JP2004207611A - Printed wiring board manufacturing device and printed wiring board manufacturing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printed wiring board manufacturing device and its method with which artificial adjusting work is avoided and which have a good yield. <P>SOLUTION: A processor (PC) 22 arranged in a wiring pattern width measuring process 104 measures conductor width (line width) in a designation position of a wiring pattern which is received from printed wiring board design CAD 24, which follows position information of the wiring pattern of an object of measurement, and from which a dry film is peeled and removed. A prescribed etching condition such as line speed, etching liquid concentration and spraying pressure of etching liquid is controlled in an etching processing process 102 by a measured result value (value of conductor width). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus and a printed wiring board manufacturing method suitable for use in a manufacturing process of a multilayer printed wiring board requiring high-precision pattern etching.
[0002]
[Prior art]
When a pattern of a printed wiring board (PWB) is formed, a portion that does not require a conductor (copper foil) (a portion where a wiring pattern is not formed) is removed in an etching step. Generally, variations in the pattern width after etching occur due to factors such as the thickness, pattern density, and etching conditions of the pattern of the printed wiring board. When manufacturing a printed wiring board, it is necessary to suppress variations in pattern width according to various requirements. For example, in a high-speed data transmission path or the like in which the characteristic impedance needs to be kept within a certain range, it is necessary to control the finished value of the pattern width which causes the characteristic impedance to change with high accuracy.
[0003]
Conventionally, as a method of controlling the finished value of the pattern width, a check method by an inspector in a test run has been applied. In this method, before flowing all the sheets (of the copper-clad board) in the manufacturing lot to the etching step, only a small number of sheets are passed through the etching line, and the inspector measures the finished pattern width with a magnifying glass or the like, and If the pattern width is within a certain control range, the entire production lot is flowed. If the pattern width is not within the control range, the process manager adjusts the etching conditions such as the concentration of the etching solution and the speed of the etching line, and after adjustment, flows a small number of sheets again through the etching line. Adjust the etching conditions until it enters.
[0004]
However, the above-described method of controlling the finished value of the pattern width has a problem in that much labor and time are required artificially, and the yield is poor. Particularly, in the case of a high-precision, high-density multilayer printed wiring board, the yield greatly affects the manufacturing cost.
[0005]
Regarding the etching control technology, in forming a thin film pattern on a semiconductor wafer, a difference between the actual measured value of the finished resist pattern before etching and the actual measured value of the finished pattern after etching is calculated, and the difference between the actual measured value of the next lot is determined. There is a manufacturing technique for determining the etching operation conditions (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-269190 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, conventionally, there has been a problem that much effort and time are required for controlling the width of an etched wiring pattern, and the yield is poor.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus and a printed wiring board manufacturing method which can avoid a manual adjustment operation and have a high yield.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is to automatically measure the width of a predetermined wiring pattern after etching in the etching process of a printed wiring board, and to automatically adjust optimal etching conditions in real time based on the measured value. Features.
[0010]
That is, according to the present invention, in the manufacturing method of a printed wiring board according to claim 1, a measuring means for measuring a conductor width of the etched wiring pattern, and the etching based on the conductor width measured by the measuring means. The present invention is characterized by a printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus including a control unit for controlling an etching condition in a step of performing a process.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the measuring unit includes a position information obtaining unit that obtains position information of a wiring pattern to be measured from the design information of the etched printed wiring board, and the position information obtaining unit. A measurement processing means for specifying a wiring pattern to be measured on the etched printed wiring board based on the acquired position information and measuring a conductor width thereof.
[0012]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the line speed of the etching process so that the conductor width of the etched printed wiring board becomes a design value.
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the control means controls the concentration of the etchant used in the etching process so that the conductor width of the printed wiring board becomes a designed value.
[0014]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the control means controls a spray pressure of an etching solution used in the etching process so that a conductor width of the etched printed wiring board becomes a design value.
[0015]
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the control means uses, as the setting information, a parameter included in the design CAD data of the printed wiring board whose conductor width has been measured by the measuring means.
[0016]
Further, according to claim 7, the control means includes a history database in which etching conditions affecting a wiring pattern width are accumulated for a printed wiring board which has been etched in the past, and the etching processing is performed from the history database. Searching for an etching condition suitable for the printed wiring board to be used, and using the etching condition as the setting information.
[0017]
Further, in claim 8, the position information acquiring means according to claim 2, based on the design information of the printed wiring board on which the etching process is performed, determines a high-speed signal transmission path affected by a change in characteristic impedance due to a conductor width. It is characterized in that a wiring pattern is selected and positional information of the wiring pattern is obtained.
[0018]
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the parameters according to the sixth aspect include at least one of a pattern thickness, a wiring density, a lamination condition, and an etching condition.
[0019]
Further, in the production line for a multilayer printed wiring board according to claim 10, further comprising a conductor width measuring step of selecting a predetermined wiring pattern from the substrate after the etching step and measuring a conductor width of the wiring pattern, A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board is characterized in that the etching conditions in the etching step are controlled based on the conductor width measured in the width measurement step.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
FIG. 1 is a view showing an etching process of a printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0022]
The etching process shown in FIG. 1 includes an etching resist coating process 101, an etching process 102, a resist stripping process 103, and a wiring pattern width measuring process 104.
[0023]
In the etching resist coating step 101, a dry film (photosensitive film) is attached to the copper-clad laminate (substrate), and then the conductor pattern portion (the portion where the conductor pattern is formed) is exposed and developed. The (etching-resistant film) is left on the (conductor pattern portion).
[0024]
In the etching process 102, an etching solution is sprayed (sprayed) from a spray nozzle onto the copper foil surface of the substrate flowing through the etching line to dissolve and remove the unnecessary copper foil other than the conductor pattern.
[0025]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the predetermined etching conditions such as the line speed, the concentration of the etching solution, the spray pressure of the etching solution, and the like in the etching process 102 are determined by the measurement result value (the conductor width of the conductor width) in the wiring pattern width measurement process 104. Value). A specific processing example (state transition) of the etching in the etching processing step 102 will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0026]
In the resist stripping step 103, the dry film adhering to the conductor pattern is stripped and removed to expose the conductor pattern (copper strip).
[0027]
In the wiring pattern width measuring step 104, the wiring pattern (conductor pattern) obtained by peeling and removing the dry film according to the positional information of the wiring pattern to be measured, received from the printed wiring board design CAD (see reference numeral 24 in FIG. 2). Then, the conductor width (line width) at the designated position is measured.
[0028]
In the embodiment of the present invention, predetermined etching conditions such as a line speed, an etchant concentration, and a spray pressure of the etchant in the etching process 102 are controlled by the measurement result value (the value of the conductor width). The specific configuration example of the wiring pattern width measuring step 104 and the control of the etching conditions in the etching step 102 based on the measurement result will be described later with reference to FIG.
[0029]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a wiring pattern width measuring step 104 in the above embodiment, and a configuration example of an etching condition control system based on the measurement result.
[0030]
Here, as an example, a measurement mechanism using a CCD sensor for line-scanning the CCD element in the X direction or the Y direction is shown as an example, but for example, an image sensor by laser scanning, a line sensor, a two-dimensional imaging device, and the like. It is also possible to use an optical sensor.
[0031]
In the wiring pattern width measuring step 104 shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 2, a CCD sensor 223 composed of a CCD element 221 and a CCD scanning mechanism 222 is provided, and components of an etching condition control system are provided. A processing device (PC) 22 and a history database 25 are provided.
[0032]
Also, in the etching process step 102 shown in FIG. 1, a processing apparatus (PC) 21 and an etching control mechanism 213 which are components of the etching condition control system are provided.
[0033]
The processing apparatus (PC) 22 provided in the wiring pattern width measuring step 104 and the processing apparatus (PC) 21 provided in the etching processing step 102 are provided in a system provided in a system for managing a printed wiring board manufacturing line. In this embodiment, they are connected to each other via a bus 23. In this embodiment, the etching conditions are transferred from the processing device (PC) 22 provided in the wiring pattern width measuring process 104 to the processing device (PC) 21 provided in the etching process 102. Control information (CNT) is sent.
[0034]
The processing device (PC) 22 provided in the wiring pattern width measuring step 104 sends pattern position information indicating a wiring pattern of a printed wiring board (PWB) to be measured to the printed wiring board design CAD 24. Make a request to get it.
[0035]
Further, when the processing device (PC) 22 acquires pattern position information indicating a wiring pattern of a printed wiring board (PWB) to be measured from the printed wiring board design CAD 24, the processing device (PC) 22 detects the CCD sensor based on the position information. The drive control of the CCD scanning mechanism 222 of the H.223 is performed, and a measurement value of the conductor width (line width) is acquired based on the output of the image sensor. At this time, the CCD sensor 223 scans the wiring pattern (CP) formed on the printed wiring board (PWB) which has been subjected to the resist stripping step 103 and designated by the pattern position information, and outputs the image sensor output to a processing device. (PC) 22.
[0036]
Further, the printed wiring board design CAD 24 includes a CAD database 241 storing design data, and upon receiving the above request from the processing device (PC) 22, accesses the CAD database 241 to obtain the requested printed wiring board measurement target. The position information of the wiring pattern is obtained and sent to the processing device (PC) 22 that has made the request.
[0037]
Further, the processing device (PC) 21 provided in the etching process step 102 receives the etching condition control information (CNT) from the processing device (PC) 22 provided in the wiring pattern width measurement step 104 via the system bus 23. When the information is received, an instruction in accordance with the information content is issued to the etching control mechanism 213. The etching control mechanism 213 controls the line speed of the etching line 211, controls the concentration of the etching solution supplied from the etching solution supply unit 212, controls the spray pressure of the spray nozzle (ns), and the like, in accordance with the above-mentioned instructions of the etching conditions.
[0038]
3 and 4 are explanatory diagrams of the operation in the above embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between the etching conditions that can be controlled by the etching condition control information (CNT) and the finished width of the pattern after the etching process.
[0039]
FIG. 4 shows an example of the state of etching in the etching process step 102. FIG. 4A shows a state before etching (that is, a state after application of an etching resist), and FIGS. d) shows a state transition at the time of etching, and (e) shows a state after the etching.
[0040]
Here, the processing operation of the printed wiring board manufacturing process in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the above-described drawings.
[0041]
In the etching step, a copper-clad laminate (substrate), which is a raw material of a printed wiring board, is first subjected to the application of a dry film, exposure and development of a conductor pattern portion in an etching resist coating step 101, and the exposed conductor is exposed. An etching-resistant film (etching resist) is left in the pattern portion (see FIG. 4A).
[0042]
Next, in the etching process step 102, the unnecessary copper foil other than the conductor pattern portion is gradually dissolved on the etching line by the etching liquid sprayed from the spray nozzle (ns) via the etching liquid supply unit 212. It is removed (see FIGS. 2, 4 (b) to 4 (d)).
[0043]
At this time, in the etching process 102, predetermined etching conditions (see FIG. 3) such as a line speed, an etching solution concentration, and a spray pressure of the etching solution are based on etching conditions output from a processing device (PC) 22 described later. It is controlled by control information (CNT).
[0044]
Next, in the resist stripping step 103, the dry film adhering to the conductor pattern portion is stripped and removed, leaving the conductor pattern (copper strip) exposed (FIG. 4E). reference).
[0045]
Next, in a wiring pattern width measuring step 104, the conductor width (line width) of a predetermined conductor pattern (wiring pattern) is measured.
[0046]
At this time, the processing device (PC) 22 provided in the wiring pattern width measurement step 104 designates a wiring pattern (conductor pattern) received from the printed wiring board design CAD 24 in accordance with the positional information of the wiring pattern to be measured. The conductor width (line width) of the position is measured, and the measurement result value (conductor width value) and the parameter (pattern thickness) included in the design information of the printed wiring board to be measured obtained from the printed wiring board design CAD 24 Based on the (thickness of copper foil), wiring density based on wiring pattern information, adaptive etching solution and its concentration, etc., etching optimization control is performed so that the conductor width becomes a design value.
[0047]
That is, the processing device (PC) 22 determines the position of the CCD sensor 223 in accordance with the positional information received from the printed wiring board design CAD 24 with respect to the printed wiring board having the conductor pattern (copper-exposed surface) exposed through the resist stripping step 103. By driving and controlling the CCD scanning mechanism 222, the image sensor output on the wiring pattern (CP) indicated by the position information is read, and the measured value of the conductor width (line width) is acquired from the image sensor output.
[0048]
At this time, the processing device (PC) 22 receives, from the printed wiring board design CAD 24, position information indicating a wiring pattern of a high-speed signal transmission path, which is specified in a design stage in advance and has a change in characteristic impedance due to, for example, a conductor width. Then, a measurement value of the conductor width (line width) of the wiring pattern according to the position information is obtained.
[0049]
Further, the processing device (PC) 22 compares the measured value with the value of the line width acquired from the printed wiring board design CAD 24, calculates an error of the finished pattern width, and sets the error to zero so that the error becomes zero. Based on the calculated values and the above parameters, the etching condition control information (CNT) is sent to the processing device (PC) 21 provided in the etching process 102.
[0050]
Upon receiving the etching condition control information (CNT), the processing apparatus (PC) 21 issues an instruction to the etching control mechanism 213 according to the information content. The etching control mechanism 213 variably controls, for example, the speed of the etching line 211, variably controls the concentration (eP) of the etchant, or variably controls the spray pressure of the spray nozzle (ns) in accordance with the instruction of the above-mentioned etching conditions. Alternatively, variable control is performed by combining the speed of the etching line 211, the concentration (eP) of the etching solution, and the spray pressure of the spray nozzle (ns).
[0051]
The feedback control from the wiring pattern width measurement step 104 to the etching step 102 always controls the optimization of the etching so that the conductor width becomes the design value, that is, the error of the finished pattern width becomes zero. Is performed.
[0052]
As described above, the optimum etching condition is obtained from the result of the measurement of the pattern width, and the etching condition is fed back to the etching process 102 in real time, so that the pattern width can always be close to the target value, and the pattern width can be reduced. Variation is also reduced. As a result, it is possible to manufacture a printed wiring board having a good yield while avoiding an artificial adjustment operation.
[0053]
Next, an example of a processing operation using the history database 25 of the processing device (PC) 22 will be described.
Examples of the use of the history database 25 include, for example, various etching environments that affect the line width of a finished pattern for various printed wiring boards manufactured on this manufacturing line under the control of the processing device (PC) 22. The relationship with the finished width of a predetermined wiring pattern of a printed wiring board manufactured under the etching environment is accumulated for each type at a fixed time interval, and this information is analyzed, so that each type is analyzed. , The parameter information of the optimum etching environment can be obtained.
[0054]
The parameter information of the optimum etching environment for each type is stored in the history database 25. Then, when manufacturing the printed wiring board, the design information of the printed wiring board to be manufactured is obtained from the printed wiring board design CAD 24, and the manufacturing is performed based on the design information and the parameter information stored in the history database 25. Determine the optimum etching conditions for the printed wiring board manufactured in the line. In the subsequent etching step, feedback control from the wiring pattern width measuring step 104 to the etching processing step 102 is performed so that the conductor width becomes a design value, that is, the error in the finished pattern width becomes zero. Then, optimization control of etching is always performed.
[0055]
By having such a system control function, it is possible to significantly reduce a human operation and manufacture a multilayer printed wiring board with a good yield.
[0056]
Also, by using the information accumulated in the history database 25 at the time of designing a printed wiring board using the printed wiring board design CAD 24, a printed wiring board design support function capable of manufacturing a higher quality printed wiring board is realized. it can.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a printed wiring board having a good yield while avoiding an artificial adjustment operation.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a view showing an etching step of a printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a wiring pattern width measuring step and a configuration example of an etching condition control system based on a measurement result in the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a relationship between an etching condition controllable by etching condition control information and a finished width of a pattern after an etching process in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a view showing an etching state of an etching step in the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference numeral 21: a processing device (PC) provided in the etching process, 22: a processing device (PC) provided in the wiring pattern width measuring process, 23: a system bus, 24: a printed wiring board design CAD, 101: an etching resist coating Step 102: Etching step 103: Resist stripping step 104: Wiring pattern width measuring step 211: Etching line 212: Etching liquid supply unit 213: Etching control mechanism 221: CCD element 222: CCD scanning mechanism 223: CCD sensor, CP: wiring pattern, ns: spray nozzle, eP: concentration of etching solution.

Claims (12)

Printed wiring board production line
Measuring means for measuring the conductor width of the etched wiring pattern;
Control means for controlling the etching conditions in the step of performing the etching process based on the value of the conductor width measured by the measuring means. The measuring means,
From the design information of the printed wiring board subjected to the etching process, position information obtaining means for obtaining position information of a wiring pattern to be measured,
Based on the position information obtained by the position information obtaining means, a wiring pattern to be measured of the etched printed wiring board is specified, and measurement processing means for measuring a conductor width thereof is provided. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1. 2. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means controls a line speed of said etching processing so that a conductor width of said etched printed wiring board becomes a design value. 2. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the concentration of an etchant used in the etching processing so that a conductor width of the etched printed wiring board becomes a design value. 2. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls a spray pressure of an etching solution used in the etching processing so that a conductor width of the etched printed wiring board becomes a design value. The control unit controls an etching condition in the step of performing the etching process based on a value of a conductor width measured by the measurement unit and a parameter included in design CAD data of a printed wiring board to be measured. Item 2. A printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to item 1. The control means includes a history database in which etching conditions affecting a wiring pattern width are accumulated for a printed wiring board that has been etched in the past, and from the history database, an etching pattern suitable for the printed wiring board on which the etching processing is performed. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a condition is searched, and the etching condition is used as the setting information. The position information acquisition unit selects a wiring pattern of a high-speed signal transmission path affected by a change in characteristic impedance due to a conductor width from design information of a printed wiring board on which the etching process is performed, and acquires position information of the wiring pattern. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2. 7. The printed wiring board manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the parameters include at least one of a pattern thickness, a wiring density, a lamination condition, and an etching condition. For the production line of multilayer printed wiring boards,
A conductor width measuring step of selecting a predetermined wiring pattern from the substrate after the etching step and measuring a conductor width of the wiring pattern,
A method for manufacturing a printed wiring board, comprising: controlling etching conditions in the etching step based on the conductor width measured in the conductor width measuring step. The said conductor width measurement process acquires the design information of the printed wiring board to be measured from a printed wiring board design CAD, and selects the wiring pattern to be measured based on the design information. Printed wiring board manufacturing method. Based on the conductor width measured in the conductor width measuring step and the design information of the printed wiring board to be measured, at least one of the line speed of the etching step, or the concentration of the etching solution, or the spray pressure of the etching solution. 11. The method for manufacturing a printed wiring board according to claim 10, wherein said etching conditions are controlled to perform optimization control of the etching so that the conductor width of said wiring pattern falls within an allowable range.

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