The Impact of New Generation Chemical Treatment Systems on High Frequency Signal Integrity

In the march towards higher and higher data rates, no stone is being left unturned in the quest for optimized signal integrity (SI). A myriad of material and process changes have driven the improvement in an incremental manner for several years. Indeed, with no apparent silver bullet, every process has been scrutinized, every material has been characterized and every tolerance tightened. The most recent of these to be interrogated is the pre-lamination treatment executed on the inner layers to promote adhesion. The long standing objective of smoother copper for enhanced signal integrity is diametrically opposed to the long standing practice of rougher copper for enhanced interlaminar adhesion and product reliability.