Thermoplastics printed wiring substrates

High temperature thermoplastics such as polysulphones and polyetherimides are newcomers to the printed wiring substrate arena and offer the potential for the production of relatively low-cost moulded substrates with excellent electrical characteristics and thermal stability. The low dissipation factors characteristic of these materials have generated considerable interest in their potential for use in... 

The thermoplastics used for MID are neither as rigid nor as strong as the glass-reinforced themosets routinely used for printed-circuit boards. The layer of metal deposited on the substrate is typically hard and compensates for the poor wirebonding properties of the soft substrate material. This is why bondability is largely independent of the polymer used. It is important to bear in mind, however, that there is a minimum thickness specification for plating (Table 5.7). The thicker the metallization, the more dependable the wire-bonding process becomes. [182]... 

---