Nanosecond laser-assisted micro-scribing of a copper film on a dielectric material with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy based monitoring

Pulsed laser-based material removal is a preferred micro-scribing technique for Copper (Cu) cladded onto an insulating substrate, such as a flame-retardant glass-reinforced epoxy resin (FR4), because of the less thermal diffusion as well as the process flexibility. This paper reports the pulsed laser-assisted micro-scribing of Cu (35 µm) from a dielectric material. The process was monitored by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy technique (LIBS). For the complete removal of Cu from the substrate material, multiple laser scans were required. The Cu I line intensity in the LIBS spectra was decreasing with an increase in the microchannel depth. During the final laser scan, the FR4 substrate was getting ablated, and in the LIBS spectra, the characteristic emission lines from the substrate elements such as Calcium (Ca), Aluminum (Al), Sodium (Na) and Silicon (Si) were observed. The depth for a single laser pulse was estimated from a theoretical model, including the melt ejection due to the recoil pressure. Approximate microchannel depth was predicted based on the theoretical simulation.