Component carrier and method for making

Abstract

A carrier tape includes a longitudinal strip having a plurality of component receiving pockets positioned therein. The pocket depth is greater than a thickness of the longitudinal strip. Adjacent pockets are spaced apart by a distance less than approximately five times the thickness of the longitudinal strip. Sidewalls separating adjacent pockets have a height greater than the pocket depth minus a height of a component which the pockets are configured to receive. The carrier tape is produced by providing a rotatable tool and a nip roll having a conformable outer circumferential surface opposed to the tool. The outer circumferential surface of the tool includes projections for forming the pockets. A polymer web is introduced into a nip between the tool and the nip roll, and embossed with the projections on the circumferential surface of the tool.

1 . A component carrier tape comprising: 
 a longitudinal flexible strip;    a plurality of pockets longitudinally positioned on the longitudinal strip and configured for receiving a component therein, each of the pockets having a depth from a top surface of the longitudinal strip that is greater than a thickness of the longitudinal strip;    wherein side walls separating adjacent pockets are spaced apart by a distance less than approximately five times the thickness of the longitudinal strip, and wherein the sidewalls separating the adjacent pockets have a height greater than the pocket depth minus a height of the component which the pockets are configured to receive.    
   
   
       2 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal strip has first and second parallel longitudinal edge surfaces, and at least one of the edge surfaces includes a plurality of equally spaced advancement holes for receiving an advancement mechanism.  
   
   
       3 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , further comprising a cover releaseably secured to a top surface of the longitudinal strip, extending along the strip, and covering the plurality of pockets.  
   
   
       4 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal strip has a width of less than 10 mm.  
   
   
       5 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pockets are spaced on the longitudinal strip at a pitch of about 2 mm or less.  
   
   
       6 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein side walls separating adjacent pockets are spaced apart by a distance less than approximately three times the thickness of the longitudinal strip.  
   
   
       7 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewalls separating adjacent pockets have a height greater than approximately 90% of the pocket depth.  
   
   
       8 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewalls separating adjacent pockets have a height greater than approximately 95% of the pocket depth.  
   
   
       9 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the sidewalls separating the adjacent pockets have a height approximately equal to the pocket depth.  
   
   
       10 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the pockets have a length and a width, and wherein at least one of the pocket length and pocket width is less than 2 mm.  
   
   
       11 . The component carrier tape of  claim 10 , wherein the pockets have a length and a width, and wherein at least one of the pocket length and pocket width is less than 1 mm.  
   
   
       12 . The component carrier tape of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal strip has a thickness of less than about 0.5 mm.  
   
   
       13 . The component carrier tape of  claim 12 , wherein the longitudinal strip has a thickness of less than about 0.25 mm.  
   
   
       14 . A flexible carrier tape for storage and delivery of components by an advancement mechanism, the carrier tape comprising: 
 a longitudinal flexible strip having a top surface and a bottom surface opposite the top surface;    a plurality of pockets for receiving components spaced along the strip and opening through the top surface thereof, wherein adjacent pockets are separated from each other by a crossbar, the crossbar separating adjacent recesses by a distance less than approximately three times a thickness of the strip, and wherein a top surface of the crossbar is substantially coplanar with the top surface of the strip; and    a plurality of projections extending from the bottom surface of the strip, each one of the projections corresponding to one of the plurality of pockets.    
   
   
       15 . A method for producing an embossed carrier tape having a plurality of longitudinally spaced component receiving pockets in a front side thereof, comprising: 
 providing a rotatable tool having an outer circumferential surface, the outer circumferential surface including a series of projections for forming a plurality of longitudinally spaced component receiving pockets;    providing a nip roll having a conformable outer circumferential surface opposed to the outer circumferential surface of the tool;    introducing a polymer web into a nip between the tool and the nip roll;    pressing the polymer web between the tool and the nip roll to emboss the web with the projections on the circumferential surface of the tool; and    removing the embossed web from the tool.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a rotatable tool having an outer circumferential surface including a series of projections comprises providing projections having a height greater than a thickness of embossed web removed from the tool.  
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a rotatable tool having an outer circumferential surface including a series of projections comprises providing projections separated by a distance less than about five times the thickness of the embossed web removed from the tool.  
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein providing a rotatable tool having an outer circumferential surface including a series of projections comprises providing projections separated by a distance less than about three times the thickness of the embossed web removed from the tool.  
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a rotatable tool having an outer circumferential surface including a series of projections comprises providing projections to form a plurality of individual carrier tapes in the embossed web.  
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a nip roll having a conformable outer circumferential surface comprises providing a conformable circumferential surface having a Shore A hardness in the range of 30 to 100.  
   
   
       21 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a nip roll having a conformable outer circumferential surface comprises covering a circumferential surface of the nip roll covered with an elastomer.  
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein pressing the polymer web between the tool and the nip roll includes deforming the conformable surface of the nip roll with the projections of the rotatable tool to form features on a back side of the web.  
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein providing a rotatable tool comprises providing a unitary tool.