CONNECT

Inspiration

The modern electronics market is increasingly driven by the miniaturization of components, supporting the digitalization of society while addressing environmental concerns through reduced raw material consumption. In this context, ultrathin copper foil has become a key material for manufacturing miniaturized printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in smartphones, tablets, and computers.

At Circuit Foil Luxembourg (CFL), an ultrathin copper foil known as functional foil (FF) is produced with a carrier copper foil (CF) that customers peel off after lamination to form the conductive paths of PCBs. The peelability of this carrier foil is enabled by an inorganic nanometric release layer (RL). However, the interfacial adhesion mechanisms governing this RL remain largely unexplored and uncontrolled. This knowledge gap arises primarily from the nanometric thickness of the RL, which demands advanced characterization techniques with nanoscale resolution to accurately probe its physicochemical structure.

This project pursues two main objectives:

(i) to identify the structure of the nanometric release layer and elucidate its adhesion mechanisms,

and (ii) to develop new product demonstrators with controlled interfacial adhesion, informed by the scientific insights gained.

Innovation

LIST developed advanced characterization methods to analyze the structural evolution of the release layer (RL) under thermal exposure. These investigations provided insights into the transformation mechanisms of the RL and their influence on interfacial adhesion. Building on this understanding, several new RL designs were tested as proof-of-concept demonstrations to validate the proposed adhesion control strategies. 

Impact

The knowledge gained from this project may guide the development of next-generation release layer (RL) technologies, facilitating the fabrication of printed circuit boards (PCBs) and, consequently, enhancing the production of electronic devices.