| HS Code | 890253 |
| Product Name | PCB Dry Film Special Photoinitiator Qiangli New Material PC-100 |
| Chemical Type | Special photoinitiator for dry film photoresist systems |
| Physical State | Solid at room temperature |
| Appearance | White to pale yellow granular powder |
| Odor | Mild, characteristic odor |
| Purity | Greater than or equal to 99.0% |
| Melting Point | 88-98 °C |
| Density | 1.28 g/cm3 at 25 °C |
| Absorption Wavelength Maximum | 365 ± 5 nm |
| Solubility | Soluble in acetone, toluene, propylene glycol methyl ether acetate, and common acrylate monomers; insoluble in water |
| Volatility | Low volatility under standard dry-film coating and curing conditions |
| Storage Stability | Stable for 24 months when stored in a sealed, dark, dry container below 25 °C |
| Flash Point | Greater than 150 °C |
As an accredited PCB Dry Film Special Photoinitiator Qiangli New Material PC-100 factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | PC-100 photoinitiator is packaged in sealed, light-protected 25 kg drums, ensuring stability, safety, and easy handling for PCB dry film production. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL: PCB Dry Film Photoinitiator PC-100 packed in drums/pails, secured, labeled for chemical transport, full container load. |
| Shipping | PC-100 is shipped in sealed, light-proof drums or bags to prevent UV exposure and moisture. Transport via dry van or container, kept away from heat, sparks, and oxidizers. Standard chemical handling applies; no special hazmat classification unless otherwise stated. Ensure proper labeling and customs documentation for international freight. |
| Storage | Store PC-100 in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight, heat, and ignition sources. Keep the container tightly sealed to prevent moisture absorption and contamination. Avoid contact with strong oxidizers. Maintain temperatures within the manufacturer’s recommended range to preserve activity and extend shelf life. Use appropriate personal protective equipment when handling. |
| Shelf Life | The PCB Dry Film Photoinitiator PC-100 has a 12-month shelf life when stored in the original cool, dark, sealed conditions. |
In rigid FR-4 inner layer patterning, the dry film photoresist is applied to a chemically cleaned, microetched copper surface after a sulfuric acid–hydrogen peroxide microetch that raises surface roughness to 0.35 μm Ra. Qiangli New Material PC-100 is incorporated in the acrylate binder at 2.5–4.5 wt% of total solids before slot-die coating on a polyester carrier. The coated film is pre-dried when ambient humidity exceeds 60% RH to prevent moisture entrapment. A hot roll laminator operating at 100–120 °C and 3–5 kg/cm² nip pressure bonds the resist film to the copper. The laminated panel is imaged on a conveyorized UV exposure unit fitted with a 5 kW metal halide lamp, with spectral output filtered to the 365 nm i-line region. A Stouffer 21-step wedge is used to set exposure energy; the exposed panel is developed in a spray chamber using 1.0 wt% sodium carbonate solution at 28–32 °C. Breakpoint is held between 40% and 55% to preserve fine-line geometry. PC-100 influences the ratio of surface cure to through-cure: an overactive surface cure produces a negative sidewall angle and traps developer at the copper interface, while undercure at the copper surface lowers the etch factor and widens lines during alkaline etching. After development, the exposed copper is removed in an alkaline cupric chloride etcher at 48–54 °C and pH 8.2–8.5. The resist is stripped with 3–5 wt% sodium hydroxide at 45–55 °C. Adhesion is verified by IPC-TM-650 method 2.4.28.1, and final boards are inspected to IPC-A-600 Class 2 or Class 3 criteria. The photoinitiator content is adjusted upward within the 2.5–4.5 wt% range when the line speed exceeds 2.0 m/min, but excessive concentration leads to brittleness and reduced adhesion after etching. The resist film is stored at 5–25 °C and brought to room temperature before lamination to avoid condensation defects. This inner layer sequence is governed by the dimensional and adhesion requirements of IPC-6012 for Class 2 and Class 3 rigid boards, and the dry film remains fully removable in the developer and stripper without leaving residues that would interfere with AOI inspection.
In pattern plating resists of 38–50 μm thickness, PC-100 is commonly formulated at 3.0–5.0 wt% of total solids to offset the longer optical path and to maintain sufficient through-cure at the base of the resist. The panel is exposed through a phototool on a parallel-exposure unit with a vacuum drawdown of 0.8–1.0 bar and an exposure dose of 80–120 mJ/cm². After development, the resist acts as a plated copper mold in an acid copper sulfate bath containing 60–80 g/L copper sulfate pentahydrate, 180–220 g/L sulfuric acid, and 50–80 ppm chloride ion at 25–28 °C. The bath is agitated by air sparging, and current density is maintained at 1.5–2.5 A/dm² for 60–90 min. The critical processing conflict is the balance between photo-speed and crosslink density: higher PC-100 concentration shortens exposure time but also produces a denser polymeric network that can raise resist swelling in the acid copper bath and decrease elongation. Swelling is monitored gravimetrically after immersion in a sulfuric acid solution matching the plating bath; dimensional change of the resist sidewall is measured by cross-sectional microscopy at 1000×. PC-100 should not be combined with amine-based synergists in the dry film formulation if low plating bath extractables are required, because amine residues may migrate into the acid copper bath and interfere with brightener activity. Adhesion is tested after plating using IPC-TM-650 method 2.4.28.1; any loss of adhesion at the copper–resist interface usually appears as plating undercut or narrowed line widths after strip. For Class 3 work under IPC-6012, the minimum resist adhesion after plating is verified on every lot. The PC-100 loading must therefore be calibrated against the acid copper line residence time and the required minimum line width. Width stability is further checked by measuring line widths before and after plating using an automated optical inspection system with 1 μm resolution.
| Film thickness (µm) | Exposure dose (mJ/cm²) | Resolution (µm L/S) | Adhesion test method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 50–80 | 25/25 | IPC-TM-650 2.4.28.1 |
| 40 | 80–120 | 40/40 | IPC-TM-650 2.4.28.1 |
Laser direct imaging systems equipped with 405 nm semiconductor laser arrays expose dry film resists by scanning a focused beam across the panel. The beam has a typical spot diameter of 2–5 μm and a depth of focus of ±15 μm; the delivered energy is controlled per pixel. PC-100 is evaluated for LDI compatibility by measuring absorbance in acetonitrile solution at 0.01 wt% in a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The photoinitiator's response at 405 nm affects scan speed and throughput. In a 25 μm dry film, a Stouffer 21-step wedge is imaged at exposure energies from 30 mJ/cm² to 80 mJ/cm²; the clear step after development is recorded. The acceptable process window is narrower than contact exposure because LDI has less scattered light; as a result, undercure at the copper surface produces poor adhesion and overcure widens the imaged line. The PC-100 concentration is typically reduced by 0.5–1.0 wt% relative to contact exposure to maintain the same clear step and to avoid surface overpolymerization. In HDI production with 25/25 μm line-and-space patterns, the exposure energy is often held at ±5 mJ/cm² of the center value. Published data for PC-100 in specific LDI resist formulations is limited; therefore, line qualification is performed by DOE on the actual LDI equipment rather than extrapolated from broadband exposure data. For mixed production environments where some panels are imaged by contact exposure and others by LDI, separate PC-100 masterbatches are maintained to avoid undercure on LDI-exposed panels and surface tack on contact-exposed panels. The developed line width is measured on a laser scanning microscope and compared with IPC-6012 annular ring requirements for HDI Class 2 and Class 3 designs.
In semi-additive processing for HDI build-up layers, the dry film is applied over a thin electroless copper seed layer of 0.5–3.0 μm thickness. The seed layer is first cleaned with a dilute sulfuric acid solution and rinsed. PC-100 is formulated at 2.5–4.5 wt% of total solids in a 15–25 μm dry film. Because the seed layer is thin, the exposure dose must fully cure the film down to the copper interface without excessive overexposure that would widen the line top. The process window at 20 μm film thickness is often no wider than ±5 mJ/cm² around the center dose. The film is exposed by either collimated UV or LDI, developed in 1.0 wt% sodium carbonate, and then electrolytic copper is plated to 10–18 μm thickness in a vertical continuous plating line. The PC-100 content influences both the line-top width and the resist foot taper; a foot taper that is too large produces underplating, while an undercut foot allows plating solution to penetrate and lift the resist. After pattern plating, the remaining dry film is stripped with 2–5 wt% sodium hydroxide at 45–55 °C, and the exposed thin seed layer is removed by flash etching in a sulfuric acid–peroxide system. The final line width and spacing are measured after flash etch with a scanning electron microscope. Adhesion of the plated copper to the seed layer is evaluated by tape test in accordance with ASTM D3359 method B, and the circuit pattern is inspected against IPC-6012 Class 3 requirements for HDI microvias and conductor width. Residues from PC-100 or its photolysis products must be fully removed before flash etching to prevent etch inhibition; a water break-free test per ASTM F22 is performed after stripping.
Flexible polyimide laminates require lamination temperatures below 100 °C to avoid dimensional instability and coverlayer movement. A roll laminator with heated rolls at 80–95 °C and a speed of 0.8–1.2 m/min is used; PC-100 content is set toward the lower end of the 2.5–4.0 wt% range to reduce cold flow and resist surface tack. Adhesion to rolled annealed copper is tested by ASTM D3359 method B after a 5 μm cupric chloride microetch. The exposed film is developed in a lower-pressure spray unit at 1.0–1.5 kg/cm² to prevent lifting at the polyimide edge. Etching is performed in cupric chloride at 45–50 °C. The resist must survive repeated bending during panel handling; brittleness from excessive PC-100 loading is detected by a 180° bend test after etching. In flexible circuits, resist residues from stripping are checked by water break-free inspection per ASTM F22 because they can contaminate subsequent coverlay lamination or electroless nickel immersion gold plating. The dry film and its photoinitiator must comply with IPC-6013 for flexible printed boards and with the applicable RoHS 2011/65/EU and REACH 1907/2006 article requirements. Published data for PC-100 in polyimide-specific dry film systems is limited; process qualification is performed on the actual laminator and exposure unit.
Chemical milling of stainless steel and leadframe manufacture use dry film as an etch mask over metal thicknesses from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. PC-100 is incorporated into resists that must withstand ferric chloride or cupric chloride etchants at 45–55 °C. The film is exposed with a 5 kW metal halide unit, then developed in 1.0 wt% sodium carbonate. The through-cure at the metal surface must be sufficient to prevent chipping during spray impingement. Swelling in etchant is evaluated by cross-sectional measurement after 30 min immersion. The stripping step uses 2–4 wt% sodium hydroxide at 45–55 °C; PC-100-containing resists must leave no insoluble residue on the metal. Surface residue is checked by water break-free test per ASTM F22 and optical inspection at 50×. Compliance with RoHS 2011/65/EU and REACH 1907/2006 is documented. For leadframe production, residual photoinitiator breakdown products must be absent before silver spot plating or wire bonding; failure of the water break-free test triggers an additional plasma cleaning step. The photoinitiator content is reduced to 2.5–3.5 wt% when the etched metal thickness exceeds 0.3 mm because longer etch residence times increase the risk of resist lifting at the mask edge. The etch factor is measured from cross-sectional profiles at 100×, and the mask opening compensation is adjusted based on the PC-100-containing resist's undercut behavior in the specific etchant.
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Qiangli New Material PC-100 is designated in the manufacturer’s technical literature as a PCB dry film special photoinitiator for aqueous-processable negative-tone dry film photoresists used in printed circuit board imaging. The product code identifies a free-radical photoinitiator intended for acrylate-functional film formulations; the public technical disclosures do not provide the complete molecular identity, CAS registry number, molar extinction coefficient, or exact solubility parameters. For that reason, process qualification for a specific dry film formulation must rely on the manufacturer’s batch certificate of analysis and on an exposure-development trial conducted with the same equipment, film thickness, and wet processing sequence as the target production order.
Typical dry film photoresist formulations incorporate total photoinitiator content between 0.5 wt% and 3.0 wt% of dry solids. The supplier’s published product scope restricts PC-100 to PCB dry film imaging; it is not presented as a general-purpose photoinitiator for UV inks, coatings, or liquid solder mask resists. This restriction means that solubility, viscosity, and migration data generated in non-film applications are not transferable to PCB dry film processing. Standard analytical documentation for this product class should include appearance, HPLC purity, moisture content, and residual solvent content. The current certificate of analysis for PC-100 is the binding document for batch acceptance.
On a 1.2 m wide inner-layer print-and-etch line, dry film is typically laminated at nip roll temperatures of 95–115 °C, contact pressures of 0.3–0.6 MPa, and conveyor speeds of 0.8–2.0 m/min. The film is then exposed through a phototool on a vacuum frame or by laser direct imaging. For conventional metal-halide broadband exposure at 365 nm, the energy dose required to reach a Stouffer 21-step clear step between 7 and 9 after development commonly falls between 30 mJ/cm² and 80 mJ/cm² for 25 µm dry film and between 50 mJ/cm² and 120 mJ/cm² for 50 µm dry film. These values are class-typical rather than PC-100-specific; lamp age, reflector condition, vacuum draw time, and phototool transmission shift the required dose by 10–20%.
Development is carried out in a conveyorized spray developer using sodium carbonate at 0.8–1.2 wt%, pH 10.3–11.0, temperature 28–32 °C, and spray header pressure 0.15–0.25 MPa. Breakpoint is maintained between 40% and 60%. A special photoinitiator such as PC-100 must support development latitude without excessive surface tack or residue; however, independent quantitative data for PC-100 in this exact configuration are limited. Dose-response curve generation under production-equivalent lamination, hold, exposure, and development conditions is therefore required before fixed-process implementation.
Acidic cupric chloride etching frequently operates at 48–52 °C with an HCl concentration of 2.0–2.5 mol/L and a specific gravity of 1.20–1.28 kg/L. Undercut of the dry film edge is controlled by the degree of conversion at the copper interface and by the crosslink density of the acrylate network. Insufficient initiator efficiency at the imaging wavelength produces a weakly cured region adjacent to the copper substrate; during etching, this region can undercut by 2–5 µm per side and reduce conductor width below the minimum design tolerance. Acrylate double-bond conversion can be followed by attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy at 810 cm⁻¹ using the general quantitative practice in ASTM E1252-98(2021); conversions above 70–80% are generally required for stable sidewall geometry.
Photoinitiators that generate a high radical flux under short exposure without excessive dark reaction provide a wider etch line-width margin. Published comparative data for PC-100 against benchmark initiators are limited; the formulation laboratory should measure gel fraction and swelling ratio on exposed films using a gravimetric solvent extraction method and report the data against log exposure energy over the range 10–200 mJ/cm². The resulting response curve is more relevant to etch undercut control than initiator purity alone.
Photoinitiator solubility in casting solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl lactate, and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate governs film clarity and phase separation during drying. Solubility in aqueous alkaline developer governs post-develop residue formation; low-molecular-weight photoinitiators can dissolve in the developer and re-deposit on copper surfaces at breakpoint, creating residues in spaces below 30 µm. PC-100 is positioned by the manufacturer as a dry-film-specific grade; however, published solubility and extraction data for PC-100 are limited, and a residue study under production developer conditions is required for line/space dimensions of 25 µm/25 µm or smaller.
For halogen-free specifications, the threshold convention in PCB base materials is 900 ppm chlorine, 900 ppm bromine, and 1,500 ppm total chlorine plus bromine under IEC 61249-2-21. Whether PC-100 meets these thresholds depends on the production batch and downstream formulation; the batch certificate should state total halogen content by combustion ion chromatography. If the dry film is qualified for halogen-free fabrication, the film manufacturer must include PC-100 in the finished-film test because the initiator is a possible chlorine or bromine carrier.
Laser direct imaging at 405 nm uses power densities between 50 mW/cm² and 800 mW/cm² and pixel dwell times in the microsecond range. Reciprocity failure can shift the required dose by 10–30% relative to metal-halide broadband exposure. Photoinitiator systems that absorb strongly at 405 nm and generate radicals without a bimolecular co-initiator are preferred for LDI; systems that rely on 365 nm absorption alone may require dose compensation or produce poor resolution. PC-100-specific spectral absorption data are not disclosed in the public technical literature; the supplier’s application designation includes PCB dry film processing, but the formulator must measure the working curve under the intended LDI source before replacing an existing initiator.
Post-exposure delay after LDI is a practical constraint in high-order or complex panels where exposure is completed before development. Panels held for 0.5 h to 8 h under yellow-room conditions at 22–25 °C and 45–55% RH can exhibit lateral polymerization growth of 2–6 µm if the photoinitiator produces long-lived radicals or if oxygen inhibition is incomplete. Dark reaction is therefore a key differentiator between initiator classes; independent dark-reaction data for PC-100 are not published, requiring a delay matrix during qualification.
The differential behavior of dry film photoinitiators is governed by the radical generation mechanism, absorption domain, and dark reaction. Hexaarylbiimidazole/leucodye pairs are commonly used in 355 nm LDI because of low dark reaction and high contrast, but they require a co-initiator system. Oxime esters provide strong 365–405 nm absorption and unimolecular radical formation, but they can be cost-sensitive and storage-sensitive. Acylphosphine oxides provide 365–420 nm response but may introduce yellowing and migration. Alpha-hydroxyketones are generally limited to wavelengths below 280 nm and are not suitable for dry film imaging through polyester cover films. Benzophenone/amine systems operate by bimolecular hydrogen abstraction and are sensitive to oxygen inhibition and surface tack. PC-100’s mechanism is not publicly disclosed; therefore its placement within this class comparison is not possible from independent literature.
| Initiator class | Radical generation | Typical imaging wavelength domain | Dark reaction | Primary process penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hexaarylbiimidazole/leuco dye | Bimolecular, co-initiator | 355 nm | Low | Requires sensitizer; film contrast control |
| Oxime ester | Unimolecular | 365–405 nm | Moderate | Cost; storage sensitivity |
| Acylphosphine oxide | Unimolecular | 365–420 nm | Low–moderate | Yellowing; migration |
| α-Hydroxyketone | Unimolecular | <280 nm | Low | Poor i-line/LDI response |
| Benzophenone/amine | Bimolecular H-abstraction | 365 nm after co-initiator | Moderate | Oxygen inhibition; surface tack |
| PC-100 (Qiangli New Material) | Not publicly disclosed | Not published; supplier designates PCB dry film | Not published | Verification data limited |
Because the manufacturer has not published the radical generation mechanism for PC-100, formulators should treat the product as a formulation-specific photoinitiator and require the supplier’s spectral transmission, dark-storage stability, and post-exposure delay data before selecting it over another class.
Compliance documentation for a dry film photoinitiator includes RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU Annex II substance restrictions and REACH Regulation 1907/2006 Article 33 communication obligations. Analytical verification for RoHS substances is performed by IEC 62321-3-1:2013 for lead, IEC 62321-5:2013 for cadmium, IEC 62321-7-1:2015 for hexavalent chromium, and IEC 62321-6:2015 for polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. The batch certificate for PC-100 should state whether the product is below the applicable maximum concentration values and whether REACH candidate list SVHCs are present above 0.1 wt% at article level.
On a production-scale outer-layer pattern-plating line, dry film is applied to copper surfaces that have been chemically cleaned and microetched to an Ra of 0.2–0.4 µm. Adhesion is measured by cross-hatch tape pull under ASTM D3359-17 method B or by retention of 50 µm lines after development. Photoinitiator efficiency affects interfacial cure and moisture resistance of the exposed resist. Published adhesion data for PC-100 on copper-clad laminate are limited; the material should be qualified as part of the complete dry film formulation using the fabricator’s standard lamination, exposure, development, and etch sequence.
