Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 16:36:15 -0500 From: Lou Franzini <[log in to unmask]> Subject: <No subject given> Hi, I work for a company that makes stepper machines for microlithography in making flat panel displays. We are thinking of adapting this technology to be used in making printed circuit boards (esp. for micro chip modules). I have inquired that line resolution is much coarser in pcb's than in flat panel displays. However I am not very privy to pcb microlithography and would appreciate any comments or suggestions that would help me to decide whether I should pursue this field of application. I am specifically interested in the following questions: Are there any other design standards besides IPC? What types of substrates are used and what companies produces them or laminate them? How are these substrates registered (how do you locate their position before printing) Any additional comments on MCM interconnects (BGA's , Wire Bond, etc) that would complicate the process. Thanks, Lou Hi, I worked for a company that made exposures systems for PCB's and a stepper for hybrids and we looked at this years ago. The problem was light intensity. Everyone has looked at this who does exposure systems. The problem is the panel size changes, the panels are not flat, and plating resists require a lot more exposure than etch resists and better collimation (thicker resist). The resists need a fast, collimated exposure. At the time we looked at it, there was not a light source that would work. We had made an automatic, conveyorized, 24"x24" plasma display exposure system that was the state of the art in it's day, but it would never punch through a laminated resist fast enough. The longer the exposure and or less collimination, the more light that bounces into the ajoining resist and the less definition of the trace after development. Best Regards, Robert E. Mesick Remco Engineering Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems www.remco.com ################################################################ TechNet E-Mail Forum provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8c ################################################################ To subscribe/unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the body: To subscribe: SUBSCRIBE TechNet <your full name> To unsubscribe: SIGNOFF TechNet ################################################################ Please visit IPC web site (http://jefry.ipc.org/forum.htm) for additional information. For the technical support contact Dmitriy Sklyar at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.311 ################################################################