Influence of Electroless Copper on IC Reliability

The process of plating through holes (PTH) is inherent to modern PCB manufacturing. In an arena of increasing circuit density and layer counts, the reliability of the PTH process is under constant microscopic examination. The aim of electroless copper is to plate a conductive layer through a hole or into a blind microvia. In this context an interconnect (IC) refers to the copper to copper adhesion within the functional constraints of a circuit board. As these can include many inner layers, the inter connection quality is of prime concern. In addition the PTH process also inherits the issues from the preceding manufacture.