355 nm DPSS UV laser cutting of FR4 and BT/epoxy-based PCB substrates

The 355 nm DPSS UV laser cutting of electronics printed circuit board (PCB) substrates including FR4, and BT/epoxy-based PCB substrates was investigated. The effects of various laser conditions such as scanning speed, assisting gas, repetition rate, and interval between scans on the heat affected zone (HAZ) and charring were studied. The quality and morphology of laser cut PCB substrates were evaluated with optical microscope, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was found that multi-pass cutting at high scanning speed can achieve high quality cutting with little charring. It was also found that with O2 assist gas, a certain amount of interval time between scans and higher repetition rate led to less HAZ and less charring. High quality laser cutting of PCB substrates with no delamination, very little charring and minimum HAZ was demonstrated. The developed process has important potential applications in the electronics industry.