Shedding Light on PCB Imaging

摘要

Photolithography is a vital step in PCB production. Fine-line photo processes and improved registration have been identified as high-priority technical needs, not only to make HDI and microvia boards more practical, but also to improve yields for conventional boards.The need for finer lines, lands, and vias, as well as more precise alignment and registration of such features, has reached a point in which improvements of traditional exposure equipment (predominantly contact printers) are no longer adequate. Based on the need for more fundamental improvements, new laser-based projection and other imaging techniques have emerged as serious alternatives to conventional lamp-based contact printing systems.