PCBFABRICATION

Microvia Filling: A Challenge For Process Quality

by Dr. Jean Rasmussen, Agata Lachowicz, Danis Isik and Han Verbunt Enthone Miniaturisation of high density interconnects (HDI) increases the need for efficient Copper filling of microvias and throughhole plating. Several commercial processes are available today for microvia filling. However, one new product is suitable for both microvia filling and through-hole metallization. Its good throwing power allows for Copper flashing and microvia filling in one process after metallization using electroless Copper. In combination with direct metallization using a conductive polymer, good Copper coverage is achieved after Copper flashing in small/deep sized features, ensuring good microvia filling and high through-hole plating. The high throwing power and a unique microvia filling mechanism allow for the efficient filling of microvias of poor quality related to upstream processing. Figure 1 Filling efciency of Cuprostar CVF1 for different microvia sizes: diameter 95m and depth 75m (top), diameter 145m and depth 75m (centre), diameter 130-83m and depth 145m (bottom) Table 1 - The overall process sequence for microvia lling & PTH

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The increasing performance and miniaturisation of high-density interconnect (HDI) substrates for portable products require innovative solutions for each step in the board manufacturing process. Conventional Copper Figure 2 Microvia lling with Cuprostar CVF1 with very low buildup of surface Copper

plating concepts for electronic interconnects cannot ensure the high filling efficiency of microvias (typically 150mm or lower) or sufficient through-hole (typically 200mm or higher) metallization without modification. Figure 3 PTH = 100% for aspect ration 4. Panel plate (left) and pattern plate (right)

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Cuprostar CVF1 meets the requirements both in terms of efficient microvia filling and through-hole plating. The plating conditions are greatly dependent not only on dimensional aspects, but also on the quality of upstream processing such as drilling and the metallization of dielectrics. Microvia filling All illustrations show samples processed using Cuprostar CVF1, a novel vertical drop-in process for microvia filling, also capable of through-hole plating utilising direct current (DC). The new process is a semi one-

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step process: the activator or accelerator is present in a predip solution and suppressors or inhibitors are the only additives present in the CVF1 solution. Easy process control and reduced contamination with break-down products are two of the advantages of separating the required additive chemistry. Mixing additives is known to cause insufficient microvia filling efficiency as a bath ages. The process was developed as a drop-in process, utilising existing processing configuration and power supplies. The overall process sequence for microvia filling is shown in Table 1. The plating current is DC and consists of a short pre-plating period at low current density (0.75 A/dm2), after which the current is increased, depending on microvia dimensions, to 1.5 A/dm2 (1.25 - 2.5 A/dm2). The conditions during the ramp period are determined by the dimensions of the inner layers. The process has a filling efficiency of ~100%, independent of microvia dimensions, as shown in Figure 1. In addition, the buildup of Copper on the surface is very low (Figure 2). The CVF1 coatings have no corner cracking after thermal cycle test (10 cycles: 255C +/-5C molten salt 30s // RT water 15s // drying 15s) and have an elongation above the required 12% after annealing. The total processing time for

efficient filling ranges from 60 to 100 minutes, including a 15minute ramping time, and is dependent on the microvia dimensions (shorter times for smaller diameters, and vice versa). The new process is capable of filling boards containing different sizes microvias. In addition, compared to other commercial available processes, the throwing power of CVF1 is excellent (Figure 3) and makes it possible to process boards with microvias and through-holes. Downstream quality Prior to microvia filling and through-hole plating, laminate boards go through a sequence of processing steps. The quality of the Copper plating process is highly dependent on the quality of these upstream processes. Rough walls resulting from the mechanical drilling of throughholes are an example of poor drilling quality that can be compensated for by appropriate chemical treatment prior to plating. Rough microvia walls can also result from laser drilling. In addition, the inappropriate adjustment of laser parameters can lead to the evaporation of the dielectric, resulting in microvias with large overhangs. Microvias where the inner Copper layer is penetrated have also been observed (Figure 4). In short, a variety of microvia characteristics can be found, which influence

the results of both the metallization step and the filling process. Electroless Copper metallization Metallization of the exposed dielectric after drilling can be carried out by surface preparation with Pd activation followed by electroless Copper (ECu) deposition of a thin conductive seeding layer of a few microns in thickness. However, the thickness is insufficient for current transport and a Copper flash is needed before filling the microvias. If the quality of the ECu seeding is poor (Figure 5), the following flash Copper becomes discontinuous and negatively influences the microvia filling process, producing incomplete fillings and voids.

Figure 5 - Good ECu seeding (left) and discontinuous ECu seeding (right)

Figure 4 - Cuprostar CVF1 lling efciency of microvias of with rough walls (left), large overhang (middle) and inner layer penetration (right)

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Poor ECu seeding alone or in combination with a Cu flash in a bath with low throwing power will result in the formation of voids. A low throwing power during a Cu flash results in Cop-

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Figure 6 - Void caused by poor seeding (left) and a good ll from good seeding (right). Dimensions 145mm and depth 85mm per build-up at the upper corners of the microvia (Figure 7) and a void will occur during lling, as shown in Figure 6. Direct metallization An alternative to ECu metallization is surface treatment with a conductive polymer such as Envision HDI. A thin conductive polymer of a few 100 Angstroms thickness is selectively deposited on the dielectric and not on the exposed Copper, which eliminates the risk of Copper-Copper interface separation caused by surface contamination. The high conductivity of the polymer allows for direct electrolytic Copper plating, which reduces the overall processing time and number of necessary processing steps. Selective formation of a conductive polymer is proven by Auger Analysis (Figure 8). The conductive Figure 9 (below) - Cuprostar CVF1 as a ash process after ECu metallization polymer contains Sulphur and the analysis shows continuous conductive coating on both resin and glass bres but not on the Cu surface. The selectivity of the conductive polymer on resin and glass bres and not on Copper inner layers in multilayer boards reduces CopperCopper interface separation during thermal expansion. The very good throwing power of the CVF1 process allows it to be used for microvia lling and through-hole metallization as well as ash processes after ECu (Figure 9). Efciency and versatility The microvia lling and throughhole plating efciency of Cuprostar CVF1 has been highlighted for features with varying dimensions: small, large, and deep microvias

Figure 7 Poor coverage after Cuash in an electrolyte with low throwing power and through-holes. Also documented is its ability to ll microvias after poor quality processing downstream in the overall process. Microvias with rough cell walls, caused by exposed glass bres, large overhang and inner layer penetration resulting from inappropriate conditions during laser drilling, can be lled efciently. Its throwing power allows it to be used as a ash process and a lling process in combination with ECuconcepts for the metallization of dielectrics. In direct metallization processes using Envision HDI, the good throwing power of CVF1 results in a uniform Copper seeding/ash (also in deep and small sized features) and efcient microvia lling and through-hole plating, without the use of ECu.

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Figure 8 (above) - Auger surface analysis for conductive polymer containing Sulphur OnBoard Technology April 2006 - page 10 www.Onboard-Technology.com