Product category:
Electronics Manufacturing, Tools and Instruments
News Release from: Tecan
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 01 May 2002
Imprint patterning for high-density PCBs
Tecan and Dimensional Circuits have received a prestigious innovation award from the US Institute of Printed Circuits for their work on imprint patterning.
Dorset based Tecan, in association with Dimensional Circuits, of San Diego, CA., has received a prestigious innovation award, from the US Institute of Printed Circuits (IPC), for their work on 'imprint patterning' a revolutionary new high-density circuit fabrication technology Furthermore, Tecan, is the only company in the world to have been appointed as an approved manufacturer of the highly specialised 'tool foils' which are essential elements of the process
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 12 Mar 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Imprint patterning is a new high-density circuit-formation process, based on the established technology of microreplication.
Everyday examples of microreplicated products include compact disks, reflective road-side signs and plastic fresnel lenses.
Microreplication allows ultraprecise three-dimensional surfaces to be produced on a variety of substrates, usually in high-volume, where micro surface structures such as dimples, grooves and blind holes are formed by a hot-stamping process.
Imprint patterning involves the production of a high-density fine-pitch metal stamp or tool foil, which is used in an ordinary laminating press to imprint its image directly onto a substrate, producing circuit traces and vias.
The imprinted substrate, is then metallised to produce exceptionally accurate high-density circuitry.
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As the world's only company capable of fabricating the metal tool foils to the required levels of accuracy and planar consistency, Tecan is at the heart of this high-volume, precision embossing technology - which has the potential of revolutionising the manufacture of microvia-based printed circuit boards and high-density integrated (HDI) fabrications.
The company uses sophisticated photo-electroforming techniques to produce the tool foils.
Imprint patterning is significantly faster, less expensive and has the capability of providing far finer pitches and vias than current technology - where expensive laser drilling is necessary to produce vias.
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Also, imprint patterning allows padless circuits to be produced, the real-estate savings here can be several fold, particularly in interconnect and I/O areas.
In addition to the increasing expense associated with laser drilling, there are physical limitations to track size and pitch with traditionally etched printed circuits - all of which add to the attraction of an alternative technology.
With imprinting, for example, full vias can be produced across the whole surface of a single imprinting stamp, or 'tool foil'.
This means all the vias are produced in a single operation - this is significantly less expensive and much faster - and the tool can be used again and again.
Although it is not possible to completely imprint holes, all the way through a substrate, because microns of material remain at the bottom of the hole, this remaining web, or membrane, can easily be chemically etched away.
"With the exponential rate at which OEMs are buying laser machines, it is only a matter of time as to how quickly the industry is attracted to the incredible potential of imprint technology", said Noel Cherowbrier, Tecan's sales and marketing director.
"There is no longer any need for traditional photo resists or photo tooling for HDI circuit production - significant benefits in their own right.
Beyond this, the very nature of imprint technology will engender mould-breaking design rules so that the sizes of traces, pitches and features will be fantastically tighter in tolerance and size, compared to anything available today.
Products will be made significantly smaller and finer, at lower cost and with fewer production processes".
The technology has the potential of being extremely low cost, as imprinting skips much of the front-end processing of conventional HDI.
In addition, no new capital equipment is required, as Imprinting is performed in an ordinary laminating press.
No lithography equipment is required.
No drilling equipment is required for microvias.
Tecan won the Special Recognition Award for its participation in the IPC Printed Circuits Expo 2002 Innovative Technology Showcase, at the recent IPC Printed Circuit Expo, Long-Beach CA.
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