also by printing, on top of the support lines 12b.
• the circuit lines 13 provide an elongation to break of at least one percent, preferably at least five percent, or even ten percent, or more, without losing essential functionality.
• the circuit lines 13 can be bent over a limited radius transverse to their length of at least one meter, at least half a meter, or less, e.g. allowing the lines to be bent over a radius of ten centimeter without the circuit losing essential functionality.
• the electrical component 14 comprises a surface mounted device (SMD).
• the electrical component 14 comprises an integrated circuit, or a transducer such as light emitting devices (LED), or an interface component such as push button, switch, et cetera, or any other functional components of the electronic device 100.
• the electrical components 14 may be placed e.g. soldered or otherwise bonded with a conductive adhesive such as ICA onto bonding pads of the electrical circuit e.g. circuit lanes.
• the placement may involve pick-and-place, light induced forward transfer (LIFT), or other placement method.
• LIFT light induced forward transfer
• an underfill e.g. between electrical connections or bond pads of the circuit before placing the electrical component 14.
• the underfill fills a space between the support island 12a and the electrical component 14.
• the underfill is also printed, preferably using the same material as the support pattern 12.
• the electrical component 14 may itself be a printed component or otherwise built from deposited materials.
• a non-conductive top layer is applied on top of the electrical circuit 13, 14.
• the top player comprises another support pattern with the same or similar pattern as the support pattern 12 below the circuit.
• the top layer may comprise another thermoplastic substrate and the circuit can be sandwiched between the substrates.
• the electronic device 100 comprises a substrate 11 comprising a thermoplastic material 11m. Another or further embodiment, comprises a patterned layer of non-conductive printable support material 12m forming a support pattern 12 on the substrate 11.
• An electrical circuit 13, 14 can be applied onto the support pattern 12.
• a shape of the substrate 11 with the support pattern 12 and electrical circuit 13, 14 is formed by a thermoforming process“P” according to a predefined surface curvature“C”.
• the electronic device 100 comprises a curved dash-board for a car, wherein electrical components 14 such as lights and buttons are integrated in the dash-board. Of course many other applications can be envisaged.
• the present solutions may comprise printing a polymer electrically insulating film (dielectric) underneath a full circuitry ensuring a reliable well defined substrate during the thermoform process.
• the film with a (high) fracture strength e.g. ultim te elongation of >10% and elastic strain of >1%
• PEN/PET/PI PEN/PET/PI
• At least the support structure does not melt which may otherwise result in a large drop in Young’s modulus) at the thermoforming temperature. This would lead to an undefined redistribution of the printed circuitry during the thermoforming process.
• thin mechanical buffer structures in the shape of meanders may be included to accommodate for local elongations. Such structures may be designed according to mechanical rules where the width of the structures can be limited to reduce the forces needed for deformation.
• some aspects of the present solutions can provide a printed only method while ensuring the reliability of a laminated based in-mould system.
• the solutions may combine ease of fabrication with a higher level of reliability. As well there are can be less stringent requirements to the used metal inks and interconnect materials.
• Using a printing only solution enables smaller mechanical buffer structures (viz. meander mesh wires) providing superior performance compared to the conventional laminate based solution.
• One step may comprise defining a design which has been adjusted to the structure to be thermoformed. In this respect it can be useful to include sufficient redundant wiring on the elements that will be thermoformed.
• the choice of support material, e.g. polymer dielectric film, to be printed may define the possible yield strength, young’s modulus as well as fracture strength.
• An amorphous to semi-crystalline, medium cross linked polymer with low filler loading is preferred.
• the total dry film thickness may be in the order of 10-20 pm.
• width around 100-200 pm are recommended to provide a high level of stretchabihty.
• the support layer, e.g. polymer film can be only at the bottom, but it may be advisable to print it on both sides.
• a slightly stretchable/formable metal silver ink can be beneficial to ensure that possible elongations of the metal structures on the fil during forming can be compensated.
• proper design rules also conventional silver pastes or even pure metal films such as electroless plated copper films can be employed.
• Electrical components e.g. SMD
• SMD can be placed on areas of low mechanical stress the ensure as low as possible shear on the component during forming. Bonding can be realized e.g. via ICA or solder.
• a high young’s modulus underfill material can be printed underneath the SMD component after to bonding. This may ensure that there is no structural deformation underneath the bond pads. SMD components bonded on this film may have a stable structure reducing the chance of
• the present solutions may also be combined with electroless printing to enable pure metal electrical structures. Using meanders much larger deformations can be applied than with printed only structures since the structure may reconfigure itself. This may open up new options for more extreme forms.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Microelectronics & Electronic Packaging (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Structure Of Printed Boards (AREA)
• Manufacturing Of Printed Wiring (AREA)
• Production Of Multi-Layered Print Wiring Board (AREA)
• Electric Connection Of Electric Components To Printed Circuits (AREA)

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• 2018
  • 2018-02-19 EP EP18157378.3A patent/EP3528602A1/en not_active Withdrawn
• 2019
  • 2019-01-25 TW TW108102936A patent/TW201936034A/zh unknown
  • 2019-02-18 CN CN201980013747.1A patent/CN111727667B/zh active Active
  • 2019-02-18 JP JP2020543524A patent/JP7232837B2/ja active Active
  • 2019-02-18 US US16/968,020 patent/US11310915B2/en active Active
  • 2019-02-18 WO PCT/NL2019/050104 patent/WO2019160417A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2019-02-18 EP EP19720156.9A patent/EP3756426B1/en active Active

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