Heat-Activatable Adhesive Tape for Flexible Printed Circuit Board (Fpcb) Bondings

1 . Heat-activable adhesive, comprising

a) at least one acrylate-containing block copolymer, in a proportion of 40-98% by weight

b) one or more tackifying epoxy and/or novolak and/or phenolic resins, in a proportion of 2-60% by weight.

2 . The heat-activable adhesive according to claim 1 , further comprising

c) at least one hardener for crosslinking the epoxy, novolak and/or phenolic resins, in a proportion of up to 10% by weight based on the adhesive incl. hardener.

3 . Heat-activable adhesive according to claim 1 , wherein the acrylate-containing block copolymer comprises at least two polymer blocks P(A) and P(B) which are linked chemically to one another and which under application conditions undergo segregation into at least two microphase-separated regions, the microphase-separated regions each having softening temperatures in the range between −125° C. and +20° C.

4 . Heat-activable adhesive according to claim 1 , wherein the acrylate-containing block copolymer is described by the stoichiometric formula [P(A) i P(B) j ] k (I), and is comprised of diblock copolymers of formula (I) with i=j=k=1 and/or triblock copolymers of formula (I) with i+j=3 (i, j>0) and k=1.

5 . Heat-activable adhesive according to claim 1 wherein the block copolymer has a polymer block sequence of the type P(A)-P(B/D), where

P(A) represents a polymer block which can be obtained by polymerizing at least one monomer of type A,

P(A) having a softening temperature of between −125° C. and +20° C.

P(B/D) represents a copolymer block which can be obtained by copolymerizing at least one monomer of type B and at least one monomer of type D, P(B/D) having a softening temperature of between −125° C. and +20° C., and the monomers of type D possessing at least one functional group which behaves substantially inertly in a free-radical copolymerization reaction,

Polymer blocks P(A) and P(B/D) are in microphase-separated form under application conditions, and so the polymer blocks P(A) and P(B/D) are not completely (homogeneously) miscible under application conditions.

6 . Heat-activable adhesive according to claim 1 , wherein block copolymers used are those of the type P(B/D)-P(A/C)-P(B/D), composed of a central polymer block P(A/C) and two polymer blocks P(B/D) attached to it on either side, in which

P(B/D) and P(A/C) each represent a copolymer block, P(A/C) which can be obtained by copolymerizing at least one monomer of type A with at least one monomer of type C and P(B/D) which can be obtained by copolymerizing at least one monomer of type C with at least one monomer of type D,

P(B/D) and P(A/C) each having a softening temperature of between −125° C. and +20° C.,

the monomers C and D possessing at least one functional group which behaves substantially inertly in a free-radical polymerization reaction,

the polymer blocks P(A/C) and polymer blocks P(B/D) are in microphase-separated form, and so the polymer blocks P(B/D) and P(A/C) are not completely (homogeneously) miscible under application conditions.

7 . Heat-activable adhesive according to claim 1 , wherein the block copolymers are linear and/or star-shaped multiblock copolymers.

8 . Heat-activable adhesive according to claim 7 , wherein the multiblock copolymers are one or more compounds whose structure is as follows:

[P(E 1 )]-[P(E 2 )]-[P(E 3 )]- . . . -[P(E m )] with m>3  (II)

{[P(E 1,δ -]-[P(E 2,δ -]-[P(E 3,δ -)]- . . . -[P(E n,δ -)]} x X with x>2, n>1,  (III)

serial number δ=1, 2, . . . , x

where

P(E) represents polymer blocks which can be obtained by polymerizing at least one monomer of a type E,

(II) a linear multiblock copolymer composed of m identical or different polymer blocks

(III) a star-shaped multiblock copolymer with a polyfunctional crosslinking region X, in which x polymer arms are joined to one another chemically, each polymer arm is composed of at least one polymer block P(E),

The individual polymer blocks P(E) have a softening temperature of between −125 and +20° C., and the monomers of type C possessing at least one functional group which behaves substantially inertly in a free-radical copolymerization reaction,

the polymers are in microphase-separated form under application conditions, and so the individual polymer blocks are not completely (homogeneously) miscible under application conditions.

9 . Adhesive according to claim 8 , wherein some or all of the polymer blocks P(E) are each replaced by polymer blocks P(E/F), obtainable by copolymerizing at least one monomer of type E and also at least one monomer of a second type F.

10 . Adhesive according to claim 1 , said adhesive being a contact adhesive, preferably having tacky properties.

11 . A method for bonding and/or fabricating circuit boards, wherein said circuit boards are bonded or fabricated with the heat-activable adhesive of claim 1 .

12 . The method of claim 11 wherein said circuit boards are FPCBs based on polyimide, based on polyethylene naphthalate or based on polyethylene terephthalate.

13 . A method for producing diecuts or roll products which comprises producing said diecuts or roll products with sheets of the heat activable adhesive of claim 1 .

14 . A method for masking copper conductor tracks for FPCBs, which comprises coating the heat-activable adhesive of claim 1 onto a backing to form an adhesive tape, and masking said copper conductor tracks with said adhesive tape.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein said masking is completed in a hot press process at temperatures above 80° C.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said bonding is completed in a hot press process at temperatures above 80° C.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein said masking is completed in a hot press process at temperatures above 80° C.