PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A circuit board assembly includes a circuit board having at least one conductive inner layer and at least one surface. Contact areas or surfaces and electrical and/or electronic components are disposed on the surface and electrically connected to the contact areas. At least two of the contact areas are connected to one another by an electrically conductive strip having ends each being connected to a respective one of the contact areas. The at least two contact areas and the electrically conductive strip have a width of at least 8 mm and the strip has a thickness that is at least double the thickness of the at least one inner layer.

Claims

1-2. (canceled)

3. A printed circuit board assembly, comprising: a printed circuit board having at least one conductive inner layer and at least one surface; contact areas disposed on said at least one surface; at least one of electrical or electronic components disposed on said at least one surface and electrically connected to said contact areas; an electrically conductive strip interconnecting at least two of said contact areas, said electrically conductive strip having ends each being connected to a respective one of said at least two contact areas; said at least two contact areas and said electrically conductive strip having a width of at least 8 mm; and said electrically conductive strip being at least twice as thick as said at least one inner layer.

4. The printed circuit board assembly according to claim 3, which further comprises a welded connection interconnecting said electrically conductive strip and one of said contact areas.

5. The printed circuit board assembly according to claim 3, wherein: said printed circuit board has insulating layers including an uppermost insulating layer at said at least one surface; said at least one conductive inner layer includes a plurality of conductive inner layers each being disposed between a respective two of said insulating layers; said contact areas are embedded within said uppermost insulating layer; and said at least one of electrical or electronic components are disposed on said uppermost insulating layer.

Description

[0009] FIG. 1 shows a cross section through a printed circuit board assembly and

[0010] FIG. 2 shows a plan view of a printed circuit board assembly.

[0011] FIGS. 1 and 2 show a printed circuit board assembly 1 in a cross section and a plan view having a printed circuit board 2 that is formed from a sequence of at least partially conductive layers as inner layers 4 and insulating layers 9 arranged between the inner layers 4 and pressed to them. Such printed circuit boards are known, with the conductive and insulating layers usually having a thickness of about 35 μm.

[0012] In the exemplary embodiment shown, an insulating layer 9 is implemented on a surface 3 of the printed circuit board 2, in which contact areas 5 are embedded. The contact areas 5 can also protrude from the insulating layer 9 or be formed on it. They can be connected to other conductive structures by means of conductor tracks (not shown) also arranged on the surface 3 of the printed circuit board 2 formed as an insulating layer 9, or they can also be connected to inner, conductive layers (inner layers 4) by means of vias.

[0013] As examples, electrical or electronic components 6, 7 are arranged on the contact areas and are electrically connected to them in order to supply them with energy, for example. The components may be, for example, power semiconductors for switching high currents in the range of a few hundred amperes.

[0014] Since such high currents require conductors with correspondingly high cross-sections or thicknesses, the layer thicknesses of around 35 μm usually used for printed circuit boards are not sufficient; on the one hand, therefore, conductive layers would have to be realized with a greater thickness, but on the other hand, insulating layers would also have to be made correspondingly thicker. This would increase costs significantly.

[0015] For this reason, electrical connections that have to carry higher currents are implemented according to the invention with a conductive strip 8 that is at least 8 mm wide and has a thickness at least twice as thick as the thickness of the at least one inner layer 4. Such a printed circuit board assembly has the advantage that the electrically conductive connection between two contact areas 5 can be easily adapted to the respective requirements in terms of current carrying capacity, without the entire printed circuit board design having to be changed. Conventional printed circuit boards 2 can thus also continue to be used for large currents.