Ecological method for constructing circuit boards

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9456507-B2
Application number	US-201314047323-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2013
Priority date	Oct 7, 2013
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A method for fabrication of a circuit board using the disclosed embodiments relies on a CAD model of a multilayer circuit board with conductive elements defined by layer. A first granular conductive material layer is introduced into a mold. A fusion process element traverses across the mold to fuse selected portions of the first granular conductive material layer forming first layer conductive elements. An additional granular conductive material layer is introduced into the mold over the fused selected portions of the first layer and unfused portions of the first layer. The fusion process element is then traversed across the mold to fuse selected portions of the additional granular conductive material layer forming an additional layer of conductive elements. Unfused granular conductive material is then purged from the fused first conductive elements and additional conductive layer elements. A dielectric material is then infused into a structure formed by the fused first conductive elements and additional conductive layer elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for fabrication of a circuit board comprising:
preparing a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model of a multilayer circuit board with conductive elements defined by layer for a plurality of layers;
introducing a first granular conductive material layer into a mold;
traversing a laser sintering head across the mold to sinter selected portions of the first granular conductive material layer forming first layer conductive elements as defined by the CAD model for a first layer in the plurality of layers;
introducing an additional granular conductive material layer into the mold over the sintered selected portions of the first layer and un-sintered portions of the first layer;
traversing the laser sintering head across the mold to sinter selected portions of the additional granular conductive material layer forming additional layer conductive elements as defined by the CAD model for an additional layer in the plurality of layers, the traversing speed and laser sintering power controlled to avoid fusing of un-sintered material in the first layer;
removing un-sintered granular conductive material from the sintered first conductive elements and additional conductive layer elements, wherein the step of removing un-sintered granual conductive material comprises pneumatic purging;
infusing a dielectric material into a structure formed by the sintered first conductive elements and additional conductive layer elements to fill space from which the un-sintered granular conductive material was removed.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 further comprising curing the dielectric material.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the step of introducing an additional granular conductive material layer and the step of traversing the laser sintering head across the mold to sinter selected portions of the additional granular conductive material layer are repeated to complete all layers of the plurality of layers defined in the CAD model.

4. A method for fabrication of a circuit board comprising: preparing a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model of a multilayer circuit board with conductive elements defined by layer for a plurality of layers; introducing a first granular conductive material layer into a mold; traversing a laser sintering head across the mold to sinter selected portions of the first granular conductive material layer forming first layer conductive elements as defined by the CAD model for a first layer in the plurality of layers; introducing an additional granular conductive material layer into the mold over the sintered selected portions of the first layer and un-sintered portions of the first layer; traversing the laser sintering head across the mold to sinter selected portions of the additional granular conductive material layer forming additional layer conductive elements as defined by the CAD model for an additional layer in the plurality of layers, the traversing speed and laser sintering power controlled to avoid fusing of un-sintered material in the first layer; removing un-sintered granular conductive material from the sintered first conductive elements and additional conductive layer elements, wherein the step of removing un-sintered granular conductive material comprises vibratory purging; infusing a dielectric material into a structure formed by the sintered first conductive elements and additional conductive layer elements to fill space from which the un-sintered granular conductive material was removed.

5. The method as defined in claim 4 further comprising curing the dielectric material.

6. The method as defined in claim 4 wherein the step of introducing an additional granular conductive, material layer and the step of traversing the laser sintering head across the mold to sinter selected portions of the additional granular conductive material layer are repeated to complete all layers of the plurality of layers defined in the CAD model.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Wilkins Donald F

Classifications

• Y10T29/49155

  Manufacturing circuit on or in base · CPC title

• H05K3/4673 Primary

  Application methods or materials of intermediate insulating layers not specially adapted to any one of the previous methods of adding a circuit layer (similar methods for protective coatings H05K3/28) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49163

  with sintering of base · CPC title

• H05K1/0298

  Multilayer circuits · CPC title

• Y10T29/532

  Conductor · CPC title