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Overview
CAC (Copper Aluminum Copper) is a thin aluminum separator with an impressive difference...it is sandwiched between two sheets of copper foil, which preseals the critical copper surfaces from exposure to airborne particles and resin dust.

During multilayer lamination, the copper foil releases from the aluminum separator sheet and becomes the outer layer foil for the printed circuit board, above and below. Gould's proprietary process ensures that the copper surfaces are free of any particles or dents five microns or larger. The net result is consistently higher yields on high density, fine line and gold feature circuit boards. Costly manual handling and cleaning steps are eliminated, which reduces labor costs and improves cycle time and throughput during the lay-up process. CAC is also the best and most economical solution for using difficult-to-handle thin foils, reverse treated and double treated copper foils.

When used with the JJA UltraEdge multilayer edging system, CAC allows for the use of exact size materials for brick lamination for added savings and increased throughput.

• U.S. Patent No. 5,153,050
• U.S. Patent No. 5,674,596
• U.S. Patent No. 5,725,937
• U.S. Patent No. 5,942,315
• U.S. Patent No. 5,951,803
• U.S. Patent No. 6,048,430

Advantages

• Higher Yields – CAC improves post-electrical test and final yields with the degree of improvement keyed to circuit density, line width and line spacing. CAC ensures that critical copper foil surfaces remain free from foreign material and airborne particulate contaminates before and during lamination.
• Less Material Handling – In conventional pin lamination of a ten-high book, 31 individual copper foil and aluminum separator components must be carefully placed over pins in the lay-up of a multilayer book. CAC reduces the number of components that must be handled to 11, for a 65% reduction.
• Reduced Operator Labor – In the same ten-high lay-up, operators must wipe 40 surfaces to ensure the best possible surface cleanliness. Because Gould delivers CAC pre-sealed from the factory, operator wiping of critical surfaces is no longer necessary. The combined productivity gains are typically 30% to 50%.
• Eases Use of Thin Foils, Reverse Treated and Double Treated Foils – Because the foil is attached to a rigid separator, CAC with thin foils, 9 µm (0.25 oz) or 12 µm (0.375 oz), significantly eases creation of fine lines and spaces as small as 50 µm (0.002").
• Elimination of Foil Wrinkles – Handling and registration of thin copper foil onto lamination fixture pins can cause handling wrinkles, a major source of foil pinholes. Another source of foil wrinkles, thermal expansion mismatch between copper foil and steel separators, is eliminated by the use of aluminum separators.
• Improved Thermal Conductivity – The use of CAC can reduce inherent temperature differences in a lamination book due to its improved thermal conductivity as compared to steel separators. See graph below.

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