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1996 Electronics Industry Environmental Roadmap - Civil and ...

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Emerging Technologies<br />

Printed Wiring Boards: Printed wiring boards (PWBs) represent the dominant interconnect<br />

technology on which chips will be attached <strong>and</strong> represents another key opportunity for making<br />

significant environmental advances. According to NEMI [33]:<br />

98<br />

“The challenges of lowering costs <strong>and</strong> improving interconnect density while becoming<br />

more environmentally benign are best solved through the development of new materials<br />

<strong>and</strong> improved manufacturing processes. A method must be found to restore significant<br />

research <strong>and</strong> development capability to the industry.”<br />

There are several types of PWBs. They may be rigid, generally made of a glass-reinforced<br />

epoxy-resin laminate, or flexible, generally made of polyimide <strong>and</strong> polyester substrates. Printed<br />

wiring boards may be either single- or double-sided, or may have multiple layers. PWB<br />

production is a complex process requiring many individual steps to complete the board.<br />

Regardless of the type of PWB, common processes include drilling, image transfer, <strong>and</strong><br />

electroplating [34].<br />

Base Material: The base material for most PWB fabrication processes is a copper-foilclad<br />

resin/glass composite. A woven cloth (typically made of glass fiber) is impregnated<br />

with a plastic resin (usually an epoxy) <strong>and</strong> both surfaces of the impregnated cloth are then<br />

covered with a copper foil. The base material is purchased by the PWB manufacturer as a<br />

starting material for the overall circuit board process described below.

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