Modified imprinting process using hollow microneedle array for forming through holes in polymers

作者：Shibata Takayuki^*; Yukizono Satoshi; Kawashima Takahiro; Nagai Moeto; Kubota Toshio; Mita Mamoru

来源：Microelectronic Engineering, 2011, 88(8): 2121-2125.

DOI：10.1016/j.mee.2010.12.048

• Micro-hole processing
• Thermal imprinting process
• Polymer through holes
• Hollow microneedle array
• Flexible printed circuit (FPC) boards
• High-density interconnects (HDI)
• Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)

This paper presented a novel thermal imprinting technique for forming through holes in polymers with high quality and extremely high throughput. By using an array of out-of-plane, hollow silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) microneedles, we successfully fabricated through holes with a diameter of approximately 30 mu m in polypropylene films (thickness: 35 mu m) and polyimide films (thickness: 37.5 mu m). No burr was observed on the entrance and exit of the through holes, and the inner surface of these holes was very smooth. Moreover, the entrance and exit diameters were almost the same, indicating that the through holes had an almost perfectly vertical sidewall. The results indicate that our proposed technique has the potential of enabling high-throughput and low-cost fabrication of through holes with a minimum feature of a few tens of micrometers in a wide variety of polymers.

• 出版日期2011-8