New Material for Flexible PCBs

Composition of Flexible Copper-Clad Laminates

Flexible copper-clad laminated composites are made of high-performance materials like Kaneka Apical, Dupont Kapton, and Taimid polyimide film. These films are coated with copper foil on one or both sides and bonded together with a proprietary C-staged modified epoxy adhesive. All copper-clad laminates are available with either rolled annealed copper or electro-deposited copper. Additionally, both types can be supplied with double-treated copper (electro-deposited copper nodules on both sides of the copper foil). Using double-treated copper eliminates the need for surface preparation steps before resist or cover layer lamination.

High Performance and Reliability Applications

Flexible copper-clad laminates are typically used to produce high-reliability, high-density circuitry in flexible, rigid-flex, and all-flexible multilayer constructions. These materials are particularly advantageous in applications requiring high reliability and heat resistance, such as aerospace, medical devices, and advanced consumer electronics.

Use of Epoxy-NBR in Combining Polyimide and Copper

This material employs Epoxy-NBR to bond the polyimide (PI) film and copper sheet together, providing excellent mechanical and electrical properties. It has now become a base material for manufacturing single-sided, double-sided, and multilayer flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs), as well as rigid-flex PCBs.

Conclusion

The new flexible copper-clad laminate composites, with their superior performance and broad application prospects, are becoming key materials in the flexible PCB manufacturing industry. By optimizing production processes and material selection, these composites not only enhance the reliability and density of PCBs but also simplify the manufacturing process, improving production efficiency.