Accurate Measurement of Critical-to-Quality Structures

SNOQUALMIE, WA – MicroConnex, an industry leader in providing high-density interconnect solutions to the medical and industrial test markets, has acquired and commissioned a Fischerscope X-Ray XDV-µ Metrology Station from Fischer Technology.

Expanded Offerings for Challenging Designs

This state-of-the-art x-ray fluorescence (XRF) instrument expands the MicroConnex metrology capability set to include best-in-class thickness and composition measurements of very thin metal coatings, conductive traces, and small components and structures.

Says Steve Leith, VP of Engineering and Technology at Microconnex, “Our customers often use circuit and interconnect designs that challenge conventional metrology capabilities for minimum feature size as well as thickness and compositional measurement accuracy. The new Fischerscope XRF expands our metrology capabilities to enable higher resolution measurements of very small functional features and other critical-to-quality structures of importance to our customers.”

Key Benefits and Extraordinary Capabilities

MicroConnex selected the Fischerscope X-Ray XDV-µ instrument, over other XRF options, for these key benefits:

• Direct measurement of critical-to-quality features as small as 50 µm wide. Typical XRF instruments rely on larger, non-functional test structures.
• Greater than 5-nm thickness resolution of nickel and gold stackups, commonly used in flex circuit surface finishes and specialty trace architectures
• High-fidelity quantification of phosphorous composition in electroless nickel deposits (NiP) to minimize black pad excursions
• Less than 1-nm thickness resolution on gold-palladium coatings

Such extraordinary capabilities result from a Fischer Technology instrument design that incorporates innovative features that include the following:

• Micro-focus x-ray tube with tungsten anode and beryllium window
• Peltier-cooled, large area silicon drift x-ray detector
• Poly-capillary x-ray optics with measurement spot size of 20 to 45 µm
• Fully programmable X-Y stage with CCD color video camera monitoring and calibrated display of measurement spot

Leith says, “With the poly-capillary optics and silicon drift detector, this XRF instrument is at the front of the line in x-ray measurement technology. Our recent commissioning of the system further solidifies our market position in both fabricating and ensuring quality in difficult-to-build HDI designs.”

Fully Qualified for Production and Development Designs

MicroConnex deployed the new XDV-µ metrology station in Q2 2017, and the station is fully qualified for both production and development designs. For more information on the Fischerscope XDV-µ instrument, visit www.fischer-technology.com. For a complete list of MicroConnex fabrication and metrology capabilities, go to www.microconnex.com.

For more information, visit MicroConnex.com or call (425) 396-5707.

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About MicroConnex

Founded in 1995, MicroConnex first used its laser drilling and micromachining capabilities with ultrasonic transducers and high-density interconnect flex circuits. The company quickly became an industry leader by offering innovative interconnect and packaging technology to the medical and defense markets. Its advances in flex technology and laser micromachining now enable electronic system manufacturers to produce smaller, smarter, and more portable devices. Medical ultrasound continues as a major market for MicroConnex flex circuits, and the company supplies an ever-expanding variety of commercial companies in the medical, semiconductor, consumer, defense, aerospace, and computer industries.

MicroConnex

34935 SE Douglas Street
Snoqualmie, WA 98065