Abstract: A circuit assembly comprises two or more circuit laminates, each comprising a conductive metal layer disposed on a poly(arylene ether ketone) substrate layer, wherein at least one of the conductive metal layers has been patterned to form a circuit, and a bond ply layer comprising a thermoplastic or thermosetting material. The thermoplastic bond ply has a melting point between 250° C. and 370° C., a decomposition temperature greater than about 290° C. and a dissipation factor of less than 0.01 at 10 GHz. The thermoset bond ply has a dissipation factor less than 0.01 at 10 GHz and a decomposition temperature greater than about 290° C. after lamination. Methods of forming the above circuit assemblies are also disclosed.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, an MCM substrate product is manufactured in an additive process using multiple layers of a fluoropolymer composite material and copper. The copper layers are plated, and the fluoropolymer composite layers are laminated. A seeding process promotes reliable bonding between the fluoropolymer composite material and the plated copper. The use of the filled fluoropolymeric composite eliminates the need for a barrier metal layer between the insulation and the conductors. The MCM substrate device of the present invention may have multiple metal layers and multiple dielectric layers; four or five, or more, of each in a single structure would be easily achieved and is typical. The structure would include lead lines in separate mutually orthogonal planes (sometimes referred to as "x" and "y" lead lines) sandwiched between ground and power voltage planes of copper.