IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1543955
50 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2026 New, Greener Solutions for Etch Novel Copper Extraction "Novel" is a typical marketing phrase that implies new and unique, but often "novel" actually means an established technology being applied to a new field or application. This, in turn, is often driven by newly relevant external motiva- tion. GreenSource has been working on just such a solution: novel copper extraction, offering a better and greener alternative to traditional LLE control systems for cupric chloride etch. Dissolved copper concentration is a key param- eter for high-resolution circuit formation in cupric chloride etch solutions. Too little dissolved copper will exacerbate isotropic etching and result in poor line shape, while too much copper will ren- der the etch rate too low to be a viable process. This leads to solution sludging and the inevitable formation of crystals on rollers, which can be detrimental to high-end, tight-feature yields. A RT I C L E BY R I C H A R D N I C H O LS, G R E E N S O U RC E E N G I N E E R I N G