3M Innovative Properties Company

Maurice J Fleming

Clyde D Calhoun

George D Foss

Richard L Renstrom

Miroslav M Tochacek

Wesley J Bruxvoort

Cylde D Calhoun

Electrically conductive elements on two substrates can be electrically interconnected by an adhesive tape containing electrically conductive equiax particles that are individually positioned in the adhesive layer in a predetermined pattern. Each particle is harder than the elements it is to interconnect, so that hand pressure causes the particles to penetrate into the elements, thus creating a reliable electrical connection. Particularly useful particles are glass beads having a metallic coating that is from 0.1 to 2 .mu.m thick.

Electrically conductive pressure-sensitive adhesive tape

A web of adhesive, especially a normally tacky and pressure-sensitive adhesive, is rendered electrically conductive by imparting a pattern of electrically conductive elements that extend from slightly beyond one face of the web to slightly beyond the other face of the web. In a preferred embodiment, the adhesive web is sandwiched between release liners formed of uniaxially oriented film and a conductive thread stitched through both the liners and the adhesive web. The liners can be removed, tearing along the stitch lines, to create an electrically conductive adhesive web.

Electrically conductive adhesive web

Electrically conductive elements on two substrates can be electrically interconnected by an adhesive tape containing electrically conductive particles, most of which are substantially uniformly spaced from their six nearest neighbors. Preferably the particles are spherical and of substantially equal diameter slightly exceeding the thickness of the adhesive layer. The adhesive tape can be made by forming a dense monolayer of the particles, covering a stretchable adhesive layer with that dense monolayer, biaxially stretching the adhesive layer to separate each particle from other particles of the monolayer, and then embedding the particles either into that adhesive layer or into the adhesive layer of another tape.

Electrically conductive adhesive tape

Abrasive sheeting can produce fine finishes at surprisingly high cutting rates when its abrasive granules are individually positioned in a predetermined pattern, with an uncoated portion of virtually every granule protruding from the surface of the binder layer. Each of the abrasive granules preferably is a spherical composite of a large number of abrasive grains in a binder. For example, abrasive grains having a mean dimension of about 4 .mu.m can be bonded together to form spherical abrasive granules of virtually identical diameters, preferably within a range of from 25 to 100 .mu.m.

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Cottage Grove, MN, United States of America

Maurice J Fleming