System and method for monitoring and improving dimensional stability and registration accuracy of multi-layer PCB manufacture

The method of claim. 3 wherein the step of calculating the post-manufacture actual position movement of each target comprises:

• measuring the actual post-manufacture position of each target as horizontal and vertical coordinates relative to the pre-manufacture center of origin;
• and
• computing each target's horizontal coordinate movement as the difference between the target's actual horizontal coordinate and the target's nominal horizontal coordinate;
• and
• computing each target's vertical coordinate movement as the difference between the target's actual vertical coordinate and the target's nominal vertical coordinate.

A system for accurate positioning and registering features on a PCB panel comprising:

• means for producing a layout having corners for positioning features on at least one base material panel;
• means for positioning a plurality of targets on the layout, said targets being dispersed throughout the at least one base material panel;
• means for recording the pre-manufacture nominal position of each target;
• means for manufacturing at least one PCB from the at least one base material panel;
• means for measuring the post-manufacture actual position of each target;
• means for recording the actual position of each target;
• means for calculating the movement of the actual position of each target from the nominal position of each target;
• means for modeling the movement of the plurality of targets introduced during manufacture by developing regression analysis using the nominal coordinates of each target on the layout as the basis for modeling each target's post manufacture coordinates on the one or more base material panels;
• and
• means for optimizing the position of features by compensating features' locations in the layout so as to compensate for the movement introduced in manufacture of the at least one PCB.