Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
126 words
A process lot manufacturing through-hole plated printed circuit boards, said process comprising the steps of: drilling through-holes in the substrate; laminating the surfaces of the substrate with a photoresist; exposing the substrate to light and developing the photoresist to expose a circuit pattern image; pre-treating the surfaces or the substrate with an oxidizing solution; rinsing the substrate to remove any residual oxidizing solution; catalyzing the substrate in a solution containing at least one heterocyclic monomer which is electrically conductive in a polymeric form, said at least one heterocyclic monomer being selected from the group consisting of pyrrole, thiophene, furane and derivatives thereof; activating the substrate in an acidic solution whereby an electrically conductive polymeric layer is formed; and metallizing the through-holes and the circuit pattern image.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
126 words
A process lot manufacturing through-hole plated printed circuit boards, said process comprising the steps of: drilling through-holes in the substrate; laminating the surfaces of the substrate with a photoresist; exposing the substrate to light and developing the photoresist to expose a circuit pattern image; pre-treating the surfaces or the substrate with an oxidizing solution; rinsing the substrate to remove any residual oxidizing solution; catalyzing the substrate in a solution containing at least one heterocyclic monomer which is electrically conductive in a polymeric form, said at least one heterocyclic monomer being selected from the group consisting of pyrrole, thiophene, furane and derivatives thereof; activating the substrate in an acidic solution whereby an electrically conductive polymeric layer is formed; and metallizing the through-holes and the circuit pattern image.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as in claim 1, further comprising the step of mechanical surface cleaning of the surfaces of the substrate prior to drilling of the through-holes.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as in claim 1, further comprising the step of rinsing any residual acid solution prior to metallizing the through-holes and the circuit pattern image.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the through-holes and circuit pattern image are metallized using galvanic metallization.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the through-holes and circuit pattern image are metallized using electroless metallization.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
37 words
A process as in claim 1, further comprising the step of subjecting the substrate to a process of initial etching and to a surface preparation of non-conducting areas of conductor plates prior to the step of pre-treating.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the drilling and pre-treating steps are reversed, and further comprising rinsing and drying and mechanically cleaning the surfaces of the substrate prior to drilling the through-holes.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process as in claim 6, wherein said process of initial etching includes etching with an acidic oxidizing solution.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
27 words
A process as in claim 6, wherein said surface preparation includes introducing the substrate into a bath including organic solvents or aqueous alkaline solutions of organic solvents.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
14 words
A process as in claim 9, wherein the bath further includes a wetting agent.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
12 words
A process as in claim 9, wherein the organic solvents contain nitrogen.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the step of metallizing includes forming a metal layer selected from the group consisting of copper, nickel, gold, palladium, tin, lead and tin/lead alloy.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the oxidizing solution used in pre-treating the substrate contains at least one of the group consisting of oxidizing permanganate, manganate, periodate salts and cerium(IV) sulfate.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the oxidizing solution used in pre-treating the substrate has a pH value of between less than one and 14.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the oxidizing solution used in pre-treating contains a surfactant.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
24 words
A process as in claim 1, wherein the solution containing at least one heterocyclic monomer further includes a solubilizer or solvent or mixtures thereof.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
41 words
A process as in claim 16, wherein the solution containing at least one heterocyclic monomer contains from 1 to 50% of said at least one heterocyclic monomer and contains from 99 to 50% of said solvent or solubilizer or mixtures thereof.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
52 words
A process as in claim 16, wherein said solubilizer or solvents are selected from the group consisting of water, methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, higher alcohols, polyalcohols, dimethyl formamide, ketones, cumene sulfonate, N-methyl pyrrolidone, Triglyme, Diglyme, alkali metal salt of toluene sulfonates or their ethyl esters, and aqueous alkaline solutions or mixtures thereof.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
35 words
A through-hole plated printed circuit board comprising: a substrate having through-holes formed therein, said through holes having a metal layer thereon; a layer of electroconductive synthetic polymer formed between the metal layer and the substrate.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
35 words
A through-hole plated printed circuit board comprising: a substrate having through-holes formed therein, said through holes having a metal layer thereon; a layer of electroconductive synthetic polymer formed between the metal layer and the substrate.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
23 words
A printed circuit board as in claim 19, wherein said layer of electroconductive synthetic polymer is formed of polymerized pyrrole or pyrrole derivatives.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
23 words
A printed circuit board as in claim 19, wherein said layer of electroconductive synthetic polymer is from 0.1 to 10 μm in thickness.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
32 words
A bored plated printed circuit board comprising: a substrate having bores formed therein; and a layer of electroconductive synthetic polymer formed on said substrate in an area contiguous to the bore holes.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
32 words
A bored plated printed circuit board comprising: a substrate having bores formed therein; and a layer of electroconductive synthetic polymer formed on said substrate in an area contiguous to the bore holes.