Search results

The purpose of this paper is to establish an accurate model to quantify the effect of conductor roughness on insertion loss (IL) and provide improved measurements and suggestions for manufacturing good conductive copper lines of printed circuit board.

To practically investigates the modified model of conductor roughness, three different kinds of alternate oxidation treatments were used to provide transmission lines with different roughness. The IL results were measured by a vector net analyzer for comparisons with the modified model results.

An accurate model, with only a 1.8% deviation on average from the measured values, is established. Compared with other models, the modified model is more reliable in industrial manufacturing.

This paper introduces the influence of tiny roughness structures on IL. Besides, this paper discusses the effect of current distribution on IL.

Optimized plating conditions, included proper designs of insulating shield (IS), auxiliary cathode (AC) and different patterns, contribute to the uniformity enhancement of copper deposition.

Plating experiments were implemented in vertical continuous plating (VCP) line for manufacturing in different conditions. Multiphysics coupling simulation was brought to investigate and predict the plating uniformity improvement of copper pattern. In addition, the numerical model was based on VCP to approach the practical application.

With disproportionate current distribution, different plating pattern design formed diverse copper thickness distribution (CTD). IS and AC improved plating uniformity of copper pattern because of current redistribution. Moreover, optimized plating condition for effectively depositing more uniformed plating copper layer in varied pattern designs were derived by simulation and verified by plating experiment.

The comparison between experiment and simulation revealed that multiphysics coupling is an efficient, reliable and of course environment-friendly tool to perform research on the uniformity of pattern plating in manufacturing.

The uniformity of electrodeposition is the key to successful application of pattern plating because the quality of electrodeposited copper layer has a huge impact on the performance of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The multi-physics coupling technology was used to accurately analyze and forecast the characteristics of electrochemical system. Further, an optimized plating bath was used to achieve a uniform electrodeposition.

A multi-physics coupling numerical simulation based on the finite element method was used to optimize electrodeposition conditions in pattern plating process. The influences of geometric and electrochemical factors on uniformity of current distribution and electrodeposited layer thickness were discussed by multi-physics coupling.

The model results showed that the distance between cathode and anode and the insulating shield had a great impact on uniformity of electrodeposition. By numerical simulation, it had been proved that using an auxiliary cathode was an effective and simple way to improve uniformity of electrodeposition due to redistributing of the current. This helped to achieve more uniform surface of the copper patterns by preventing the edge effect and the roughness of the copper layer was reduced to 1 per cent in the secondary current distribution model.

The research is still in progress with the development of high-performance computers.

A multi-physics coupling platform is an excellent tool for quickly and cheaply studying the process behaviors under a variety of operating conditions.

The numerical simulation method has laid the foundation for the design and improvement of the plating bath.

By multi-physics coupling technology, we built a bridge between theoretical and experimental study for control of uniformity of pattern plating in PCB manufacturing. This method can help optimize the design of plating bath and uniformity of pattern plating in PCB manufacturing.

The purpose of this paper is to form high density interconnection (HDI) of backboard for press-fit applications with the pre-curing conditions of conductive paste. The best condition of pre-curing conductive paste should be found to obtain good electrical and physical performance of the conductive paste and avoid the simultaneous curing behavior of prepreg.

A novel structure of backboard was designed by using the connection of conductive paste-filled through holes to connect two multilayers. Pre-curing conditions of conductive paste were investigated to find their effects on resistance, bond strength and volume shrinkage. The reliability of pre-curing conductive paste was also analyzed.

Pre-curing conditions led to a great influence on the resistance, bond strength and volume shrinkage of the conductive paste. The best condition of pre-curing conductive paste was chosen as the low curing temperature of 60°C and a curing time of 30 min. Cured conductive paste exhibited square resistance of 4.205 mΩ/□ and bonding strength of 22.86 N. The as-obtained pre-curing condition could improve the reliability of conductive paste. Pre-curing process of conductive paste at extremely low temperature to interconnect two multilayer structures improved the density interconnection of backboard for press-fit applications.

The use of HDI of backboard could lead to good assembly for high-speed signal transmission of electronic products with press-fitting components. The connection of pre-curing conductive paste for multilayers could have important function for improving the application for communication backboard.

Copper electrodeposition acts as a crucial step in the manufacture of high-density interconnect board. The stability of plating solution and the uniformity of copper electrodeposit are the hotspot and difficulty for the research of electrodeposition. Because a large number of factors are included in electrodeposition, experimentally determining all parameters and electrodeposition conditions becomes unmanageable. Therefore, a multiphysics coupling technology was introduced to investigate microvia filling process, and the mechanism of copper electrodeposition was analyzed. The results provide a strong theoretical basis and technical guidance for the actual electroplating experiments. The purpose of this paper is to provide an excellent tool for quickly and cheaply studying the process behavior of copper electrodeposition without actually needing to execute time-consuming and costly experiments.

The interactions among additives used in acidic copper plating solution for microvia filling and the effect on the copper deposition potential were characterized through galvanostatic measurement (GM). The adsorption behavior and surface coverage of additives with various concentrations under different rotating speeds of working electrode were investigated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. Further, a microvia filling model was constructed using multiphysics coupling technology based on the finite element method.

GM tests showed that accelerator, inhibitor and leveler affected the potential of copper electrodeposition, and bis(3-sulfopropyl) disulfide (SPS), ethylene oxide-propylene oxide (EO/PO) co-polymer, and self-made leveler were the effective additives in acidic copper plating solution. CV tests showed that EO/PO–Cu⁺-Cl⁻ complex was adsorbed on the electrode surface by intermolecular forces, thus inhibiting copper electrodeposition. Numerical simulation indicated that the process of microvia filling included initial growth period, the outbreak period and the stable growth period, and modeling result was compared with the measured data, and a good agreement was observed.

The research is still in progress with the development of high-performance computers.

A multiphysics coupling platform is an excellent tool for quickly and cheaply studying the electrodeposited process behaviors under a variety of operating conditions.

The numerical simulation method has laid the foundation for mechanism of copper electrodeposition.

By using multiphysics coupling technology, the authors built a bridge between theoretical and experimental study for microvia filling. This method can help explain the mechanism of copper electrodeposition.

As a common transmission line, the microstrip line plays an important role in high-speed circuits. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the effects of the circuit design of microstrip lines on the signal integrity (SI). In addition, the influence of the type and thickness of the solder resist ink on SI was analyzed to provide guidance for the related producing process design of printed circuit boards (PCBs).

Microstrip line properties consisting of shape, line-width/line-space ratio, reference layer design and as-covered solder resist ink were designed to measure the insertion loss (S₂₁) in high-speed PCB.

The study showed that the insertion loss (S₂₁) of straight, meander, snake-shaped and wavy microstrip lines was approximately consistent. A microstrip line with width/space ratio less than 0.96 is necessary, as the differential line closing produces a mutual interference. Reference layer including the discontinuous area should be repaired by adjusting the microstrip line parameters. With regard to the solder resist ink, the insertion loss of novel solder resist ink decreased by 0.163 dB/in at 12.9 GHz and 0.164 dB/in at 14 GHz, compared with traditional solder resist ink. Accordingly, the insertion loss effectively improved at a lower thickness of solder resist.

This paper demonstrated that the common designing factors of line shape, line/space ratio, reference layer and solder resist influence microstrip line SI in the significant reference of designer-making PCB layout.

The purpose of this paper is to form good cutting qualities in glass-epoxy material for opening flexible areas of rigid-flex printed circuit boards (PCB) by ultraviolet (UV) laser cutting.

The cut width and cut depth of glass-epoxy materials were both observed to evaluate their cutting qualities. The heat affected zone (HAZ) of the glass-epoxy material was also investigated after UV laser cutting. The relationships between the cut width and the parameters of various factors were analyzed using an orthogonal experimental design.

The cut width of the glass-epoxy material gradually increased with the increment of the laser power and Z-axis height, while cutting speed and laser frequency had less effect on the cut width. Optimal parameters of the UV laser process for cutting glass-epoxy material were obtained and included a laser power of 6W, a cutting speed of 170 mm/s, a laser frequency of 50 kHz and a Z-axis height of 0.6 mm, resulting in an average cut width of 25 μm and small HAZ.

Flexible areas of rigid-flex PCBs are in good agreement with the cutting qualities of the UV laser. The use of a UV laser process could have important potential for cutting glass-epoxy materials used in the PCB industry.

The purpose of this paper is to form copper coin-embedded printed circuit board (PCB) for high heat dissipation.

Manufacturing optimization of copper coin-embedded PCB involved in the design and treatment of copper coin, resin flush removal and flatness control. Thermal simulation was used to investigate the effect of copper coin on heat dissipation of PCB products. Lead-free reflow soldering and thrust tests were used to characterize the reliable performance of copper coin-embedded PCB.

The copper coin-embedded PCB had good agreement with resin flush removal and flatness control. Thermal simulation results indicated that copper coin could significantly enhance the heat-dissipation rate by means of a direct contact with the high-power integrated circuit chip. The copper coin-embedded PCB exhibited a reliable structure capable of withstanding high-temperature reflow soldering and high thrust testing.

The use of a copper coin-embedded PCB could lead to higher heat dissipation for the stable performance of high-power electronic components. The copper coin-embedded method could have important potential for improving the design for heat dissipation in the PCB industry.

The purpose of this paper is to optimize experimental parameters and gain further insights into the plating process in the fabrication of high-density interconnections of printed circuit boards (PCBs) by the rotating disc electrode (RDE) model. Via metallization by copper electrodeposition for interconnection of PCBs has become increasingly important. In this metallization technique, copper is directly filled into the vias using special additives. To investigate electrochemical reaction mechanisms of electrodeposition in aqueous solutions, using experiments on an RDE is common practice.

An electrochemical model is presented to describe the kinetics of copper electrodeposition on an RDE, which builds a bridge between the theoretical and experimental study for non-uniform copper electrodeposition in PCB manufacturing. Comsol Multiphysics, a multiphysics simulation platform, is invited to modeling flow field and potential distribution based on a two-dimensional (2D) axisymmetric physical modeling. The flow pattern in the electrolyte is determined by the 2D Navier–Stokes equations. Primary, secondary and tertiary current distributions are performed by the finite element method of multiphysics coupling.

The ion concentration gradient near the cathode and the thickness of the diffusion layer under different rotating velocities are achieved by the finite element method of multiphysics coupling. The calculated concentration and boundary layer thicknesses agree well with those from the theoretical Levich equation. The effect of fluid flow on the current distribution over the electrode surface is also investigated in this model. The results reveal the impact of flow parameters on the current density distribution and thickness of plating layer, which are most concerned in the production of PCBs.

By RDE electrochemical model, we build a bridge between the theoretical and experimental study for control of uniformity of plating layer by concentration boundary layer in PCB manufacturing. By means of a multiphysics coupling platform, we can accurately analyze and forecast the characteristic of the entire electrochemical system. These results reveal theoretical connections of current density distribution and plating thickness, with controlled parameters in the plating process to further help us comprehensively understand the mechanism of copper electrodeposition.