Fabrication of Micro Conductor Pattern on Polymer Material by Laser Induced Surface Activation Technology

Laser induced surface activation (LISA) technology requires refined selection of process variables to fabricate conductive microcircuits on a general polymer material. Among the process variables, laser mode is one of the crucial factors to make a reliable conductor pattern. Here we compare the continuous wave (CW) laser mode with the pulse wave (PW) laser mode through determination of the surface roughness and circuit accuracy. In the CW laser mode, the surface roughness is pronounced during the implementation of the conductive circuit, which results in uneven plating. In the PW laser mode, the surface is relatively smooth and uniform, and the formed conductive circuit layer has few defects with excellent adhesion to the polymer material. As a result of a change of laser mode from CW to PW, the value of Ra of the polymer material decreases from 0.6 ㎛ to 0.2 ㎛; the value of Ra after the plating process decreases from 0.8 ㎛ to 0.4 ㎛, and a tight bonding force between the polymer source material and the conductive copper plating layer is achieved. In conclusion, this study shows that the PW laser process yields an excellent conductive circuit on a polymeric material.