Method for examining surface of copper layer in circuit board and process for producing circuit board

A process for preparing a circuit board comprising:

• coating a resist on a copper layer;
• patterning the resist;
• selectively etching or plating the copper layer using the patterned resist as a mask to thereby form a copper circuit to be used as a part of a circuit board;
• measuring a degree of oxidation of said copper layer to thereby determine the presence of less than an excessive degree of said oxidation which is less than about 10 nm on said copper layer, said measuring being accomplished prior to coating the resist on the copper layer by irradiating a surface of the copper layer with an irradiation beam so that at least a portion of the irradiation beam is reflected from the surface as a reflected beam and evaluating a characteristic of said reflected beam as a measure of the degree of oxidation of said copper layer;
• and
• after a less than excessive degree of oxidation has been determined, proceeding with said coating of the copper layer with said resist without either removing at least a portion of the oxidized copper or covering the oxidized copper with a copper cladding.

A process for preparing a circuit board comprising:

• coating a resist on a copper layer;
• patterning the resist;
• selectively etching or plating the copper layer using the patterned resist as a mask to thereby form a copper circuit to be used as a part of a circuit board;
• measuring a degree of oxidation of said copper layer to thereby alternatively determine either (1) the presence of an excessive degree of said oxidation equal to or greater than about 10 nm on said copper layer or (2) the presence of less than an excessive degree of said oxidation which is less than about 10 nm on said copper layer, said measuring being accomplished prior to coating the resist on the copper layer by irradiating a surface of the copper layer with an irradiation beam so that at least a portion of the irradiation beam is reflected from the surface as a reflected beam and evaluating a characteristic of said reflected beam as a measure of the degree of oxidation of said copper layer;
• if an excessive degree of oxidation is determined, thereafter either removing at least a portion of the oxidized copper or covering the oxidized copper with a copper cladding prior to said coating of the copper layer with said resist;
• and
• if a less than excessive degree of oxidation is determined, thereafter proceeding with said coating of the copper layer with said resist without either removing at least a portion of the oxidized copper or covering the oxidized copper with a copper cladding.