With demand for portable electronics and wired telecommunications devices soaring and product cycles measured in months instead of years, it is estimated that the global market for microvias will expand by a factor of 20 in less than seven years. Such enormous growth creates an urgent need for cost-effective, high-volume microvia formation methods for advanced PWB and HDI fabrication. This paper briefly outlines the market forces driving microvia technology today and compares the four principal microvia formation techniques: mechanical, photovia, plasma, and laser drilling. A more thorough discussion follows on the two most successful laser technologies for microvia formation, CO_2 and UV diode-pumped solid-state, with an emphasis on what PWB manufacturers should be looking for in each. Included in this discussion are details on process speed, via diameter, types of dielectrics, via quality, and process parameter considerations.
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