CCD-world: Help on Flexible PC suppliers?

[Tom Droege]

The following was posted to CCD-world:

The supplier of "last resort" in the US in my experience (Fermilab) has
been a company I remember as "Shieldal" in MN.  Sorry I could not find them
in a 10 min web search.  They would make circuit boards no one else would
touch.  I will search more if you do not find a supplier.  they made long
Kapton cables for us.  Not cheap.

They have probably been bought out by someone.

Tom Droege 

At 04:46 PM 1/21/00 +1100, you wrote:
>The following was posted to CCD-world:
>
>
>Dear CCD-World gurus,
>
>we have recently found at the AAO that our 
>instruments are moving into areas where our
>current flexible PCB suppliers can no longer
>be relied on.
>
>Can we get some recomendations on people's
>preferred flexible PCB suppliers? A
>detailed specification of our requirements is
>attached, however to summarise.
>
>* Flexible PCB - only millimetre motions at most
>  after installation.
>* Use in vacuum and temps at least 77K
>* Polyimide and teflon have been OK in past
>*** Low capacitance!!
>* Sizes from 80mm x 150mm up to 60mm x 400mm
>
>Thanks in advance,
>
>Chris T.
>
>> 
>> 
>> Dear Sir/Madam,
>>
>> 		for my current project I require approximately
>> 18 different flexible printed circuits, possibly panelised 
>> into 4 or 6 groups depending on your available panel sizes.
>> 
>> 	These flex circuit will be used to replace wiring within
>> a cryogenic camera, the boards have no components on them 
>> except for a connector at each end, where stiffeners are 
>> required. The circuit will not be flexed continuously just 
>> shaped initially then only a few millimetres movement will 
>> be required infrequently. The flex material must be 
>> suitable for use in a vacuum and at low temperature (we 
>> have tested polyimide and teflon material at our operating 
>> temperature and found both acceptable).
>> 
>> 	The most important of our requirements is low capacitance.
>> Therefore the base material we prefer is 0.005" teflon with 
>> a dielectric constant (Dk) < 2.5, however other 0.005" base 
>> materials may be suitable such as Kapton KN (R/Flex2001) 
>> with a Dk = 3.2 or polyester (Dk = 3.1) although we have 
>> not verified polyester at our operating temperature.
>> 
>> The sizes of each flex range from 80mm x 150mm up to 60mm x
>> 400mm. 
>> 
>> General specifications for the flex circuits:
>> 
>> 1.  Double sided copper with plated through holes.
>>     1oz finished copper weight.
>> 
>> 2.  Track width 0.006", spacing >0.010".
>>     Solid or 45 deg. cross hatched ground plane on one side.
>> 
>> 3.  Hole sizes >0.020", annulus >0.010".
>>     Aprox. 50 holes per board.
>> 
>> 4.  Insulating layer or solder resist both sides.
>> 
>> 5.  0.005" stiffener over the ends (1 side) approx. 15mm 
>> long.
>> 
>> 6.  No silkscreen.
>> 
>> 7.  Silver (preferred) or solder finish on pads.
>> 
>> 8.  Protel CAD files or Gerber files available for 
>> manufacturing.
>> 
>> 9.  Quantity will be 2 or 3 each of the 4 or 6 panels (18 
>> types) initially.
>> 
>> 	I believe these designs are not unusual and should 
>> not present any manufacturing problems apart from the 
>> selection of base material. Please let me know what 
>> suitable low Dk base materials you have available and 
>> rough idea of pricing for the production of these flex 
>> circuits. I also need your panel sizes and manufacturing 
>> time.
>> 
>> ----------------------
>> Lewis Waller
>> Anglo-Australian Observatory               Email: lgw at aaoepp.aao.gov.au
>> PO Box 296, Epping. NSW 2121               Tel:   61 2 93724831
>> 167 Vimiera Road, Eastwood. NSW 2122       Fax:   61 2 93724880
>> Australia
>> 
>> 
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