Worldwide Leader in Foil Technology
Unmatched expertise in metallurgy, chemistry and copper foil manufacturing.

Gould is recognized worldwide as the technological leader in electrodeposited copper foil for the printed circuit board industry. The organization offers unmatched expertise in metallurgy, chemistry and copper foil manufacturing. Decades of expertise in electrochemical processes and applications of copper foil constitute the foundation from which Gould meets the constantly growing demands of the circuit board industry.

Gould produces foils that meet all customer and industry specifications. Various combinations of base foil, treatment and passivation can be produced at Gould’s ISO 9001 certified facilities. This versatility allows Gould’s customers to obtain foils tailored to their exact specifications.

Foil products are marketed under the trademark “JTC.” The letter “J” denotes the coating that prevents oxidation during processing and the letters “TC” represent the brass coating recognized worldwide for promoting reliability in thermal applications. Gould is the only producer of freestanding foil in thicknesses ranging from 9 µm (0.25 oz) to 400 µm (11.5 oz).

Gould’s product lines include:

• Conventional copper foils
  • JTC – multipurpose Grade 1 foil
  • JTCS – Grade 3 HTE copper foil for multilayer circuit boards
  • RTC & RTCS – reverse treated copper foils that simplify multilayer processing
• Advanced interconnect foils
  • Double Treated – designed for enhanced reliability in multilayer boards
  • HP • AB – high performance and advanced bond foils
  • Thin Foils – 9 µm and 12 µm freestanding foils
• CAC^® foil and aluminum products
  • CAC – thin aluminum separator plate with copper foil attached
  • Duofoil – multilayer board separator sheets
  • B-10 – solid aluminum entry foil
  • RDM – resin deburr machine
• Specialty application foils
  • TCR • TCR+ – foil with integrated thin film resistor
  • JTC400 – heavy foil for high power applications
  • LD – foil for laser drilling
• Flex circuit foils
  • JTC Flex – Grade 2 foil for non-dynamic flex applications
  • JTCDF – Grade 10 foil for dynamic flex applications
  • TRCF – Grade 8 rolled foil for continuous flex applications

Meeting Customer Needs

Our customers realize the following advantages through using our products:

• Significant cost savings,
• Increased productivity,
• Improved yields,
• Reduced labor costs, and
• Higher quality results.

Gould has close working relationships with its customers, allowing it to address their rapidly changing technological needs. Joint development projects between Gould and its customers are common. To ensure that quality, consistency and product line depth are meeting and exceeding expectations, Gould conducts frequent customer satisfaction surveys. Additionally, the company contacts its customers daily, not only at the sales level, but also at its laboratory and operating levels.

The organization invests heavily to meet customer needs through both product innovation and expanded capacity. Research and development investments are made at both the laboratory and plant levels, resulting in breakthroughs in new patented foils that significantly improve laminate and printed circuit board yields, increase flex cycles, and have substantial cost advantages over competing products. R&D, on an ongoing basis, also improves processes and product variations to accommodate specific customer needs.

Manufacturing Process

Plating
The base foil is produced by electrodepositing copper on a rotating cathode drum in a flowing electrolytic solution. Controlling current density and specific solution parameters determine the grain structure and the properties of the base foil.



Base Foil (left), Treated Foil (right)

Treatment
The treatment, consisting of mechanical roughening and chemical coupling agents, as well as a passivation, is deposited on the foil through a series of electrolytic cells. This ensures optimum conditions for bonding between foil and prepreg.