Wiring board and method of producing the same

• US 6,998,336 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Spark PLUG Company Limited
• Inventors: Iba, Masahiro, Sakai, Hajime, Hayashi, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelms, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOANG, QUOC DINH
• Application Number:
  US11/070,200
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 438612-614, 257/772, 257/779
• US Class Current: 438/612
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/043 Reflowing of solder coated conductors, not during connection of components, e.g. reflowing solder paste
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/244 Finish plating of conductors, especially of copper conductors, e.g. for pads or lands selective plating methods H05K3/243; finish plating of conductors made by printing techniques H05K3/246; solder as finish H05K3/3457, e.g. by plating H05K3/3473
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3463 Solder compositions in relation to features of the printed circuit board or the mounting process
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3473 Plating of solder
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/3485 Applying solder paste, slurry or powder thick film methods for applying conductive paste or ink patterns H05K3/12

Abstract

A method of producing a wiring board includes a preliminary plating step of forming a solder resist layer such that the main layer of each metal pad of the board is exposed in each corresponding opening and covering the surface of the exposed main layer with a preliminary Sn plated layer. A solder paste application step involves applying a solder paste, containing solder powder comprised of the high temperature Sn solder and thicker than the preliminary Sn plated layer, on the preliminary Sn plated layer. A subsequent solder melting step involves forming the Sn solder covering layer by melting the solder paste layer together with the preliminary Sn plated layer by heating the solder paste layer to a temperature higher than the liquid phase line temperature of the high temperature Sn solder. This wettingly extends the melted layers over the surface of the main layer.

Claims

1. A method of producing a wiring board comprising a wiring laminated layer portion having a dielectric layer comprised of a polymer material and an alternately laminated conductive layer, a plurality of metal pads disposed on a major surface of the dielectric layer of the wiring laminated layer portion, and a solder resist layer disposed on the major surface of the wiring laminated layer portion and having openings therein exposing the metal pads, wherein each of the metal pads comprises a main layer, comprised of a Cu plated layer, and a Sn solder covering layer, comprised of high temperature Sn solder essentially comprised of Sn and having a liquid phase line temperature of between 185°

C. and 232°

C., the Sn solder covering layer covering the surface of the main layer located in each of the openings of the solder resist layer at an area covering ratio of at least about 81% so as to be in contact with the main layer and having a protuberant surface with a maximum thickness at a central position of the opening and a minimum thickness at an inner peripheral edge position thereof, and the thickness of the protuberant surface at the central position being smaller than the depth of the corresponding opening, the method comprising the following steps executed in the following order;

a preliminary plating step of forming the solder resist layer such that a surface of the main layer of each metal pad is exposed in a corresponding opening, and covering the exposed surface of the main layer with a preliminary Sn plated layer;

a solder paste application step of applying a solder paste, containing solder powder comprised of the high temperature Sn solder and thicker than the preliminary Sn plated layer, on the preliminary Sn plated layer; and

a solder melting step of forming the Sn solder covering layer by melting the applied solder paste together with the preliminary Sn plated layer, by heating the applied solder paste to a temperature higher than the liquid phase line temperature of the high temperature Sn solder, and thereby wettingly extending the Sn solder covering layer over the surface of the main layer.

2. A method of producing a wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the Sn solder covering layer comprises high temperature Sn solder principally comprised of Sn and having a liquid phase line temperature of between about 200°

C. and 232°

C. and covering the surface of the main layer located in the opening of the solder resist layer with an area covering ratio of at least 95% so as to be in contact with the main layer.

3. A method of producing a wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary Sn plated layer is formed so as to have a thickness of between about 0.9 μ

m and 1.8 μ

m.

4. A method of producing a wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the preliminary Sn plated layer is formed so as to have a composition containing at least 95 wt % of Sn.

5. A method of producing a wiring board according to claim 4, wherein the preliminary Sn plated layer used in the method contains Au as an accessory ingredient.

6. A method of producing a wiring board according to claim 5, wherein the Au content of the preliminary Sn plated layer is between about 0.1% and 5 wt %.

7. A method of producing a wiring board according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the solder paste applied layer is adjusted such that the thickness of a finally obtained Sn solder covering layer is between about 10 μ

m and 20 μ

m at the central position.

8. A wiring board comprising a wiring laminated layer portion having a dielectric layer comprised of a polymer material and an alternately laminated conductive layer, a plurality of metal pads disposed on a major surface formed of the dielectric layer of the wiring laminated layer portion, and a solder resist layer disposed on the major surface of the wiring laminated layer portion and having openings for exposing the metal pads,

each of the metal pads comprising a main layer, comprised of a Cu plated layer, and a Sn solder covering layer comprised of a high temperature Sn solder principally comprised of Sn and having a liquid phase line temperature of between about 185°

C. and 232°

C., the Sn solder covering layer covering a surface of the main layer located in each of the openings of the solder resist layer with an area covering ratio of at least 81% so as to be in contact with the main layer and having a protuberant shape having a maximum thickness at a central position of the opening and a minimum thickness at an inner peripheral edge position thereof, the thickness of the Sn covering layer at the central position being smaller than the depth of the corresponding opening.

9. A wiring board according to claim 8, wherein the Sn solder covering layer comprises high temperature Sn solder principally comprised of Sn and having a liquid phase line temperature of between about 200°

C. and 232°

C. and covers the surface of the main layer located in the opening of the solder resist layer at an area covering ratio of at least 95% so as to be in contact with the main layer.

10. A wiring board according to claim 8, wherein the Sn solder covering layer comprises a high temperature Sn solder whose Sn content is between about 94 wt % and 99 wt % and which contains between about 1 wt % and 6 wt % of one or both of Ag and Cu as an eutectic forming accessory ingredient.

11. A wiring board according to claim 8, wherein the thickness of the Sn solder covering layer is between about 10 μ

m and 20 μ

m at the central position and the diameter of the region of the surface of the metal pad located in the opening is between about 200 μ

m and 600 μ

m.

12. A wiring board according to claim 11, wherein the Sn solder covering layer of a spherical segment shape having a bottom surface defined by the surface of the main layer and a front surface having a radius of curvature between about 260 μ

m and 4000 μ

m.

13. A wiring board according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the metal pads are disposed on the rear side of the wiring board in one of a grid shape and a zigzag shape and form ball grid array pads coupled with solder ball members so that the metal pads are connected to terminals of the board.