Innovative copper foil products

Gould Electronics Inc. introduce four innovative copper foil products to meet the needs of the printed circuit board industry. They are TCR(TM) foil with integrated thin film resistor, TCU(TM) ultra-thin copper foil, TCC(TM) planar capacitor foil and LD(TM) foil for laser drilling.

These specialty foils will help PCB fabricators and laminators improve productivity, increase yields, lower costs and reduce labor. They are available in a wide variety of widths and thicknesses to meet most any requirement our customers have in the manufacture of advanced printed circuit boards.

TCR thin film resistor foil was developed to meet the increasing challenges of packaging high speed, high density electronic devices. TCR foil provides minimal resistance variation, predictability for product consistency, better resistor tolerances, reduced fabrication steps and excellent thermal stability. This new product consists of a resistive metal, which is applied to the matte side of Grade 3 RTC(TM) reverse treat copper foil using roll-to-roll vacuum deposition techniques. The resistive material is also available on other base foils.

TCU ultra thin copper foil was created for HDI and high speed circuit boards. Its very low profile structure makes it ideal for applications involving controlled impedance, high frequencies and very fine lines. TCU is a copper carrier foil with a thin copper layer applied using proprietary technology. The copper carrier provides handleability, higher lamination yields and protection before photoresist processing. Unlike other products on the market today, the carrier can be easily removed, even after exposure to temperatures as high as 225 degrees C.

TCC planar capacitor foil was developed in response to the need for increased function, speed and high density packaging in printed circuits. It consists of a polymeric substrate with a thin metal tiecoat, copper seedcoat and a layer of electrodeposited copper on both sides. TCC eliminates the design and handling challenges posed by other embedded capacitor technologies. The polyimide dielectric is free standing and non-brittle so designers need not be concerned about overlapping etched features and copper on card edge. Its smooth metal-to-dielectric interface and precise thickness tolerance ensures dielectric integrity is maintained.

LD laser drillable foil is intended for high density circuitry with small micro via interconnects in advanced printed wiring boards. It allows manufacturers using CO2 laser drills to lase less than 100 micron diameter microvias at reduced power thereby avoiding the issues of copper overhang and resin crack defects associated with conventional foils. Cycle times are dramatically shortened by eliminating conventional conformal mask process steps for CO2 lasers. LD foil is manufactured by applying a micro thin, nickel-based surface treatment to copper foil in a proprietary process. The finished product is a foil with a low reflectivity, energy absorbing surface treatment.

For more information please visit: http://www.gould.com.