3M Electronic Solutions Division
© 2013 3M. All Rights Reserved.
Electrical Performance, Miniaturization and EMI Advantages
of Very High Capacitance Density Laminates in PCBs and
IC Packaging Presented at PCB West 2011, September 29, 2011, Santa Clara, CA
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Agenda
Background on Embedded Capacitance
Electrical Performance/EMI Data
Capacitor Elimination Metrics
PCB Fabrication Compatibility
Cost Considerations
Summary
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Background on Ultra-Thin
Embedded Capacitance Materials
4
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Ultra-Thin Embedded Capacitance Material
Product
Description
Sheets of Cu-clad laminate
Thin, high Dk dielectric
Uses Power-ground innerlayer (distributed capacitance) for
rigid and flex PWBs and IC packages
Singulated (discrete-like) capacitors for decoupling,
filtering and other functions in rigid and flex PWBs and
IC packages
Ideal for high frequency decoupling
Eliminates discrete capacitors
Dampens plane resonances
Cu Foil, 1 oz. (1.4 mil)
Cu Foil, 1 oz. (1.4 mil)
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Ultra-Thin Embedded Capacitance Technology
Electrode (Cu)
Dielectric (k) Thickness (t) (um)
Electrode (Cu)
Capacitance per unit area (C/A) is proportional to dielectric constant k and inversely
proportional to t
Maximize C/A by decreasing thickness (t) and increasing dielectric constant (k)
Capacitance/Area = 0.885 k/t (nF/cm2)
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Why Embedded Capacitance?
4. Cost
2. Space
1. Performance Surface
Mount Cap Active Device
Embedded Capacitor
Complexity
Cost Discrete
Embedded
3. EMI
- Faster charge delivery
- Effective noise dampening
- Reduced power bus noise
- SMT caps and vias eliminated
- Power bus noise is a leading cause of EMI
- Board size reduction
- Reduced assembly costs
5. Reliability
- Elimination of solder joints/vias
3MTM Embedded Capacitance
Material (ECM)
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3M™ Embedded Capacitance Material (ECM)
Applications
Computer
High-end servers, Supercomputers, Storage
Consumer Electronics
Mobile Handheld Devices, Video, MEMS Microphones
Chip Packaging
Processors, Memory Modules
Military / Aerospace
Aircraft & Missile Avionics, Satellites
Telecom
Routers, Base Stations, Switches
Miniaturization Performance Component Reduction
Test & Measurement
Automated Test Equipment
Very high C/A needed in these
applications due to space
constraints
8
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High C/A Needed IC Packaging
Embedded Distributed Capacitance in high-speed digital
IC package for high-end server
40 µm vias
Embedded Capacitance Core
(8 µm dielectric and 17 µm copper)
280
µm
Eight Layer Package (42.5 mm X 42.5 mm) with 10
nF/in2 ECM in middle
9
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High C/A Needed in MEMS Module
Early design with 2 SMT caps (lid
removed)
Later design with 3M™ Embedded
Capacitance Material (ECM) replacing
SMT caps
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Electrical Performance Data in
High-Speed Digital Boards
} iVoltage i
T
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The Need for Electrical Performance
High-speed digital electronics require low impedance
power distribution, driven by trends in silicon
―Lower voltages
―Higher frequencies
―Higher currents
Very high C/A ECM is a very simple and effective way to
lower the impedance of the power distribution system, even
on small boards, modules and chip packages
―Lowers voltage ripple
―Dampens board resonances
―Reduces EMI
―Eliminates decoupling capacitors
Voltage
Current = Impedance
fl ~O
\
Dielectric Thickness
<: dielectric="" thickness="" oise="">12
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Key Factors for High Frequency Decoupling
Noise Generated
Noise Dampened
Self
Impedance
Dielectric Thickness
Total Loss
Capacitance Density
Inductance
Lower the amount of
noise generated
Ability to deliver
required charge quickly
Dampen the noise that
is generated
Dielectric Thickness
Ability to dispel noise
Performance is driven by dielectric thickness and dielectric constant; thinner dielectrics and
higher dielectric constants mean higher loss, higher capacitance and lower inductance.
Dk
Dk
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Total Loss vs. Frequency (3M™ Embedded
Capacitance Material (ECM)
D.F. vs. Frequency
0
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.1
0.12
0.14
0.16
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 9.3
Log Frequency
D.F.
Dielectric Loss
Copper Loss
Total Loss
Cu losses dominates at frequencies >150 MHz
Power-Ground
Cores: Desire
high loss at HF
14
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3M™ Embedded Capacitance Material (ECM) Key
Properties
C0614 C1012 C2006
Capacitance per
Area
6.4 nF/in2
(1.0 nF/cm2)
10 nF/in2
(1.55 nF/cm2)
20 nF/in2
(2.3-6.2 nF/cm2)
Dk 16 22 22
Dielectric
Thickness 0.55 mil (14 µm) 0.47 mil (12 µm) 0.24 mil (6 µm)
Dielectric loss
@ 1GHz 0.03 0.03 0.03
Resin system Epoxy, ceramic filler Epoxy, ceramic filler Epoxy, ceramic filler
TCC Meets X7R Meets X7R Meets X7R
Dielectric
Strength
~3300 V/mil
(130 V/um)
~3000 V/mil
(118 V/um)
~3000 V/mil
(118 V/um)
Breakdown >100V >100V >50V
Copper
Thickness 1.4 mil (35 µm) 1.4 mil (35 µm)
0.7 mil (17 µm) 1.4 mil (35 µm)
15
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Power Bus Noise Reduction
Reduce the dielectric thickness of the laminate between the power
and ground planes
―If >1.5 mils, 10 dB reduction per decade
―If <1.5 mils, 20 dB reduction per decade
Increase the dielectric constant of the laminate between the power
and ground planes
―If Dk <10, 7 dB reduction per decade
―If Dk >10, 14 dB reduction per decade
Changing from a 4 mil FR-4 power ground core to a 2 mil core will
reduce power bus noise by ~4 dB
Changing from a 4 mil FR-4 power ground core to a 0.5 mil core with
Dk of ~20 will reduce power bus noise by ~20 dB
Modeling Noise on Printed Circuit Board Power Planes
John Grebenkemper, DesignCon 2004
16
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Four Factors Impacting Signal Integrity
Signal
Integrity
Reflection Noise
Crosstalk
Power Bus Noise
EMI
Directly
Addressed
by 3M ECM
Signal Integrity, Power Integrity and EMI are all interrelated
Indirectly
Addressed
by 3M™
Embedded
Capacitance
Material
(ECM)
'mpedance. Magnitude * at J51 ’1’ '
Impedance magnitude [ohm]
A
\/
Frequency [Hz]
1.00E+O1
2 mil \
1.00E+00
1 mil \\
1.00E-O1 \
0.3 mil \\
1.00E—02
Bare :'
1.005—03
_ board 1.00E+06
1.00E+O7 1.00E+08
1.00E+09
aQEMLi Gnéraméfizatidn 111'
APEX ‘01
January 2001
Isfvan Novak
isrvan. no vak
@sun, cam
17
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3M Electronic Solutions Division
Impedance Comparison
\\
18
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Self-Impedance Comparison
Lower impedance across all frequencies with thinner /high Dk dielectric materials
Courtesy of Sun Microsystems
Impedance magnitude [ohm]
1.E-03
1.E-02
1.E-01
1.E+00
1.E+07 1.E+08 1.E+09
Frequency [Hz]
50um
24um
12um
8um
FR-4
3M
19
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Power Bus Noise on Test Vehicle (EDC TV1)
Traditional decoupling capacitors are not effective at frequencies above 250 MHz
3M has excellent performance to 5 GHz (and beyond)
Data from NCMS Embedded Decoupling Capacitance Project Report - 12/00
Less Noise
-45
-40
-35
-30
-25
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
No Caps (FR4) FR-4 + Decoupling Caps 3M (5 um)
dB
1MHz to 1GHz
1 GHz to 3 GHz
3 GHz to 5 GHz
Domain = 50 MHz
’\
/\‘ ‘\ l—xk
/ I
i I'
/ I ‘
\J l I I‘ll
\J \/ U'
20
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Power Bus Noise
(Time Domain = 50 MHz
Data from NCMS Embedded Decoupling Capacitance Project Report - 12/00
Volts
-2.5
-2
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
x 10 ns
-1.5
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
50 Ohm mode, V=3.3v
TV 1 2 mil FR4
FFFRFRFF4000
TV 1 3M
TV 1 FR4+dec.
21
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Power Bus Noise (UMR)
Power-Ground
Core Material
Nominal
Capacitance (nF)
Peak-to-Peak
Voltage (mV)
FR-4 (with 33
discrete SMT caps)
330 214
BC2000TM (50 µm) 3 1,740
3M™ Embedded
Capacitance
Material (5 µm)
107 89
canventiunal FM materlals board embedded canacitors board
22
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Comparison of Power Bus Noise on 6-Layer Board
Power noise ripple of FR4 board is much higher than the 3M™ Embedded
Capacitance Material (ECM) board (156 mV vs. 24 mV)
ECM board shows superiority over FR4 on noise reduction in entire bandwidth
(10MHz-4GHz)
ECM board noise close to white noise of Spectrum Analyzer in higher frequency over
1.5GHz
Very promising for ECM to improve power supply quality, digital /analog interference in
board and board level EMI
-160
-140
-120
-100
-80
-60
-40
-20
0
0.01
0.14
0.26
0.39
0.52
0.65
0.77
0.9
1.03
1.15
1.28
1.41
1.54
1.66
1.79
1.92
2.04
2.17
2.3
2.43
2.55
2.68
2.81
2.94
3.06
3.19
3.32
3.44
3.57
3.7
3.83
3.95
GHz
dBm
3M C-PLY19 (0.75mil)
FR4 (3.54mil)
Power ripple noise comparison in time domain Power noise frequency spectrum comparison
Courtesy of Huawei
23
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Board Level 3M™ Embedded Capacitance Material
(ECM) Performance Comparison – Test Result
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
30
101
172
243
314
385
456
527
598
670
741
812
883
954
1025
1096
1167
1238
1309
1380
1451
1522
1593
1664
1735
1807
1878
1949
Frequency (MHz)
dBuV/m
3M C-PLY19 (0.75mil)
FR4 (3.54mil)
Full Wave Darkroom
Radiated Emission Test Result （30MHz - 2GHz ）
Radiated Emission Test in standard full wave darkwave for FR4/ECM board.
Obvious better performance of ECM board from 30M to 2G ( only tested up to 2G)
Courtesy of Huawei
M Wm WM UM WM HmM ZDDM mm \
M Wm WM 0M HIM mum HUM mm 1
24
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EMI Reduction with use of 3M™ Embedded
Capacitance Material (ECM) on Rigid Multi-layer
Board in Avionics Application
-9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
L e v e l [ d Bµ V/ m ]
2M 4M 6M 10M 20M 40M 100M 200M 400M 1G
Fr e q u e n c y [ Hz ]
M ES 2 4 1 1 1 9 1 1 _ p r e
L I M 1 6 0 D RE Ca t H DO 1 6 0 D RE Ca t e g o r y H L im it
-9
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
L e v e l [ d Bµ V/ m ]
2M 4M 6M 10M 20M 40M 100M 200M 400M 1G
F r e q u e n c y [ Hz ]
x
x
x M ES 2 4 1 1 1 9 1 0 _ f in
M ES 2 4 1 1 1 9 1 0 _ p r e
L I M 1 6 0 D RE Ca t H DO 1 6 0 D RE Ca t e g o r y H L im it
No 3M ECM With 3M ECM
Courtesy of U.S. Defense Prime Contractor
25
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Electrical Benefits of Ultra-Thin Embedded Distributed
Capacitance (Power-Ground)
Lowers impedance of power distribution system
Dampens board resonances
Reduces noise on power plane
Reduces radiated emissions
High Dk significantly improves performance compared to
same thickness with low Dk
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Capacitor Elimination Metrics
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Examples of How Many Discrete Caps Can be
Replaced per Board Area
Design Board
Layers
No. of 3M ECM
Power-Ground
Cores
Approx.
Board
Area (in2)
Total No.
of Caps
Removed
Caps
Removed
per sq in
EDC TV1 6 1 6 33 5.5*
OEM A 12 1 35 126 3.6
OEM B 10 2 17 73 4.3
OEM C 8 2 12 57 4.6
OEM D 14 2 121 529 4.4
OEM F 14 2 ~100 443 ~4.4*
OEM G 20 2 ~80 ~660 ~8.2
*100% of decoupling caps removed
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Discrete Capacitor Elimination on Telecom Board
Baseline Design (BGA1) Embedded Capacitance Design (BGA1)
Embedded Capacitance Design (BGA2)
Baseline Design (BGA2)
VS.
VS.
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Cap Elimination Summary
Surface mounted discrete capacitors are usually ineffective
above several hundred MHz
3M™ Embedded Capacitance Material (ECM) can replace a
large number of discrete decoupling capacitors from the
board surface
Results to-date suggest:
―Typically ~75% of discrete decoupling capacitors can be removed
―Typically ~4-8 decoupling caps per square inch can be removed
―Only 1 – 10% of the amount of SMT capacitance removed is
needed due to lower inductance
―Even when large quantities of SMT caps are removed, electrical
performance is still improved
30
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PCB Compatibility
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PCB Processing - 1
Compatible with all standard rigid/flex PCB processing
(includes laser drill, plasma de-smear and alternative oxides)
Material handling is most significant issue
―(compares to bare 2 ounce copper)
A sequential lamination process is recommended
―Pattern 1st side copper
―Laminate patterned side to another layer of prepreg
―Pattern 2nd side copper
If a sequential lamination process is utilized, there are no
design limitations
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PCB Processing - 2
Typically 1 to 4 cores of material are used in a board stack up (2 is the
most common)
Typical locations in stack up are middle (one core) and layers 2/3 and
n-1/n-2 (2 cores)
Compatible with all common laminate/prepreg materials
―Low and high Tg FR-4 (Epoxy-Glass)
―BT/Epoxy
―Nelco 4000-13/4000-13SI
―Isola 370 HR
―PPO/Epoxy (Megtron/Getek®)
―Embedded Resistor Materials
―Polyimide Film
―Thermount® (Polyimide)
―Polyimide-Glass*
―Rogers 4450 and 4003
―Gore MicrolamTM 630
―APPE *Prepreg materials need max cure temp of 200C for some ECM materials
33
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PCB Fabrication Results
Two 3M™ Embedded Capacitance
Material (ECM) laminate cores (8
µm) separated by an FR406 core.
Microvias in test board.
34
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PCB Fabrication and OEM Acceptance
Many PCB fabricators have successfully fabricated ECM in
high volume commercial applications
–Over 120 PCB fabs have used the material to-date
–Used by PCB fabs in at least 15 countries to-date (including many in
Asia)
–Material has been used in backplanes, daughter cards, modules, IC
packaging and flex circuits
–Board layer counts from 2 to over 40
–Boards have been built for military/aerospace, telecom, computer,
handheld, IC packaging, automotive, medical, ATE market segments
Ms R
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UL Testing/RoHS
RoHS compliant
Compatible with lead free assembly
Does not contain bromine
Halogen-free versions available
UL recognition (ECM C0614)
Test
Property
Result
Laminate
Flammability
94V-0
Laminate
Solderability Limits
288ºC/30 sec
Laminate
Relative Thermal
Index
130ºC
Board
Flammability
94V-0
Board
Max Operating Temp
130ºC
36
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Cost Considerations
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3M™ Embedded Capacitance Material (ECM)
Cost Reducers and Adders
Board
Board Assembly
System/Design
Smaller board sizes
Reduced layer counts
Fewer solder joints/vias
Difficult to alter embedded
materials
Eliminated capacitors
Reduced assembly costs
Improved yields
Fewer design cycles
Faster layouts
Eliminated EMI measures
Improved reliability, service life
Adders
Cost
Reducers
Cost
Trend…
Material costs
PCB processing costs
Potential lower yields
38
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Cost Conclusions
Bare board costs will typically increase
System costs may increase or decrease
―Design dependant
―Higher component densities favor embedding
―Boards with high panel utilization favor embedding
The technology and supply chain infrastructures have
matured greatly; the costs of embedded approaches have
declined and opportunities for system cost reduction have
expanded greatly compared to several years ago .
39
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Summary
Ultra-thin/high Dk laminate materials used for power-ground cores
(distributed capacitance) offer very significant electrical performance
advantages compared to standard FR-4 laminate materials
Ultra-thin, high Dk dielectric materials also offer many other
advantages over standard FR-4 power-ground core laminates
―Thermal
―Reliability
―Component and Space Reduction
―Regulatory (EMI)
―Easier/Faster Board Design
New, even higher C/A products can achieve excellent decoupling and
low pass filtering on even extremely small products such as chip
packaging , handheld products and microphones
40
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Key Contacts
Contact us or visit
www.3Mcapacitance.com to…
Get samples for prototyping
Obtain a quote for purchasing
Set up a visit and/or conference
call with a 3M engineer
Technical
―Joel Peiffer (St. Paul, MN)
•jspeiffer@mmm.com
•651-575-1464
Business
―Abhay Joshi (Austin, TX)
•ajoshi@mmm.com
•512-984-6399
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writing, by an authorized officer of 3M.
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