Printed Circuit Board Assembly With Air Dielectric

摘要

An assembly that includes a printed circuit board having an air gap, and a method of fabricating the assembly is disclosed. The assembly includes at least one air gap. This air gap is created by using a soluble material during the PCB assembly process. The soluble material can preferably be processed in accordance with traditional PCB fabrication processes. For example, other materials can be bonded to the soluble material. Additionally, the soluble material is capable of withstanding a drilling process. After the PCB assembly is complete, the soluble material is then dissolved, leaving an air gap where the soluble material once existed. This assembly may be useful in configurations where an antenna, EBG material or other electronic structure is to be disposed above the top surface of the printed circuit board.

主权项

1. A method of manufacturing an assembly, comprising:
processing a bottom sublaminate; disposing a soluble material on a top surface of the bottom sublaminate; disposing a metal layer on a top surface of the soluble material; drilling a hole through the metal layer, the soluble material and the bottom sublaminate; plating the hole with a conductive material to create a via electrically connecting the metal layer to a signal in the bottom sublaminate; and dissolving the soluble material after the via is created, so that the bottom sublaminate is separated from the metal layer by an air gap.