Circuit board preparation method
Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of printed circuit boards; and more particularly, to a method of making a circuit board.
Background
Various heat generating electronic devices such as LED devices (e.g., LED light emitting devices), thyristors, GTOs (gate turn-off thyristors), GTRs (power transistors), MOSFETs (power field effect transistors), IGBTs (insulated gate bipolar transistors), and power diodes are typically mounted on a printed circuit board and typically release a large amount of heat during operation. Therefore, printed circuit boards for mounting these heat-generating electronic devices are generally required to have good heat dissipation performance.
Chinese patent application CN201180037321.3 discloses a printed circuit board, which includes an insulating substrate made of resin and a cylindrical ceramic heat sink embedded in the insulating substrate, wherein the ceramic heat sink can rapidly conduct heat generated by a heat generating device, but there is a significant difference between the thermal expansion coefficient of the ceramic heat sink and the thermal expansion coefficient of the insulating substrate of the printed circuit board, which results in that the ceramic heat sink is easily separated from the insulating substrate and falls off from the insulating substrate after a certain number of thermal cycles.
To solve the problem that the ceramic radiator is likely to fall off from the insulating substrate after a certain number of times of thermal cycles, chinese patent application CN201610171996.1 discloses a printed circuit board with a ceramic radiator, which uses a conductive pattern layer and a heat dissipation layer respectively located on two opposite surfaces of the circuit board to clamp the ceramic radiator, and basically solves the problem that the ceramic radiator falls off from the insulating substrate.
In the prior art, the side surfaces of the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate are smooth surfaces, and the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate are only physically combined, so that the binding force is low. The voltage resistance of the circuit board may be significantly reduced after a short period of use, and the reliability is poor.
Disclosure of Invention
In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the main object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a circuit board with a ceramic heat sink embedded therein at low cost, so that the circuit board can maintain better voltage resistance over a longer service life.
In order to achieve the above main object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a circuit board manufacturing method, including the steps of:
providing a ceramic radiator, wherein the ceramic radiator comprises a ceramic body and a lateral extension part formed at the lower end of the ceramic body, and the lateral extension part is arranged on the whole circumferential direction around the ceramic body; a first metal layer is formed on the upper surface of the ceramic heat radiator, and a fourth metal layer is formed on the lower surface of the ceramic heat radiator;
welding a fourth metal layer on the lower surface of the ceramic heat radiator to the metal heat radiating plate;
stacking an insulating substrate stack on the metal heat dissipation plate; the insulating substrate laminated body comprises a plurality of insulating medium layers and prepregs arranged between the insulating medium layers and the metal radiating plate and between the insulating medium layers, wherein the upper surface of the insulating substrate laminated body is provided with a second metal layer, and the insulating medium layers and the prepregs are provided with through holes for the ceramic radiator to pass through;
hot-pressing the insulating substrate laminated body to obtain an insulating substrate, wherein the surfaces of the first metal layer and the second metal layer are kept flush after hot pressing;
forming a third metal layer connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer on the upper surface of the circuit board;
and carrying out graphical etching treatment on the first metal layer, the second metal layer and the third metal layer so as to form a conductive circuit pattern on the upper surfaces of the ceramic heat radiator and the insulating substrate.
In the above technical solution, an extending distance of the lateral extending portion in a direction perpendicular to a thickness direction of the insulating substrate is preferably equal to or greater than 0.3mm and equal to or less than 5mm, and more preferably equal to or greater than 0.5mm and equal to or less than 3 mm.
Among the above-mentioned technical scheme, the thickness of metal radiator plate can be set for according to the heat dissipation demand, and this thickness is preferred 0.1mm to 5mm, and more preferred 0.3mm to 3 mm.
In the above technical solution, in order to further increase the bonding force between the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate, at least a partial region of the side surface of the ceramic radiator is preferably formed as a rough surface, for example, the side surface of the ceramic radiator has a shallow trench extending in the thickness direction of the circuit board.
In order to achieve the above main object, another aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a circuit board, including the steps of:
providing a ceramic radiator, wherein the ceramic radiator comprises a ceramic body and a lateral extension part formed at one end of the ceramic body, the lateral extension part is arranged in the whole circumferential direction around the ceramic body, and a first metal layer is formed on the upper surface of the ceramic radiator;
placing a ceramic heat sink within the insulating substrate stack; the insulating substrate laminated body comprises a plurality of insulating medium layers, a prepreg and a second metal layer, wherein the prepreg is arranged between the plurality of insulating medium layers, the second metal layer is positioned on the upper surface of the prepreg, and the insulating medium layers and the prepreg are provided with through holes for the ceramic radiator to pass through;
hot-pressing the laminated body of the insulating substrate to obtain an insulating substrate, keeping the surfaces of the first metal layer and the second metal layer to be flush after hot pressing, and enabling the ceramic radiator to penetrate through the insulating substrate and be relatively fixed with the insulating substrate;
forming a third metal layer connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer on the upper surface of the circuit board;
and carrying out graphical etching treatment on the first metal layer, the second metal layer and the third metal layer so as to form a conductive circuit pattern on the upper surfaces of the ceramic heat radiator and the insulating substrate.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower surface of the ceramic radiator has a fourth metal layer, the lower surface of the insulating substrate laminate has a fifth metal layer, and the surfaces of the fourth metal layer and the fifth metal layer are kept flush after hot pressing; the circuit board preparation method comprises the step of forming a sixth metal layer for connecting the fourth metal layer and the fifth metal layer on the lower surface of the circuit board.
Preferably, the fifth metal layer and the sixth metal layer are subjected to patterned etching treatment to form a second conductive circuit pattern on the lower surface of the insulating substrate; or carrying out graphical etching treatment on the fourth metal layer, the fifth metal layer and the sixth metal layer so as to form a second conductive circuit pattern on the lower surfaces of the insulating substrate and the ceramic radiator.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lateral extension extends by a distance of 0.3mm or more and 5mm or less in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the insulating substrate, and more preferably by 0.5mm or more and 3mm or less.
According to a preferred embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, at least a partial region of the side surface of the ceramic radiator is formed as a rough surface.
According to a preferred embodiment of another aspect of the present invention, the lateral extension is formed at a lower end of the ceramic body. At the moment, the surface area of the upper end of the ceramic heat radiation body is relatively small, so that the wiring space of the surface layer can be effectively enlarged, and the miniaturization of a product is facilitated; the surface area of the lower end is relatively large, the heat dissipation area is enlarged, the diffusion thermal resistance is reduced, and the overall heat conduction capability of the circuit board is enhanced.
The present inventors have found that in the circuit board of the related art, due to the large difference in physical properties (e.g., thermal expansion coefficients) between the ceramic and the insulating substrate, micro cracks are easily formed at the joint between the ceramic and the insulating substrate after a certain number of cycles of cooling and heating, and the extending distance of the micro cracks between the two opposite surfaces of the insulating substrate is equal to the thickness of the insulating substrate, so that the withstand voltage of the joint may be significantly reduced after a short period of use, resulting in poor reliability.
According to the circuit board preparation method, the lateral extension part is arranged on the whole circumferential direction surrounding the ceramic body, the contact area between the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate is increased due to the arrangement of the lateral extension part, the physical bonding strength and reliability of the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate are improved, and the possibility that a micro gap is formed between the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate and even the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate are separated from each other is reduced. In particular, even when a micro crack is formed between the ceramic radiator and the insulating substrate, since the lateral extension portion is disposed around the entire circumference of the ceramic body, the extension distance of the micro crack between the two opposite surfaces of the insulating substrate is greater than the thickness of the insulating substrate, thereby increasing the creepage distance between the upper metal layer and the lower metal layer, so that the circuit board can maintain a better withstand voltage performance for a long period of use. In addition, the insulating substrate is formed beside the ceramic radiator in a hot-pressing step, so that the ceramic radiator has the advantages of low cost and convenience in batch production.
To more clearly illustrate the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a ceramic heat sink in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a preferred embodiment 1 of the ceramic heat sink of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of a preferred embodiment 2 of the ceramic heat sink of the present invention;
fig. 4 is a schematic structural view of a step of fixing a ceramic heat sink to a metal heat sink in embodiment 1 of the method of the present invention;
fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a metal heat sink provided with an insulating substrate laminate in embodiment 1 of the method of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the circuit board after the hot pressing step in method embodiment 1 of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a third metal layer formed on the upper surface of the circuit board in embodiment 1 of the method of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a conductive trace pattern formed on the upper surface of the circuit board by etching in embodiment 1 of the method of the present invention;
fig. 9 is a schematic structural view of a ceramic heat sink placed in an insulating substrate laminate in method embodiment 2 of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the circuit board after the hot pressing step in method embodiment 2 of the present invention;
fig. 11 is a schematic structural view of forming metal layers on the upper and lower surfaces of a circuit board in method embodiment 2 of the present invention;
fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a conductive circuit pattern formed on the upper surface of the circuit board by etching in embodiment 2 of the method of the present invention.
Detailed Description
Method for producing circuit board example 1
The circuit board manufacturing method of embodiment 1 includes the step of providing a ceramic heat sink. Referring to fig. 1, the ceramic radiator 120 according to the embodiment includes a ceramic body 121 and a lateral extension portion 122 formed at a lower end of the ceramic body 121, wherein a first metal layer 1231 is formed on an upper surface of the ceramic radiator 120, and a fourth metal layer 1232 is formed on a lower surface of the ceramic radiator. The ceramic heat sink 120 may be fabricated by machining a ceramic substrate having metal layers on both sides.
In the present invention, the lateral extensions 122 are disposed in the entire circumferential direction around the ceramic body 121. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the ceramic body 121 is a cylindrical body, and the lateral extension portion 122 is formed as an annular body disposed along the entire circumferential direction of the ceramic body 121. For example, as shown in fig. 3, the ceramic heat sink 120 includes a quadrangular prism-shaped body 121, and the lateral extension portion 122 is rectangular and disposed on the entire circumference of the quadrangular prism-shaped body 121. It is readily understood that in other embodiments of the present invention, the ceramic body may be formed in other shapes such as an elliptical cylinder.
In the present invention, the extension distance of the lateral extension portion 122 in the direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the insulating substrate 10 (see fig. 6) is preferably equal to or greater than 0.3mm and equal to or less than 5mm, more preferably equal to or greater than 0.5mm and equal to or less than 3mm, for example, 1mm or 2 mm. In some embodiments of the present invention, which are not shown in the drawings, at least a partial region of the side surface of the ceramic heat spreader 120 is formed as a rough surface.
The method of manufacturing a circuit board of embodiment 1 includes the step of soldering the fourth metal layer on the lower surface of the ceramic heat spreader to the metal heat sink. Referring to fig. 4, the fourth metal layer 1232 on the lower surface of the ceramic heat sink 120 is welded to the metal heat sink 30, and the thickness of the metal heat sink is preferably 0.1mm to 5mm, more preferably 0.3mm to 3mm, for example, about 2 mm.
The method for manufacturing a circuit board of example 1 includes a step of stacking an insulating substrate laminate on a metal heat sink. Please refer to fig. 5; the insulating substrate laminate includes a plurality of insulating medium layers, such as the insulating medium layers 11, 12, and 13 shown in the drawing, prepregs 14 'are disposed between the insulating medium layer 13 and the metal heat sink 30 and between the insulating medium layers 12 and 11 and 13, an upper surface of the insulating medium layer 11 (i.e., an upper surface of the insulating substrate laminate) has the second metal layer 111, and the insulating medium layers 11, 12, and 13 and the prepregs 14' have through holes through which the ceramic heat sink 120 passes. In the present invention, the dielectric layer 13 may be an insulating board such as an FR-4 board or a BT board.
The method for producing a circuit board of example 1 includes a step of hot-pressing the insulating substrate laminate to obtain an insulating substrate. During the hot pressing, the prepreg 14 ' undergoes a curing reaction to obtain the insulating substrate 10 (see fig. 6), the prepreg 14 ' is cured to form the cured adhesive material 14, and the resin in the prepreg 14 ' flows to fill the gap between the ceramic heat spreader 120 and the insulating substrate 10. As shown in fig. 6, after the hot pressing, the thickness of the insulating substrate laminate is reduced, and the surfaces of the first metal layer 1231 and the second metal layer 111 are substantially flush. Preferably, the upper surface of the circuit board is polished after the hot pressing to remove the resin flowing to the surface of each metal layer.
The method for preparing the circuit board of embodiment 1 includes the steps of: a third metal layer connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer is formed on the upper surface of the circuit board. As shown in fig. 7, a third metal layer 112 is formed on the surfaces of the adhesive material 14, the first metal layer 1231, and the second metal layer 111, and the third metal layer 112 connects and covers the first metal layer 1231 and the second metal layer 111; the step of forming the third metal layer 112 may further include: a copper-bottom layer is formed on the surfaces of the adhesive material 14, the first metal layer 1231 and the second metal layer 111 by a electroless copper plating process, and then a thickened copper is electroplated on the copper-bottom layer by an electroplating method to finally obtain the third metal layer 112.
As shown in fig. 8, the method for manufacturing a circuit board of embodiment 1 further includes a step of performing a patterned etching process on the first metal layer 1231 and the third metal layer 112 of the second metal layer 111, so as to form a conductive trace pattern on the upper surfaces of the ceramic heat spreader 120 and the insulating substrate 10.
Method for producing circuit board example 2
The method for manufacturing the circuit board of embodiment 2 includes the step of providing the ceramic heat sink 120, and please refer to embodiment 1 for the detailed structure of the ceramic heat sink 120 and the description of the step.
The circuit board manufacturing method of embodiment 2 includes a step of placing a ceramic radiator into an insulating substrate laminate; the insulating substrate laminated body comprises a plurality of insulating medium layers, a prepreg and a second metal layer, wherein the prepreg is arranged between the insulating medium layers, the second metal layer is positioned on the upper surface of the prepreg, and the insulating medium layers and the prepreg are provided with through holes for the ceramic radiator to pass through. Preferably, the lower surface of the ceramic radiator has a fourth metal layer, and the lower surface of the insulating substrate laminate has a fifth metal layer.
Referring to fig. 9, the insulating substrate laminate includes insulating medium layers 11, 12, and 13, a prepreg 14 'is disposed between the insulating medium layers 11 to 13, the second metal layer 111 is disposed on the upper surface of the insulating medium layer 11 (i.e., the upper surface of the insulating substrate laminate), the fifth metal layer 131 is disposed on the lower surface of the insulating medium layer 13 (i.e., the lower surface of the insulating substrate laminate), and the insulating medium layers 11 to 13 and the prepreg 14' have through holes for the ceramic heat sink 120 to pass through.
The method for producing a circuit board of example 2 includes a step of hot-pressing the insulating substrate laminate to obtain an insulating substrate. In the hot pressing process, pressure is applied to the opposite surfaces of the insulating substrate laminated body, and the insulating substrate laminated body is heated at the same time, so that the prepreg 14 ' is subjected to a curing reaction to obtain the insulating substrate 10 (see fig. 10), the prepreg 14 ' is cured to form the adhesive material 14 in a cured state, and the resin in the prepreg 14 ' flows to fill the gap between the ceramic radiator 120 and the insulating substrate 10, so that the insulating substrate 10 and the ceramic radiator 120 are relatively fixed through the adhesive connection of the adhesive material 14.
As shown in fig. 10, after the hot pressing, the thickness of the insulating substrate laminate is reduced, the surfaces of the first metal layer 1231 and the second metal layer 111 are substantially flush, and the surfaces of the fourth metal layer 1232 and the fifth metal layer 131 are substantially flush. Preferably, the upper and lower surfaces of the circuit board are ground after the hot pressing to remove the resin flowing to the surfaces of the respective metal layers.
The circuit board preparation method of embodiment 2 includes the steps of: forming a third metal layer connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer on the upper surface of the circuit board; preferably, a sixth metal layer connecting the fourth metal layer and the fifth metal layer is formed on the lower surface of the circuit board. As shown in fig. 11, a third metal layer 112 is formed on the surfaces of the adhesive material 14, the first metal layer 1231, and the second metal layer 111, and the third metal layer 112 connects and covers the first metal layer 1231 and the second metal layer 111; sixth metal layer 132 is formed on the surfaces of adhesive material 14, fourth metal layer 1232, and fifth metal layer 131, and sixth metal layer 132 connects and covers fourth metal layer 1232 and fifth metal layer 131.
The step of forming the third metal layer 112 may further include: a copper-bottom layer is formed on the surfaces of the adhesive material 14, the first metal layer 1231 and the second metal layer 111 by a electroless copper plating process, and then a thickened copper is electroplated on the copper-bottom layer by an electroplating method to finally obtain the third metal layer 112. It will be readily appreciated that the same method (chemical deposition followed by electroplating) may be used to form sixth metal layer 132 at the same time, before, or after third metal layer 112 is formed.
As shown in fig. 12, the method for manufacturing a circuit board according to embodiment 2 further includes a step of performing a patterned etching process on the first metal layer 1231 and the third metal layer 112 of the second metal layer 111, so as to form a conductive trace pattern on the upper surfaces of the ceramic heat spreader 120 and the insulating substrate 10.
In other embodiments, the fifth metal layer and the sixth metal layer may be further subjected to a patterned etching process to form a second conductive line pattern on the lower surface of the insulating substrate; or carrying out graphical etching treatment on the fourth metal layer, the fifth metal layer and the sixth metal layer so as to form a second conductive circuit pattern on the lower surfaces of the insulating substrate and the ceramic radiator. In addition, the circuit board may further include an inner-layer conductive line disposed inside the insulating substrate.
It is easily understood that the method for manufacturing a circuit board according to the present invention may further include steps of laying a solder resist layer, forming a circuit board profile, forming a protective metal layer on the surface of the pad exposed to the solder resist layer, and the like, which are well known in the art, and thus a detailed description thereof will be omitted herein.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, these embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes/substitutions may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, and it is intended that all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the present invention shall be embraced by the scope of the invention.