An apparatus is used in preparing a printed circuit board (PCB). The apparatus can include a common chassis, an inkjet printer mounted on the common chassis, and a pattern exposer mounted on the common chassis. The inkjet printer can selectively print unexposed photosensitive patterns on a PCB substrate with a photosensitive ink. The pattern exposer can expose said photosensitive patterns to radiation thereby defining exposed patterns. A photosensitive ink for use in an ink jet printer can include a photoresist, a solvent, a humectant, a surfactant, an adhesion promoter, and a basic solution. The adhesion promoter is operative to increase anisotropy of a wet etching process of a copper component on which said photosensitive ink is printed.

A pattern forming method comprises dispensing a curable composition onto an underlayer of a substrate; bringing the curable composition into contact with a mold; irradiating the curable composition with light to form a cured film; and separating the cured film from the mold. The proportion of the number of carbon atoms relative to the total number of atoms in the underlayer is 80% or more. The dispensing step comprises a first dispensing step of dispensing a curable composition (A1) substantially free of a fluorosurfactant onto the underlayer, and a second dispensing step of dripping a droplet of a curable composition (A2) having a fluorosurfactant concentration in components excluding a solvent of 1.1% by mass or less onto the curable composition (A1) discretely.

Techniques for low- or zero-misaligned vias are disclosed. In one embodiment, a high-photosensitivity, medium-photosensitivity, and low-photosensitivity layer are applied to a substrate and exposed at the same time with use of a multi-tone mask. After being developed, one layer forms a mold for a first via, one layer forms a mold for a conductive trace and a second via, and one layer forms an overhang over the position for the second via. The molds formed by the photosensitive layers are filled with copper and then etched. The overhang prevents the top of the copper infill below the overhang region from being etched. As such, the region under the overhang forms a pillar or column after etching, which can be used as a via. Other embodiments are disclosed.

The invention pertains to a method for the bonding of a component embedded into a printed circuit board exhibiting the following steps: Provision of a core exhibiting at least one insulating layer and at least one conductor layer applied to the insulating layer, Embedding of at least one component into a recess of the insulating layer, wherein the contacts of the component are essentially situated in the plane of an outer surface of the core exhibiting the at least one conductor layer, Application of a photoimageable resist onto the one outer surface of the core on which the component is arranged, while filling the spaces between the contacts of the component, Clearing of end faces of the contacts and of the areas of the conductor layer covered by the photoimageable resist by exposing and developing the photoimageable resist, by application of a semi-additive process, deposition of a layer of conductor material onto the cleared end faces of the contacts and the cleared areas of the conductor layer and formation of a conductor pattern on at least the one outer surface of the core on which the component is arranged, as well as the interconnecting paths between the contacts and the conductor pattern, and Removal of the areas of the conductor layer not belonging to the conductor pattern.

A radiation curable solder mask inkjet ink contains a photo-initiator, a polymerizable compound and a flame retardant wherewith a high quality solder mask withstanding the high thermal stress during the soldering process while maintaining excellent physical properties and flame retardancy may be produced.

A method for exposing a photopolymerization layer comprising photopolymers includes: providing a printed circuit board, with a photopolymerization layer disposed on the top side of the printed circuit board; performing first-instance exposure on the photopolymerization layer, using a UV source and a digital micro-lens device, wherein the UV source is of a power less than 0.2 kW; stopping the first-instance exposure; covering the photopolymerization layer with a mask, with the mask having a bottom side in contact with the photopolymerization layer; and performing second-instance exposure on the photopolymerization layer, using a mercury lamp and the mask, wherein the mercury lamp is of a power greater than 5 kW.

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A method of manufacturing a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) including an inkjet printing step wherein a radiation curable inkjet ink comprising at least one polymerizable compound and at least one photoinitiator is jetted and cured on a substrate, characterized in that the at least one photoinitiator has a chemical structure according to Formula I, wherein X represents a halogen; R1 is selected from the group consisting of a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted and unsubstituted alkenyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkynyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group and a substituted or unsubstituted aryl or heteroaryl group; R2 and R3 are independently from each other selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen, a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstitited alkoxy group, a substituted or unsubstituted aryloxy group and a halogen; R1 together with R2 and R2 together with R3 may represent the necessary atoms to form a five to eight membered ring.

A method for curing solder paste on a thermally fragile substrate is disclosed. An optically reflective layer and an optically absorptive layer are printed on a thermally fragile substrate. Multiple conductive traces are selectively deposited on the optically reflective layer and on the optically absorptive layer. Solder paste is then applied on selective locations that are corresponding to locations of the optically absorptive layer. After a component has been placed on the solder paste, the substrate is irradiated from one side with uniform pulsed light. The optically absorptive layer absorbs the pulsed light and becomes heated, and the heat is subsequently transferred to the solder paste and the component via thermal conduction in order to heat and melt the solder paste.

Provided is a photocuring device (100), including: a base (40); a light source (10) fixed on the base (40); a tray (20) configured to place a substrate (200) to be processed; and a digital mask (30) placed between the light source (10) and the tray (20) and configured to display corresponding light-shielding pattern (31) according to electronic graphics set by a user, so that light emitted by the light source (10) passes through the digital mask (30) to perform photocuring complementary to the light-shielding pattern (31) for the substrate (200) placed on the tray (20). The photocuring device (100) displays the light-shielding pattern (31) corresponding to the electronic graphics through the digital mask (30) according to the user's requirements, so that the light-shielding/light-transmitting of each area on the plane of the digital mask (30) can be satisfied, thereby achieving the patterning light required by the user.

A method includes: providing a first layout of a first layer over a substrate, the first layer having at least one metal pattern, and generating a second layout by placing a cut mask at a first position relative to the substrate to remove material from a first region of the at least one metal pattern to provide a first metal pattern and placing the cut mask at a second position relative to the first layer over the substrate to remove material from a second region of the at least one metal pattern to provide a second metal pattern.