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What is PCB Copper Foil?

Printed circuit boards (PCBs) form the foundation of most modern electronics.

They provide the physical structure to mount components and electrically

connect them through conductive copper traces etched from copper foil

laminated onto insulating substrate materials.

The properties and quality of the copper foil used in PCB fabrication

significantly impact the performance, reliability, and manufacturability of PCBs

along with the final electronic products. This article provides a comprehensive

overview of PCB copper foil.

Definition of PCB Copper Foil

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PCB copper foil refers to thin sheets of copper metal used to fabricate the

conductive traces (wiring) in printed circuit boards. It serves as the conductive

layer that transfers electric signals between mounted components on a PCB.

The IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) defines copper foil for

PCB applications as rolled and annealed bare copper with a thickness of

typically 14-105 μm (0.7-4 mils) and with various surface treatments. Other

relevant standards organizations include JPCA (Japanese Printed Circuit

Association) and GB (Chinese National Standards).

Types of Copper Foil for PCBs

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Several key parameters differentiate the various types of copper foil used in

PCB fabrication. These include thickness, surface roughness, ductility, and

surface treatments.

Copper Foil Thickness

The thickness of copper foil used in PCBs typically ranges from 14 μm to 105

μm (0.5 oz to 3 oz. per square foot weight). Some common thicknesses include:

 14-35 μm - Ultra-thin copper

 35-50 μm - Thin copper
 50-70 μm - Standard thickness copper
 70-105 μm - Thick copper

Thinner copper allows for finer line widths and spaces enabling more compact

PCB layouts. Thicker copper provides better current-carrying capability by

reducing resistive losses.

Copper Surface Roughness

The surface roughness of copper foil impacts adhesion with dielectric bonding

agents along with current-carrying ability. Common roughness ratings as per

IPC-4552A include:

 VLP (Very Low Profile): Ra <0.4 μm

 LPH (Low Profile High Bond): Ra=0.4-1.0 μm
 HTE (High Thermal Emissivity): Ra=1.4-5.0 μm
 STD (Standard Profile): Ra=1.4-5.0 μm
 HVLP (Hyper Very Low Profile): Ra=0.4-1.0 μm

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Lower roughness promotes better etching while higher roughness bonds

better mechanically. A balance is required.

Copper Ductility

The ductility or flexibility of copper foil enables withstanding mechanical

stresses during PCB fabrication to prevent cracking or peeling of traces.

High ductility also supports small bend radii helping to produce complex

multilayer boards or flexible PCBs. Typical elongation to break values range

from 15% to over 45% for high ductility foils.

Common Surface Treatments

Various surface treatments like silane coupling agents help improve adhesion

between copper and dielectric substrate along with enhancing wettability and

solderability.

Some common copper surface treatments used in PCBs include:

 Organic coatings: Provide anti-tarnish and enhance adhesion slightly

 RED (Rolled/Annealed Dry): Raw oxidative dry surface without coatings
 RTF (Reverse Treated Foil): Micro-roughened for high-bond strength
 TC (Thin Carrier): Oxidation treatment to stabilize surface before lamination
 ETF (Electrodeposited Treated Foil): Nodules electrodeposited onto foil surface

The optimal surface finish depends on the application and desired PCB

properties.

Manufacturing Process of Copper Foil

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PCB-grade copper foils are manufactured through the processes of smelting

and electrolytic refining to achieve > 99.9% purity, followed by multiple cold

rolling, heating, and annealing stages to attain the desired thickness,

smoothness, and flexibility suitable for printed circuit boards.

Smelting and Refining

The production starts with smelting copper ore into copper anodes which

undergo electrolytic refining to produce minimum 99.9% pure cathodes. These

refined cathodes provide the raw material for subsequent cold rolling

processes.

Cold Rolling Process

Multiple cold rolling passes involving precision rolling mills gradually reduce

the copper foil thickness down to the specified thickness while improving

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strength and electrical conductivity through work hardening. Intermediate

annealing cycles help restore ductility and avoid cracking. Final grains sizes

average around 1 μm.

Rolling oils are used to lubricate the foils, minimizing oxidation and maintained

desired surface roughness. The process parameters and equipment at this

stage determine the surface finish, thickness consistency, and mechanical

properties of the resulting foil.

Batch Annealing

Batch annealing the cold-rolled foils serves to recrystallize the microstructure

which relieves internal stresses and restores ductility. This facilitates further

processing into PCB laminates without cracking or folds during handling.

Controlled cooling rates during annealing also aid in influencing resulting

grain size distributions which impact strength, conductivity, and formability.

Slitting

The continuous annealed coil goes through rotary slitting and edge trimming

to produce the desired foil widths on spools required for PCB customers and

applications.

Surface Treatment

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Various chemical and electrochemical surface treatments described in the

earlier section can be applied at this stage before packaging and shipment to

PCB fabrication facilities. This enhances solderability, bonding strength,

oxidation resistance as well as stability during storage.

Testing and Certification

Extensive testing and analysis using advanced instruments ensure tight quality

control over properties like thickness, tensile strength, ductility, microstructure,

IPC class conformance, and surface quality. Statistical sampling techniques

combined with ISO 9000 series certification of manufacturing lines guarantee

consistent quality matching customer requirements.

Role of Copper Foil Properties in PCB Performance

The properties of copper foil including surface roughness, ductility, grain

structure, and purity levels significantly influence the manufacturing yields,

electrical/thermal performance, reliability, and product miniaturization

capabilities of PCBs.

Impact on PCB Fabrication Process

 Surface roughness impacts the adhesion of photoresist layers and etching quality
 Ductility enables smaller bend radii facilitating dense multilayer stacking
 Purity levels affect etching rates and current-carrying capacities
 Grain size distribution improves strength and avoids cracked traces

Impact of Copper PCB Reliability

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 Thermal cycling reliability improved by annealed large grain foils

 Ductile foils prevent flex crack failures and fatigue
 Surface treatments enhance solder joint integrity
 Higher purity and lower resistivity foils minimize electromigration risks

Enabling PCB Miniaturization and Performance

 Thinner foils support finer line geometries

 Smooth surfaces provide better resolution for small features
 Tighter thickness tolerances aid impedance control
 Large grains boost strength despite thinner foils

Careful specification and selection of copper foils based on PCB requirements

thus becomes critical to balance manufacturability, reliability, power integrity,

signal quality, product miniaturization, and cost.

Key Suppliers of Copper Foil for PCBs

With the increasingly stringent demands of electronics applications across

consumer devices, communication infrastructure, automotive, aerospace, and

industrial segments, copper foil manufacturers continue advancing their

process technologies and capabilities.

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Some of the major global suppliers of copper foils tailored for printed circuit

board fabrication include:

These companies offer a wide range of copper foils meeting IPC specifications

across various thicknesses, surface treatments, ductility levels, and test

reporting-from regular rolled annealed to ultra-low profile electrodeposited

foils using advanced manufacturing techniques.

Comparison of Copper Foil Types for PCBs

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The optimal choice copper foil for a given PCB application depends on

balancing performance requirements against manufacturability, reliability risks,

and costs.

Regular rolled copper foils continue dominating wider PCB production thanks

to their proven consistency and cost-effectiveness. Electrodeposited copper

variants enable leading-edge applications like high-speed interconnects for

computing systems demanding ultimate performance.

Future Outlook on PCB Copper Foil

Advances in PCB copper foil technology continue to enhance manufacturability,

performance, and reliability while enabling ongoing miniaturization and higher

product integration.

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Equipment and Process Improvements

Next-generation rolling mills, cleanrooms, and testing infrastructure allow

affordable higher volumes of extreme spec foils matching the latest design

needs. For instance, recent lab demos have shown possibility of 5 μm line

widths on foils below 10 μm thickness.

Noval Surface Finishes

Development of innovative surface treatments supports finer geometries and

reliable interconnect interfaces. These include reduced surface oxides and

nanostructures for lower contact resistance.

Thinner and Smoother Foils

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Equipment capable of producing copper foils under 10 μm now exists.

However current yields limit widespread adoption. Further incremental

improvements would make them economical in high-volume applications over

the next five years.

Enhanced Modeling and Analysis

Advanced simulation techniques allow virtual modeling of grain structures and

interactive prediction of resultant PCB performance early in the design flow.

This facilitates optimized foil selection. Physics-based modeling is also guiding

process innovations.

In conclusion, copper foil technology will continue marching in step with

evolving PCB material and manufacturing capabilities to extract maximum

performance. This helps deliver electronic product enhancements across all

market segments year after year.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About PCB Copper Foils

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Here are some common questions about PCB copper foils answered:

Q1. Why can't bare copper PCB traces be used instead of going

through costly copper cladding processes?

While bare copper offers excellent conductivity, it gets easily oxidized when

exposed to air. This degrades solderability and interconnect reliability over

product lifetimes. Controlled electroplating and cladding with stable surface

finishes prevents oxidation while also allowing finer geometries.

Q2. Which direction should the grain structure of copper foils be

aligned with respect to PCB traces?

Ideally, the rolling direction of copper foils during manufacturing should be

aligned along the longer direction of PCB traces rather than transverse to

traces. This prevents crack propagation risks under thermal cycling stresses

seen in actual installations.

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Q3. How are properties like surface roughness and ductility of

copper foils measured?

Standard test procedures have been established across various geographical

industry bodies. For instance, IPC TM-650 series and JPCA guidelines help

quantify surface roughness, elongation, peel strength, dimensional stability

among other parameters using lab scale test coupons. These values determine

compliance to different classes of foil.

Q4. Can copper foil be recycled to produce new PCBs?

Yes, recycling programs exist to reclaim copper from discarded PCBs including

clasping and smelting processes to dissolve metallic fractions. However,

cross-contamination, cost economics, and process complexity tend to limit

recycled copper usage to mostly non-electronics applications rather than

regenerating the high purity foils necessary for new PCBs.

Q5. What are the key considerations when it comes to selecting

copper foils for radio frequency (RF) PCB applications?

Choice of copper foil affects RF signal loss, impedance control, and passive

component tolerances when operating at high frequencies. Smooth foil

surfaces, precise thickness consistency, large uniform grain sizes, and low

defect density become vital towards achieving reliable RF performance.

Electrodeposited foils often suit RF needs better.

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