US5010232A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of and apparatus for perforating printed circuit board
Assignee: Via Mechanics Ltd
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Filing: 1990-01-23
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Granted: 1991-04-23
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Expires: 2010-01-23
Abstract
Abstract A method of perforating a printed circuit board having a copper foil layer on one side thereof, at least one intermediate resin layer and a layer on the other side thereof, so as to form a connection hole for providing an electrical connection between the copper foil layer and the layer on the other side of the printed circuit board. The method employs a printed circuit board perforation apparatus which has a laser processing head capable of processing the printed circuit board by means of a laser beam and a drill head capable of driling the printed circuit board. After the apparatus is suitably located with respect to the printed circuit board, the drilling head operates to conduct drilling into the resin layer through the copper foil layer by the drilling head so as to form a pilot hole. Then, the pilot hole is located with respect to the laser processing head and the laser processing head operates to irradiate a laser beam to the portion of the resin layer remaining at the bottom of the pilot hole so as to remove the resin, thereby forming the connection hole reaching the layer on the other side of the printed circuit board. An apparatus for carrying out this method is also disclosed.
Inventors
- 👤 Kunio Arai
- 👤 Yasuhiko Kanaya
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 23:24
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05K; H05K3/00; B; B23; B23K; B23K26/00; B23K26/0093; B23K26/36; B23K26/38; B23K26/382; B23K26/389; B23K26/40; B23P; B23P23/00; H05K3/0011; H05K3/0017; H05K3/0026; H05K3/0032; H05K3/0035; H05K3/0044; H05K3/0047; B23K2101/00; B23K2101/34; B23K2101/35; B23K2101/36; B23K2101/42; B23K2103/00; B23K2103/08; B23K2103/12; B23K2103/16; B23K2103/166; B23K2103/172; B23K2103/30; B23K2103/42; B23K2103/50; H05K1/00; H05K1/02; H05K1/03; H05K1/0313; H05K1/0353; H05K1/0366; H05K2201/00; H05K2201/03; H05K2201/0332; H05K2201/0388; H05K2201/0394; H05K2201/09; H05K2201/09209; H05K2201/095; H05K2201/09509; H05K2201/09518; H05K2203/00; H05K2203/02; H05K2203/0207; H05K2203/05; H05K2203/0548; H05K2203/0554; H05K3/46; H05K3/4644; H05K3/4652
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
A method of perforating a printed circuit board having a copper foil layer on one side thereof, at least one intermediate resin layer and a layer on the other side thereof, so as to form a connection hole for providing an electrical connection between said copper foil layer and said layer on the other side of said printed circuit board, said method comprising: preparing a printed circuit board perforation apparatus which has a laser processing head capable of processing said printed circuit board by means of a laser beam and a drill head capable of drilling said printed circuit board; conducting drilling into said resin layer through said copper foil layer by said drilling head so as to form a pilot hole; and irradiating through said pilot hole a laser beam by said laser processing head to the portion of said resin layer remaining at the bottom of said pilot hole so as to remove the resin, thereby forming said connection hole reaching said layer on the other side of said printed circuit board.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
174 words
A method of perforating a printed circuit board having a copper foil layer on one side thereof, at least one intermediate resin layer and a layer on the other side thereof, so as to form a connection hole for providing an electrical connection between said copper foil layer and said layer on the other side of said printed circuit board, said method comprising: preparing a printed circuit board perforation apparatus which has a laser processing head capable of processing said printed circuit board by means of a laser beam and a drill head capable of drilling said printed circuit board; conducting drilling into said resin layer through said copper foil layer by said drilling head so as to form a pilot hole; and irradiating through said pilot hole a laser beam by said laser processing head to the portion of said resin layer remaining at the bottom of said pilot hole so as to remove the resin, thereby forming said connection hole reaching said layer on the other side of said printed circuit board.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
A method according to claim 1, wherein said layer on the other side of said printed circuit board is a copper foil layer and said connection hole reaching said copper foil layer is formed in said printed circuit board.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
62 words
A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein as means for forming said pilot hole said drilling is conducted to remove said outer copper foil layer and said resin layer to a level slightly above the level of the surface of said inner copper foil layer and then the remaining portion of said resin layer is removed by a laser beam.
Claim 5
Independent Claim
68 words
An apparatus for perforating a printed circuit board comprising table means for moving said printed circuit board in X- and Y-directions, a drill head for drilling said printed circuit board, a laser processing head movable in Z-direction for processing said printed circuit board by means of a laser beam, a laser oscillator and a column for supporting said drill head, said laser processing head and said laser oscillator.
Claim 6
Independent Claim
68 words
An apparatus for perforating a printed circuit board comprising table means for moving said printed circuit board in X- and Y-directions, a drill head for drilling said printed circuit board, a laser processing head movable in Z-direction for processing said printed circuit board by means of a laser beam, a laser oscillator and a column for supporting said drill head, said laser processing head and said laser oscillator.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
50 words
An apparatus for perforating a printed circuit board having at least one copper foil layer, comprising a shaping head which includes a drill head for shaping perforations in the printed circuit board and a laser further shaping the perforations head movable in a Z-direction for processing the printed circuit board.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
50 words
An apparatus for perforating a printed circuit board having at least one copper foil layer, comprising a shaping head which includes a drill head for shaping perforations in the printed circuit board and a laser further shaping the perforations head movable in a Z-direction for processing the printed circuit board.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a positioning element for the printed circuit board, which element includes a first table for moving the board in an X-direction orthogonal to the Z-direction, and a second table for moving the board in a Y-direction orthogonal to the X- and Z-directions.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the shaping head is fixed relative to the positioning element in the X- and Y-directions.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of perforating a printed circuit board having at least one copper foil layer, comprising the steps of first shaping a perforation in the board to a position above a copper foil layer so as to leave a portion of the board remaining above the copper foil layer, and second shaping the perforation in the board with a laser beam to remove the remaining portion of the board with minimum deviation from the previously shaped perforation.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
77 words
A method of perforating a printed circuit board having at least one copper foil layer, comprising the steps of first shaping a perforation in the board to a position above a copper foil layer so as to leave a portion of the board remaining above the copper foil layer, and second shaping the perforation in the board with a laser beam to remove the remaining portion of the board with minimum deviation from the previously shaped perforation.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
36 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein the board includes glass fibers between outer surfaces of the board, and the first shaping step includes shaping the perforation through the glass fibers to leave the remaining portion.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 9, wherein the second shaping step polishes the perforation up to the copper foil layer above which the remaining portion of the board is shaped.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
27 words
A method according to claim 10, wherein the copper foil layer above which the remaining portion is left by the first shaping step is an outer layer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
A method according to claim 10, wherein the copper foil layer above which the remaining portion is left by the first shaping step is an inner layer between outer surfaces of the board.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
35 words
A method according to claim 10, wherein the copper foil layer above which the remaining portion is left by the first shaping step is one of several inner layers between outer surfaces of the board.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 8, wherein the first shaping step is drilling of the perforation.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-04-22 | 1994-10-22 | 1995-04-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-04-22 | 1998-10-22 | 1999-04-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-04-22 | 2002-10-22 | 2003-04-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |