Preparation of electronic-grade CuO for copper electrodeposition of printed circuit boards

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to present a simple and convenient technology to produce the electronic-grade CuO. The prepared electronic-grade CuO fully meets the demands of industrial production of high density interconnect (HDI). Design/methodology/approach – A new method termed as open-circuit potential-time technology is proposed to measure the dissolution time of CuO in plating solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) were used to characterize the prepared CuO. Solder shock and reflow tests were carried out to examine the Cu deposits. Findings – All aspects of the prepared CuO meet the demands of printed circuit board (PCB) industry. Originality/value – A simple and convenient technology was presented to produce the electronic-grade CuO. A new method was proposed to determine the dissolution time of CuO in plating solution.