A printed wiring board includes a resin insulating layer, a conductor circuit formed on the resin insulating layer, an outermost resin layer formed on the resin insulating layer such that the outermost resin layer covers the conductor circuit, and multiple metal posts formed on the conductor circuit such that the metal posts have end portions exposed from the outermost resin layer and that the metal posts form a pad group. The outermost resin layer has a dam structure forming part of the outermost resin layer such that the dam structure is formed to surround at least part of the pad group including the metal posts.

Systems and methods are disclosed by which patterns of various materials can be formed on flexible substrates by a continuous roll-to-roll manufacturing process. The patterns may include metallic, transparent conductive, or non-metallic elements with lateral dimensions including in the range from below 100 nanometers to millimeters and with thickness dimensions including the range from tens of Angstroms to greater than 10,000 Angstroms. The substrate may be any material capable of sufficient flexibility for compatibility with roll-based processing equipment, including polymeric films, metallic foils, and thin glass, with polymeric films representing a particularly broad field of application. Methods may include the continuous roll-to-roll formation of a temporary polymeric structure with selected areas open to the underlying substrate, the continuous addition or subtraction of constituent materials, and the continuous removal, where necessary, of the polymeric structure and any excess material.

Electronic modules having complex contact structures may be formed by encapsulating panels containing pluralities of electronic modules delineated by cut lines and having conductive interconnects buried within the panel along the cut lines. Holes defining contact regions along the electronic module sidewall may be cut into the panel along the cut lines to expose the buried interconnects. The panel may be metallized, e.g. by a series or processes including plating, on selected surfaces including in the holes to form the contacts and other metal structures followed by cutting the panel along the cut lines to singulate the individual electronic models. The contacts may be located in a conductive grove providing a castellated module.

A method of forming a metallic pattern on a substrate is provided. The method includes applying onto a metallic surface, a chemically surface-activating solution having an activating agent that chemically activates the metallic surface; non-impact printing an etch-resist ink on the activated surface to produce an etch resist mask according to a predetermined pattern, wherein at least one ink component within the etch-resist ink undergoes a chemical reaction with the activated metallic surface to immobilize droplets of the etch-resist ink when hitting the activated surface; performing an etching process to remove unmasked metallic portions that are not covered with the etch resist mask; and removing the etch-resist mask.

A multilayer wiring board having a high degree of freedom of wiring design and realizing high-density wiring, and a method to simply manufacture the multilayer wiring board is provided. A core substrate with two or more wiring layers provided thereon through an electrical insulating layer. The core substrate has a plurality of throughholes filled with an electroconductive material, and the front side and back side of the core substrate have been electrically connected to each other by the electroconductive material. The throughholes have an opening diameter in the range of 10 to 100 m. An insulation layer and an electroconductive material diffusion barrier layer are also provided, and the electroconductive material is filled into the throughholes through the insulation layer. A first wiring layer provided through an electrical insulating layer on the core substrate is connected to the electroconductive material filled into the throughhole through via.

A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes forming a seed layer on a surface of a resin insulating layer, applying a dry film onto the seed layer using a laminating roll device, cutting the dry film applied onto the seed layer to a predetermined size, applying pressure and heat to the dry film, forming a plating resist on the seed layer from the dry film using photographic technology, forming an electrolytic plating film on part of the seed layer exposed from the resist, removing the resist from the seed layer, and removing the part of the seed layer exposed from the electrolytic plating film. The applying of the pressure and heat includes applying the pressure and heat to the dry film applied onto the seed layer such that the pressure and heat are applied to the entire surface of the dry film cut to the predetermined size simultaneously.

A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board includes forming metal posts on a conductor circuit formed on a resin insulating layer, forming the outermost resin layer on the resin insulating layer such that the metal posts is embedded in the outermost resin layer, forming a mask at a dam formation site for a dam structure of the outermost resin layer to surround at least part of a pad group including the metal posts on the outermost resin layer, and reducing a thickness of the outermost resin layer exposed from the mask such that end portions of the metal posts are exposed from the outermost resin layer, that the metal posts form the pad group, and that the outermost resin layer has the dam structure forming part of the outermost resin layer and formed to surround at least part of the pad group including the metal posts.

In a method for filling through-holes of a substrate with a metal paste, an upper lamination foil is secured to the top surface of the substrate and a lower lamination foil is secured to the bottom surface of the substrate. A laser beam is used to generate a first plurality of holes in the upper lamination foil, and a second plurality of holes in the lower lamination foil. Respective locations of the first and second plurality of holes are aligned with the through-holes of the substrate. Metal paste is applied into the through-holes through the first plurality of holes using a squeegee or a knife. Any metal paste that is pressed out from the second plurality of holes may be scraped off by the squeegee or the knife and recycled. Finally, the upper and lower lamination foils may be removed from the substrate.

A multilayer wiring board having a high degree of freedom of wiring design and realizing high-density wiring, and a method to simply manufacture the multilayer wiring board is provided. A core substrate with two or more wiring layers provided thereon through an electrical insulating layer. The core substrate has a plurality of throughholes filled with an electroconductive material, and the front side and back side of the core substrate have been electrically connected to each other by the electroconductive material. The throughholes have an opening diameter in the range of 10 to 100 m. An insulation layer and an electroconductive material diffusion barrier layer are also provided, and the electroconductive material is filled into the throughholes through the insulation layer. A first wiring layer provided through an electrical insulating layer on the core substrate is connected to the electroconductive material filled into the throughhole through via.

A method for applying a protective coating to selected portions of a substrate is disclosed. The method includes applying a mask to or forming a mask on at least one portion of the substrate that is not to be covered with the protective coating. The mask may be selectively formed by applying a flowable material to the substrate. Alternatively, the mask may be formed from a preformed film. With the mask in place, the protective coating may be applied to the substrate and the mask. A portion of the protective coating that overlies the mask may be delineated from other portions of the protective coating; for example, by cutting, weakening or removing material from the protective coating at locations at or adjacent to the perimeter of the mask. The portion of the protective coating that overlies the mask, and the mask, may then be removed from the substrate.