VAPOR DEPOSITION PATTERNING METHOD AND PRODUCTS THEREOF

摘要

The invention relates to an etchless patterning method for depositing material patterns upon substrates as well as to the resulting patterned substrates. The method involves providing a substrate (10) to be patterned, providing a patterned physical mask (12) in intimate contact with the substrate, and exposing the masked substrate to vapor phase pattern material in a vacuum. Before and after the vapor depositing process the mask (12) is immobilized upon a mask carrier (14). The process is particularly well suited for the production of circuit boards for electronic applications. This results from the ability to vapor deposit pattern material on the inner surfaces of through-holes simultaneously with pattern deposition thereby resulting in the vapor deposition of through-hole pattern material which is integrally continuous with the pattern material deposited on the substrate surface.