PLATED THROUGH-HOLE PROCESSING - AN INTEGRATED APPROACH

Printed wiring board manufacturers are faced with their stiffest battl e for survival yet: Global competition, environmental regulations, dec lining profit margins, stricter quality standards, etc. It is evident that survival will depend on the highest quality and yields, while kee ping costs under control. One way to enhance quality is to have a thor ough understanding of all aspects of the manufacturing press: Chemical and mechanical. The purpose of this article is to focus on plated thr ough-hole (PTH) processing (desmear and electroless copper). Rather th an look at desmear and electroless as two separate processes, however, we will treat them as one continuous process. This can be termed, bet ter, ''the integrated approach.'' The goal of this integrated approach is the enhancement of quality and yields through the production of a continuous, void-free, fine-grained copper deposit that is tightly adh erent to all surfaces. This paper is about the development of the inte grated approach to PTH processing.