Insulated connected sheet material

Abstract

Insulated sheet material useful for making bonded electrical connections, especially to sets of small side-by-side terminal pads. In one typical form, the sheet material is an elongated tape comprising an elongated insulating web; a plurality of narrow spaced parallel elongated electrically conductive stripes on the web; electrically conductive adhesive disposed over the stripes comprising a layer of adhesive material in which are dispersed a monolayer of rather thick electrically conductive particles; and a thin electrically insulating layer disposed over the conductive adhesive and which is nontacky or poorly tacky at room temperature, provides high electrical resistance throughout the layer to the conductive particles, softens to an adhesive and flowable condition upon heating to an elevated temperature, and upon cooling to room temperature assumes a firm and substantially nonflowable condition. Such a connector tape is readily handleable and free from conductive bonding at room temperature but when laid over a set of adjacent spaced terminal pads with the electrically conductive stripes in registry with the pads, and pressed and heated, the conductive particles penetrate through the insulating layer to make electrical connection to the pads.