Laser processing of rigid and flexible PCBs

•Rapid laser patterning of rigid and flexible PCB can be undertaken.•The patterning completely removes copper without damage to the substrate.•A DPSS YAG laser is used to process flexible PCB.•The beam ablates the photoresist layer and subsequent etching completes the process.•Structure widths of 25 µm are possible without damaging the PCB substrate.

As the demand grows for complex thin electronic components, laser micromachining will continue to provide unique opportunities. A thin PCB film processing technology based on laser direct ablation was developed to manufacture high-performance, large-area and flexible electronic boards. Structure widths of 25 μm are possible with outstanding positioning accuracy and without damaging the substrate. The present study illustrates this novel process that uses a computer controlled laser systems to create complex micromachined open ring resonators for the manufacture of electromagnetic metamaterials.Employing two analytical techniques, optical microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy, it has been demonstrated that rapid laser patterning of rigid and flexible PCB can be undertaken, and that it completely removes all the copper without noticeable substrate damage.