Method for manufacturing a printed circuit board

1. A method for manufacturing a printed circuit board, the method comprising in this order the steps:

(i) providing a non-conductive substrate having on at least one surface

a copper circuitry with a copper surface, wherein the copper surface is

chemically treated by (a) an oxidation and subsequent reduction reaction and/or (b) an organic compound attached to the copper surface,

a permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer covering at least partially said copper surface,

(ii) thermally treating the substrate with the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer at a temperature in the range from 140° C. to 250° C. in an atmosphere, which contains molecular oxygen in an amount of 100000 ppm or less, based on the total volume of the atmosphere, such that a substrate with a permanent, non-conductive cover layer is obtained, the cover layer being more polymerized compared to step (i),

with the proviso:

that step (ii) is carried out after step (i) but before any metal or metal alloy is deposited onto the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer, and

that in step (ii) the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer is fully polymerized in solely one single thermal treating step, if the cover layer is a solder mask.

2. Method according to claim 1 , wherein in step (i) (a) the copper surface is chemically treated by oxidizing Cu-(0) into Cu-(I) and Cu-(II) and subsequently reducing said Cu-(I) and Cu-(II) in the copper surface such that Cu-(0) results.

3. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the copper surface in step (i) comprises a chemical treatment layer on the copper surface, the treatment layer having a maximum thickness of 500 nm or less.

4. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the organic compound is one or more than one compound selected from the group consisting of azoles, silanes, azole-silane-hybrids, and combinations thereof.

5. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer in step (i) is selected from the group consisting of solder masks and build-up layers.

6. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer in step (i) is independently a dry film or a liquid.

7. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer in step (i) has a layer thickness of 50 μm or less.

8. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer in step (i) comprises epoxy compounds.

9. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of molecular oxygen in the atmosphere is 50000 ppm or less.

10. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the atmosphere in step (ii) is an inert gas.

11. Method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature in step (ii) is in the range from 142° C. to 220° C.

12. Method according to claim 1 , wherein step (ii) is carried out for at least 10 minutes.

13. Method according to claim 1 additionally comprising after step (ii) the following step:

(iii) depositing one or more than one metal or metal alloy at least partly onto (A) the cover layer or (B) the copper surface not being covered by the cover layer.

14. Method according to claim 1 , wherein step (i) is:

(i) providing a non-conductive substrate having on at least one surface

a copper circuitry with a copper surface,

(i-a) chemically treating the copper surface by (a) an oxidation and subsequent reduction reaction and/or (b) an organic compound attaching said compound to the copper surface,

(i-b) covering at least partially the copper surface obtained after (i-a) with a permanent, non-conductive, not fully polymerized cover layer.