PCB Metal Balancing

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment describes a computer-implemented method for balancing electrochemical deposition of metal on a PCB substrate, the computer-implemented method comprising: i) obtaining a layout (100) of metal on the PCB substrate, the layout (100) comprising at least one active area (103, 101) having a circuit layout (103) and a balancing area (102) available for balancing; ii) dividing the substrate area into a plurality of finite elements (161); iii) determining (110) an active metal fraction (150) from the layout (100) for each finite element; and iv) determining (170) a metal balancing fraction (182) covering each finite element in the balancing area based on the active metal fraction in the finite elements in at least one active area surrounding (183) each finite element.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments relate, among other things, to the equilibration of the electrochemical deposition of metals on a PCB substrate.

Background Art

[0002] A printed circuit board, i.e., a PCB, generally comprises conductive circuits according to a certain layout provided on a non-conductive layer or substrate. One way to manufacture a PCB is by an additive or semi-additive process, where a conductive metal, such as copper, is electroplated onto the substrate according to the layout, in other words, by the electrochemical deposition of such metal on the substrate. Generally, different PCB layouts are arranged together on a so-called panel having standard dimensions, thereby obtaining a panel layout. When the panel is subjected to electroplating, the different PCBs are cut out from the panel.

[0003] The current density on the panel is not uniform and varies within the PCB circuit and also between different PCB circuits. Moreover, due to different shapes, empty spaces, in other words, regions without metal, appear in the middle of the PCBs on the panel. Such non-uniformities in metal deposition cause the final thickness of the deposited metal to vary across the panel area. This can lead to defective panels when the metal layer is too thick or too thin in some locations.

[0004] This problem can be solved by metal equilibration of the PCB layout or the panel layout, in other words, by the introduction of dummy metal patterns to obtain a more uniform metal concentration. One way to do this is by the manual or automatic insertion of a uniform dot or raster pattern in unused areas, generally in the middle areas of the PCBs on the panel.

[0005] The problem with this approach to balancing is that it does not necessarily result in the best thickness distribution across the panel, mainly due to the large variations in metal concentration between different PCBs.

Summary of the Invention

[0006] The scope of protection sought for the various embodiments of the present invention is presented by the independent claims.

[0007] Embodiments and features described herein that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims, if any, should be construed as useful examples for understanding the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0008] It is an object of the present disclosure to overcome the problems identified above by providing an automated solution for balancing a PCB layout that results in an optimal metal thickness in the active region.

[0009] This object is achieved by a computer-implemented method for balancing the electrochemical deposition of metal on a PCB substrate, according to a first exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, - obtaining a layout of the metal on the PCB substrate, comprising at least one active region having a circuit layout and a balancing region available for balancing, - dividing the substrate region into a plurality of finite elements, - determining an active metal fraction from the layout for each finite element, - determining a metal balancing fraction covering each finite element in the balancing region based on the active metal fraction in the finite element in at least one active region surrounding each finite element comprising a computer-implemented method.

[0010] In other words, optimal metal balancing is achieved by the finite element method, where the optimal metal balancing fraction is determined for the finite elements in the balancing region. Such a metal fraction can be understood as the density of the metal in each element, for example, as the ratio of the element area to be covered by the metal. To determine the metal balancing fraction, the active metal fraction for the finite elements in the active region, in other words, the density of the metal in these finite elements is determined. The metal balancing fraction for a certain finite element in the balancing region is then based on the active metal fractions of the surrounding finite elements. Therefore, a balancing element near an active region with a high active metal fraction will obtain a different balancing fraction than when it is closer to an active region with a lower active metal fraction. As a result, the balancing fraction varies across the balancing region, thereby affecting the thickness of the obtained metal layer in the surrounding active region in an optimal way. This further results in a smaller final thickness range when manufacturing the PCB, thereby resulting in a better final product.

[0011] The layout may correspond to a panel layout comprising a plurality of PCB layouts arranged within the dimensions of the panel. The active region may then comprise the PCB region. The active region may further include other metal structures anticipated on the panel, such as testing coupons or metal boundaries. The balancing region may then correspond to a metal-free region or a subset of these metal-free regions between PCB regions where balancing is available. The above method may be performed for the layout of a single PCB layout, for example, during PCB design and before it is placed on such a panel. In such a case, the balancing region may be defined as a metal-free region within the circuit defined by the PCB layout.

[0012] The metal equilibration fraction thus obtained can then be used to adapt the layout in the equilibration region according to the determined metal equilibration fraction. This can be done, for example, by selecting a pattern for the finite elements in the equilibration region having each metal equilibration fraction, and then adding the pattern to the layout of the PCB panel.

[0013] According to an embodiment, determining the equilibration fraction is performed such that a lower activity metal fraction for each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes more to the metal equilibration fraction than a higher activity metal fraction.

[0014] By predicting a higher metal equilibration fraction closer to the lower activity metal fraction, the metal thickness of that active metal fraction is reduced. Conversely, by predicting a lower metal equilibration fraction closer to the higher activity metal fraction, the metal thickness of that active metal fraction is increased. In this way, the resulting thickness range of the active metal is reduced.

[0015] According to an embodiment, determining the equilibration fraction is performed such that each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes less to the metal equilibration fraction the greater its distance to each finite element in the equilibration region.

[0016] In this way, the physical damping effect of metal equilibration for more distant active regions is taken into account. In other words, a distance function that decreases with increasing distance is applied to the metal equilibration fraction.

[0017] According to an exemplary embodiment, determining the equilibration fraction is performed such that each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes more to the equilibration fraction when each finite element in the equilibration region is positioned closer to the boundary of the panel.

[0018] When the active region is near the layout boundary, it has few elements nearby for metal equilibration. This effect is overcome by increasing metal equilibration for such regions. As a result, the resulting metal thickness range is optimized in the same way as for the active region in the center of the layout.

[0019] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method - further comprises simulating the average thickness of the metal covering the finite elements when performing electrochemical deposition according to the obtained PCB panel layout, wherein determining the equilibration fraction is performed such that the higher simulated average thickness of the metal in each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes more to the equilibration fraction than the lower simulated average thickness.

[0020] In other words, the active metal fraction is used as an input for simulating the thickness that would be obtained without metal equilibration. This thickness can be obtained since it is related to the active metal fraction and the process parameters of the electrochemical deposition. Since the ultimate goal of equilibration is to keep the metal thickness within a certain range, the simulated thickness provides a good input for equilibration. In other words, when the metal is too thick at a certain location, the equilibration fraction is increased in the nearby equilibration regions.

[0021] According to an exemplary embodiment, the method - simulating the average optimized thickness of the metal covering the finite elements when performing electrochemical deposition for the PCB layout according to the determined equilibration fraction, - adapting the process parameters of the electrochemical deposition such that the average optimized thickness of the metal falls within a predetermined thickness range, and further comprises.

[0022] The resulting metal equilibration has an impact on the thickness range of the resulting metal layer. This reduced range can further be utilized to shift the range to a more favorable average by adapting the process parameters of the electrochemical deposition.

[0023] According to an exemplary embodiment, determining the equilibration fraction is performed such that each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes less to the equilibration fraction when more surrounding finite elements in the equilibration region are available.

[0024] In other words, the total metal equilibration for an element in the active region is spread across the available equilibration elements. This results in an optimal use of the equilibration region and avoids having an equilibration fraction that is too high in a given equilibration region.

[0025] According to a second exemplary aspect, a method for manufacturing a PCB panel by electrochemical deposition of a metal, - determining a layout of a PCB panel comprising at least one active region having a circuit layout and an equilibration region available for equilibration of the material, - equilibration the layout according to the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, - manufacturing a PCB panel accordingly, A method is disclosed that comprises.

[0026] According to a third exemplary aspect, a controller comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the first exemplary aspect on the controller is disclosed.

[0027] According to a fourth exemplary aspect, a computer program product is disclosed that comprises computer-executable instructions for causing at least a device to implement a method according to the first exemplary aspect.

[0028] According to a fifth exemplary aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is disclosed that comprises computer-executable instructions for implementing a method according to the first exemplary aspect when the program is executed on a computer.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0029] Next, several exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0031] Various exemplary embodiments relate, among other things, to the equilibration of the electrochemical deposition of metals on a PCB substrate. Such electrochemical deposition can be carried out by an additive process, where a conductive metal, such as copper, is electroplated onto the substrate according to a layout, in other words, by the electrochemical deposition of such metal on the substrate. For this purpose, the substrate is made conductive according to the layout and can be immersed in a plating bath with dissociated metal ions. Then, a current is forced to flow from the anode to the conductive substrate acting as the cathode so that the metal is deposited on the substrate. By selecting process parameters such as the amount of current and the process time, a metal layer of a certain thickness corresponding to the layout is obtained on the substrate. Different PCB layouts can be arranged together on a so-called panel with standard dimensions, thereby obtaining a panel layout. When the panel undergoes electroplating, in other words, the electrochemical deposition of metal, and a series of subsequent process steps, different PCBs can be cut out from the panel. The thickness of the plated metal on the panel may not be uniform and varies within the PCB circuit and also between different PCB circuits. Moreover, due to different shapes, empty spaces, in other words, regions without metal, appear in the middle of the PCBs on the panel. Such non-uniformity in metal deposition can cause the final thickness of the deposited metal to vary across the entire panel area. This problem can be solved by the metal equilibration of the PCB layout or the panel layout, in other words, by the introduction of a dummy metal pattern to obtain a more uniform metal distribution.

[0032] Figure 1 illustrates different steps 110, 170 for performing such balancing starting from layout 100. In this example, layout 100 defines a conductive metal pattern to be deposited on a completed panel substrate. Layout 100 comprises a plurality of PCB layouts 103 disposed within the dimensions of the panel. Layout 100 may further comprise other metal patterns such as testing coupons and metal boundaries 101. All of these metal patterns together form the active metal regions of the layout. These active regions are excluded for metal balancing. Layout 100 further comprises empty regions 102, in other words, regions where no metal pattern is defined. These are mainly the regions 102 in between different PCB layouts 103. Such regions or the selection of such regions may be available for the addition of dummy metal patterns for the purpose of metal balancing, in other words, for affecting the electromechanical deposition of metal within the active regions. The regions 102 available for metal balancing are further referred to as balancing regions. More specifically, such balancing is performed to narrow the thickness range of the deposited metal in the active regions 103.

[0033] In step 110, an active metal fraction is determined for layout 100. For this purpose, the area occupied by the substrate is divided into a plurality of finite elements 161 and for each of these elements, a metal fraction is derived from layout 100, in other words, each element is assigned a metal fraction value indicating the fraction of the area of the element covered by metal in layout 100. In the example of Figure 1, one element is defined by a right triangle 161 with legs sized Δx and Δy. These resulting metal fractions 151, 153 are illustrated in plot 150 for layout 100. Plot 160 shows an enlarged view of the lower left section of plot 150 with triangular finite elements projected onto the top surface. The determined active metal fraction then has discrete coordinates i = 1...n and j = 1...m along the respective vertical and horizontal axes defined by plot 150 of θa It can be represented as (i, j).

[0034] Next, in the following step 170, the equilibration metal fraction θ b (k, l) is determined for the elements in the equilibration region based on the active metal fractions of the elements surrounding its elements. In other words, the equilibration metal fraction θ b (k, l) is based on all the active fractions θ a (i, j), that is, θ b (k, l) = f b (θ a (i, j)), where the fraction θ a (i, j) contributes less to the metal equilibration fraction θ b (k, l) the greater the distance to it. The result of step 170 is shown in plot 180, where the obtained metal fraction θ(i, j), that is, θ b (i, j) 183 for the active region and θ a (k, l) 182 for the equilibration region are shown. b (k, l) 182 are shown.

[0035] Next, different further exemplary embodiments for determining the equilibration metal fraction from the active metal fraction, that is, for defining the function f b are described. For this purpose, the following variables and functions are defined.

[0036] C a (k, l) is the available equilibration from other elements, hereinafter, that is,[[]]

[0037] Defined as the environmental contribution of the active metal fraction to the element (k, l) defined as TIFF0007683864000001.tif15170, where δ(i, j, k, l) is a distance function that increases with the increasing distance between the equilibration element (k, l) and the active element (i, j). In this way, the closer the active element is, the greater the environmental contribution. An example of the distance function is TIFF0007683864000002.tif18170, where p is a power parameter greater than 0 and r is the distance between the element (k, l) and the element (i, j), i.e.,

[0038] TIFF0007683864000003.tif12170. In the present disclosure, the term "ambient" refers to this distance function to indicate that the closer the elements are to the target element, the more they contribute to a certain variable related to this target element.

[0039] E(k, l) is the density of the elements around the element (k, l), i.e.,

[0040] Defined as TIFF0007683864000004.tif12170, E(k, l) thus becomes larger for cells closer to the edge of the substrate and thus has fewer surrounding cells.

[0041] D(k, l) is the environmental concentration of the elements available for copper equilibration around the element (k, l), i.e.,

[0042] TIFF0007683864000005.tif14170, where B(i, j) = 1 when the element (i, j) is an element enabled for equilibration and B(i, j) = 0 otherwise. For example, there may be an excluded region within a certain distance from the active region for any other reason.

[0043] F(k, l) is the density of the active elements around the element (k, l), i.e.,

[0044] It is defined as TIFF0007683864000006.tif14170, and when the element (i, j) is an element within the active region, P(i, j) = 1; otherwise, P(i, j) = 0.

[0045] G(k, l) is the environmental contribution degree of the surrounding active metal fraction to the current element (k, l), that is,

[0046] It is TIFF0007683864000007.tif14170.

[0047] T(k, l) is the environmental contribution degree from the active element based on the deviation from the target metal thickness d T That is,

[0048] It is defined as TIFF0007683864000008.tif45170. Here, d(i, j) is the thickness of the metal for the element (i, j) when no equilibration is applied. The coefficient (d(i, j) - d T ) causes the environmental contribution degree to thereby take into account the simulated thickness deviation from the target metal thickness d T This deviation can also be referred to as the amount of underplating or overplating of the deposited metal. By multiplying with the actual active metal fraction θ a (i, j), the contribution degree T(k, l) thus obtained is also proportional to the metal fraction of the surrounding active elements.

[0049] Figure 2 illustrates the steps for performing equilibration according to an exemplary embodiment using the above-obtained equations. According to the first step 201, the active metal fraction θ a (i, j) 202 is obtained from a certain metal layout as already described above with reference to Figure 1. Then, in the next step 203, the metal thickness d(i, j) 204 in the active region, in other words, the thickness of the metal when applied by electrochemical deposition on the substrate under the process parameters 205, is calculated.

[0050] Next, in step 206, the equilibration metal fraction θ b (k, l) 204 is determined from the determined thickness 204, the environmental contribution degree, and the parameter 208. Step 206 can be implemented, for example, according to the following formula, that is,

[0051] TIFF0007683864000009.tif15170, where α and β are adjustable parameters, and f(x) is

[0052] a delimiter function that can be defined as TIFF0007683864000010.tif22170. According to this formula 12, the equilibration metal fraction in the equilibration element is based on B(k, l). In other words, equilibration is only carried out when metal equilibration is enabled for this element. Moreover, the equilibration fraction in the equilibration element is based on the density F(k, l) of the surrounding active elements. Therefore, the denser the active region surrounding the equilibration element, the higher the equilibration metal fraction. In other words, the more active elements surround the equilibration element, the higher the resulting metal fraction. The density of the active element F(k, l) is further divided by the density E(k, l) of the elements surrounding the element (k, l). Therefore, the closer the element (k, l) is to the boundary of the substrate, the higher the influence of F(k, l) on equilibration. Finally, the equilibration fraction of the element (k, l) depends on the actual environmental contribution degree T(k, l) of the surrounding active elements and is weighted again by the density E(k, l).

[0053] Alternatively, step 206 is the following formula, that is,

[0054] It can be implemented according to TIFF0007683864000011, where α and β are also adjustable parameters, and f(x) is the delimiter function according to Equation 13. The difference from Equation 12 is that the density of the surrounding active elements is now divided by the environmental concentration D(k, l) of the elements available for copper equilibration around the element (k, l). In other words, the more equilibration elements available surrounding the element (k, l), the less the actual equilibration fraction assigned to the element (k, l).

[0055] Then, in step 210, the obtained equilibration fraction θ b (k, l) is applied to the initial layout. In other words, for the equilibration element (k, l), a layout pattern 209 with each equilibration fraction θ b (k, l) is selected and added to the layout. These patterns can be automatically generated such that they each have an equilibration fraction θ b (k, l). For example, a dot pattern 220 can be used, where the radius of the dots varies according to the equilibration fraction θ b (k, l). Another way to generate the pattern is by defining line patterns 221, 222, where the line thickness and / or the line spacing vary according to the equilibration fraction θ b (k, l). Yet another way is to start with a rectangular background pattern 223 having a minimum metal fraction, for example 0.05, and add metal to each of the rectangles according to the equilibration fraction θ b (k, l). The equilibration fraction θ b (k, l) 207 can further be restricted between a minimum and a maximum equilibration fraction, for example between 0.05 and 0.8.

[0056] When the equilibration is added to the layout, the layout 211 thus obtained can be used for the electrochemical deposition 212 of the metal on the substrate, thereby obtaining a panel or PCB 213 with the deposited metal.

[0057] Figure 3 illustrates different plots 310, 320, 330 as a result of the application of the steps according to FIG. 2 starting from the layout 100 shown in FIG. 1. For this application, Equation 12 was applied with α = 300 and β = 1. Plot 310 shows the simulated thickness 204 obtained from step 203. The uniform region 311 is a region without any metal, and thus has no thickness value. This plot 310 shows that when metal equilibration is not applied, the metal thickness in the active region ranges from 17 μm to 37 μm. Plot 320 shows the equilibration fraction θ b (k,l) 207, 321. Plot 330 shows the simulated thickness 204 after the application of the equilibration fraction θ b (k,l) to the layout. By applying metal equilibration 331 to the equilibration region, metal deposition is now observable in these equilibration regions. As a result of metal equilibration, the metal thickness range was reduced to the range of 19 μm to 31 μm in almost all active regions.

[0058] Figure 4 illustrates steps for performing equilibration according to another exemplary embodiment. Most of the steps according to FIG. 4 can be the same as those according to the steps of FIG. 2. In such cases, the same reference numerals are used. New reference numerals are used only if the steps are different. The main differences between FIGS. 2 and 4 are that step 203 for simulating the metal thickness is omitted, and the equilibration fraction 207 is now directly determined from the active metal fraction 202.

[0059] Step 406 can be implemented, for example, according to the following equation, namely,

[0060] TIFF0007683864000012.tif12170. The difference from Equation 12 above is that now the environmental contribution degree G(k,l) of the surrounding active metal fraction to the current element (k,l) is now the target metal thickness d TIt is used instead of the environmental contribution degree T(k, l) from the active element based on the deviation from . As the ambient active metal fraction increases, the thickness of the deposited metal decreases. The environmental contribution degree G(k, l) can, therefore, be regarded as a good parameter for determining the equilibration fraction.

[0061] Alternatively, step 406 may be implemented according to the following formula, namely,

[0062] TIFF0007683864000013.tif12170. The difference from the above formula 15 is that now the environmental contribution degree G(k, l) of the ambient active metal fraction to the current element (k, l) is replaced by C(k, l) lacking the parameter P(i, j).

[0063] Similar to formula 14, the density E(k, l) of the elements surrounding the element (k, l) can be replaced by the environmental concentration D(k, l) of the elements available for copper equilibration around the element (k, l), thereby obtaining the following formula, namely,

[0064] TIFF0007683864000014.tif22170.

[0065] Figure 5 illustrates different plots 510, 520, 530 as a result of the application of the steps according to Figure 4 starting from the layout 100 shown in Figure 1. For this application, formula 15 was applied with α = 3 and β = 5. Plot 510 shows the simulated metal thickness before applying equilibration. The uniform region 511 is the region where there is no metal, and thus it has no thickness value. This plot 510 shows that when metal equilibration is not applied, the metal thickness in the active region ranges from 17 μm to 37 μm. Plot 520 shows the equilibration fraction θ b (k, l)207, 521. Plot 530 shows the equilibration fraction θ bShows the simulated thickness after the application of (k,l)521. By applying metal equilibration 531 to the equilibration regions, metal deposition is now observable in these equilibration regions. As a result of the metal equilibration, the metal thickness range has been reduced to the range of 17 μm to 31 μm in almost all active regions.

[0066] Figure 6 illustrates further steps 601, 603 that may be performed when performing equilibration according to any of the embodiments described above. In Figure 6, steps 210 and 212 that have already been described are illustrated. Following the application of the equilibration fraction 207 to the layout according to step 210, these fractions 207 can also be used to simulate the metal thickness 602 according to parallel step 601. To do so, process parameters 605 for the electrochemical deposition are taken into account. This simulation provides the metal thickness range 602 in the active regions. This range is typically smaller than the initial range before applying equilibration, for example, the range obtained from step 203. Due to the smaller range, the process parameters 605 can be further adapted to shift the range towards a more favorable or optimal range without departing from the range required by the final panel or PCB product. The thus obtained adapted process parameters 604 are then used for the final electrochemical deposition step 212, resulting in metal deposition within the optimized thickness range.

[0067] Figure 7 shows a suitable computing system 700 for implementing the steps according to the embodiments described above. Computing system 700 may generally be formed as a suitable general-purpose computer and may include a bus 710, a processor 702, local memory 704, one or more optional input interfaces 714, one or more optional output interfaces 716, a communication interface 712, a storage element interface 706, and one or more storage elements 708. Bus 710 may include one or more conductors that enable communication among the components of computing system 700. Processor 702 may include any type of conventional processor or microprocessor that interprets and executes programming instructions. Local memory 704 may include random access memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device that stores information and instructions for execution by processor 702, and / or read-only memory (ROM) or another type of static storage device that stores static information and instructions for use by processor 702. Input interface 714 may include one or more conventional mechanisms that enable an operator or user to input information into computing device 700, such as a keyboard 720, a mouse 730, a pen, a voice recognition and / or biometric mechanism, a camera, etc. Output interface 716 may include one or more conventional mechanisms that output information to an operator or user, such as a display 740. Communication interface 712 may include a mechanism such as any transceiver, e.g., one or more Ethernet interfaces, that enables computing system 700 to communicate with other devices and / or systems, e.g., other computing devices. The communication interface 712 of computing system 700 may be connected to such another computing system by a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), e.g., the Internet.The memory element interface 706 may include a serial advanced technology attachment (SATA) interface or a small computer system interface (SCSI) for connecting a bus 710 to one or more memory elements 708, such as one or more local disks, such as a SATA disk drive, etc., and may control the reading and writing of data to and / or from these memory elements 708. Although the memory elements 708 described above are described as local disks, generally, any other suitable computer-readable medium, such as a removable magnetic disk, an optical storage medium such as a CD or DVD-ROM disk, a solid-state drive, a flash memory card, etc., may be used.

[0068] As used in this application, the term "circuit" refers to the following, namely, (a) A hardware-only circuit implementation, such as an implementation only with analog and / or digital circuits, and (b) (where applicable) (i) A combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and (ii) Any part of a hardware processor, software, and memory with software (including a digital signal processor) that act together to cause a device such as a mobile phone or a server to perform various functions such as a combination of a hardware circuit and software, and (c) A hardware circuit and / or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not exist when it is not required for operation may refer to one or more or all of them.

[0069] This definition of circuit applies to all uses of this term in this application, including those in any claim. As a further example, the term circuit as used in this application also covers simply a hardware circuit or a processor (or processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor, and the implementation forms of its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuit also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or a processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device, when applicable to a particular claim element.

[0070] Although the present invention has been illustrated by reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be embodied with various changes and modifications without departing from its scope. This embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are, therefore, to be embraced therein.

[0071] Moreover, it will be understood by the reader of this patent application that the words "comprising" or "comprise" do not exclude other elements or steps, the words "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality, and a single element such as a computer system, a processor, or another integrated unit may implement the functions of several means recited in the claims. Reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the respective claims to which they refer. Terms such as "first", "second", "third", "a", "b", "c", etc., when used in the description or in the claims, are introduced to distinguish similar elements or steps and do not necessarily describe a sequential or chronological order. Similarly, terms such as "upper", "lower", "above", "below", etc., are introduced for illustrative purposes and do not necessarily mean relative position. Terms used in this way are interchangeable in appropriate circumstances, and it should be understood that embodiments of the present invention can operate in accordance with the present invention in other arrangements or in orientations different from those described or illustrated above.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for equalizing the electrochemical deposition of metals on a PCB substrate, comprising: obtaining a layout (100) of the metal on the PCB substrate, the layout comprising at least one active region (103, 101) having a circuit layout (103) and an equalization region (102) available for the equalization; dividing (201) the substrate region into a plurality of finite elements (161); determining (110, 201) an active metal fraction (150, 202) from the layout (100) for each finite element in the substrate region; determining (170, 206, 406) a metal equalization fraction (182, 207) covering each finite element in the equalization region based on the active metal fraction in the finite elements in the at least one active region surrounding each finite element in the substrate region; A computer-implemented method comprising the steps above.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adapting (210) the layout of the metal on the PCB substrate in the equalization region according to the determined metal equalization fraction.

3. The adapting step comprises: selecting a pattern (209) for each finite element in the equalization region having each metal equalization fraction; adding the pattern to the layout of the metal on the PCB substrate. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps above.

4. The determining of the metal equalization fraction is performed such that a lower-activity metal fraction for each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes more to the metal equalization fraction than a higher-activity metal fraction. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The determining of the metal equalization fraction is performed such that each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes less to the metal equalization fraction as the distance from the finite element in the equalization region increases. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Determining the metal equilibration fraction is performed such that when each surrounding finite element in the active region is positioned closer to the boundary of the layout of the metal on the PCB substrate than each finite element in the equilibration region, it contributes more to the metal equilibration fraction, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. further comprising simulating (203) an average thickness (204, 311) of the metal covering the finite elements when performing the electrochemical deposition according to the obtained layout, wherein determining the metal equilibration fraction is performed such that a higher simulated average thickness of the metal in each surrounding finite element in the active region contributes more to the metal equilibration fraction than a lower simulated average thickness, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. Simulating (601) an average optimized thickness (602) of the metal covering the finite elements when performing the electrochemical deposition on the layout of the metal on the PCB substrate according to the determined metal equilibration fraction, adapting (603) process parameters (604) of the electrochemical deposition such that the average optimized thickness of the metal falls within a predetermined thickness range, further comprising the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Determining the metal equilibration fraction is performed such that when more surrounding finite elements in the equilibration region are available than in the active region, it contributes less to the metal equilibration fraction, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A method for manufacturing a PCB panel by electrochemical deposition of a metal, determining a layout (100) of the PCB panel comprising at least one active region (103, 101) having a circuit layout and an equilibration region (102) available for equilibration of the metal, equilibrating the layout of the PCB panel by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, manufacturing (212) the PCB panel accordingly, comprising a method.

11. A controller (700) comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 on the controller (700).

12. A computer program comprising computer-executable instructions for causing at least a device to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions for carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 when the program is executed on a computer.

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