Dominique Numakura's Newsletter from Japan

JPCA Show 2005 (Part III) - Micro via-hole drilling

There has been remarkable progress with micro via technologies for smaller holes than 100micron diameters in the last several years. Probably, the Asian multi-layer board manufacturers, especially, with the build up manufacturing process, bought thousands of the lasers drilling machines. Many vendors of laser drilling service and machines displayed the latest technologies during the exhibition.

On the other hand, there was another trend with the mechanical drilling for the micro via process. Many vendors of mechanical NC drilling machines such as Hitachi Via Mechanics were demonstrating the 50micron drilling capabilities of the latest machines. The drilling tool suppliers such as Union Tool displayed the 50micron diameter drilling bits. We can not see the spirals on the thin throat without a high X microscope.

Can you imagine how fine the 50 microns are? They are two thousandth of an inch. This diameter is less than half of the hair of human being.  We believed it the area of the laser drilling previously. But machine manufacturers, tool manufacturers and circuit board manufacturers have been working together, and they made remarkable progress about the mechanical drilling technology of the micro via holes in the last few years. The vendors said that many PWB companies had been making 100micron holes (4 mils) with mechanical NC drilling for the volume production. Several major manufacturers are capable of making 75micron holes with the mechanical NC drilling for the volume production. They said that several manufacturers have been challenging 50 micron mechanical drilling (2 mils) nowadays. They believe the mechanical drilling for micro via holes has a higher productivity than laser drilling.

The industrial experts have a lot of questions about the technology. So do I. What kind of material is available for the process? What is the available thickness? Is it available for the blind via holes. What kind of backing material should be used? How many sheets can we drill in one campaign? How long is the life of the drilling bit? What kind of a de-smearing process should be used? What kind of a copper plating process should be applied? Unfortunately, the exhibitors in the booths were not process experts of the technology, and they could not give me the suitable information that I wanted.  I was not sure whether they really did not have the information or if it is still confidential.

Dominique Numakura

Headlines of the week

Matsushita Electric Works (the largest PWB material supplier)
Commercialized a new halogen-free grade of black color copper laminate "R-1515B" for the IC packaging applications.
 
Asahi Denka (Major supplier of electronics materials in Japan)
Will increase the investment in 2005 to 10 billion yens to expand the manufacturing of electronics materials in overseas facilities.

Sharp (Major electronics company in Japan)
Will commercialize the world largest LCD TV (65" size) in early August.

Kenwood (Major audio manufacturer in Japan)
Will start the business of portable audio products. Kenwood will release the first product with 20GB/1.8" disc drive in June.

Matsushita Electric Works (the largest PWB material supplier)
Founded a joint venture in China with Thin Flex, Taiwan for the manufacturing of the flexible laminates.  Matsushita targets 5 billion yen revenue in 2007.

Asahi Schwebel (Material supplier in Japan)
Commercialized a new 45 micron thick glass cloth with a double layer structure. The new cloth keeps good dimensional stability during the laser drilling.

Dai-Nippon Screen (Equipment manufacturer in Japan)
Agreed to acquire Inca Digital Printer, a manufacturer of the ultra large size ink jet printers in U.K. by 30 million pounds.

FDK (Major component supplier in Japan)
Will start the volume production of the world smallest stepping motors in China for the zooming lens of micro cameras. FDK targets 7 billion yens revenue in 2007.
 
Asahi Kasei (Major chemical company in Japan)
Will start the volume production of the adhesiveless flexible laminate in 2006. Asahi will provide the sample materials for the evaluation this year.

Kyoden (Major PWB manufacturer in Japan)
Will start a volume production of high heat conductance circuit boards by a new manufacturing method for the automobile applications.

Toray (Major chemical company in Japan)
Will found a new plant of advanced films in Korea as a joint venture for electronic and optical applications. The new plant will start the operation in the first half in 2006.

Alps Electric (Major component manufacturer in Japan)
Will move a part of manufacturing process of disc-drive heads to a China plant from Japan. The China plant will have a whole manufacturing process of the products.