Evaluation of process influences on surface chemistry of epoxy acrylate based solder mask via XPS, ToF-SIMS and contact angle measurement

Epoxy acrylate based solder mask formulations were conditioned by different printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and PCB assembly process stages. Depending on these different influences the chemistry of the solder mask surface was investigated regarding adhesion to possible adhesion partners. The combination of X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and the contact angle method, for surface energy determination, provided a detailed understanding of the surface near region up to the topmost monolayer, which forms the contact zone in which adhesion takes place. The combination of ToF-SIMS and XPS provided molecular information of surface components comprising quantitative information. The influences of all process steps, like UV, chemical and thermal treatment, on the chemical surface composition and appearance were identified. Based on the results a chemical surface model could be created regarding the different adhesion mechanisms. It has been shown that an enrichment of siloxanes at the surface is generated by different mechanisms that were distinguished based on ToF-SIMS. Even though an oxidation process in the surface near region (10 nm) was indicated by XPS, no increase of the surface polar groups and thus no polarity increase could be observed within the first monolayer. A surface model derived from the analysis results shows generation and occupation of free sites at the surface through all stages of the process. An occupation of free sites by siloxanes from additives in the solder mask formulation results in a siloxane dominated topmost monolayer.