Abstract:
A method for plating metal on a dielectric material includes dipping the dielectric in a solution containing catalytic metal particles. These particles have a dipole which helps them attach to the dielectric's surface. The dielectric's surface can be roughened to make it more attractive to such particles. The dielectric material is then placed in a metal salt solution that causes metal to be plated upon the dielectric by electroless plating. A thicker metallic layer can be deposited on top of the resulting layer by electroplating. This or other methods can be used to make an electrical circuit having one or more dielectric layers comprised of latex and one or more layers of conductive leads. A multichip module can be made which includes a plurality of integrated circuits mounted on a substrate; one or more dielectric layers comprised of a flexible dielectric material; and one or more layers of electrically conductive material patterned to interconnect such ICs. Such a module can be manufactured by placing a frame, with holes for holding integrated circuits, against a flat substrate. Integrated circuit chips are placed through the frame's holes to planarize their top surfaces against the flat substrate. The flat substrate is removed. One or more layers of dielectric are placed on top of the frames and chips. Photolithographic techniques are used to create conductive paths on the dielectric material between the ICs. The multichip module can also be manufactured by a similar process that does not use such frames.
Abstract:
A printed circuit board has two layers of printed circuit board dielectric material; a core made of ferromagnetic material between the two layers; and conductive leads on the opposite side of each dielectric layer from the core connected by via holes through both dielectric layers to form a conducting coil around the core. The conductive leads can form two separate coils around the core to form a transformer. A planar conducing sheet can be placed on or between one or more of the printed circuit board's dielectric layers to shield other circuitry on the printed circuit board from magnetic fields generated around the core. The core can be formed at least in part by electroless plating. Electroplating can be used to add a thicker layer of less conductive ferromagnetic material. Ferromagnetic inductive cores can be formed on the surface of a dielectric material by: dipping the surface of the dielectric in a solution containing catalytic metal particles having a slight dipole; and placing the dielectric in a metal salt to cause a layer containing metal to be electrolessly plated upon the dielectric. Plasma etching or other technique can be used before the dipping process to roughen the dielectric's surface to help attract the catalytic particles. This method can be used to form an inductor core on or between one or more dielectric layers of a printed circuit board, of a multichip module, of an integrated circuit, or of a micro-electromechanical device.