What should high-speed PCB buyers change after IPC-TM-650-2.2.23?
Buyers should stop treating labels such as low profile, very low profile or smooth copper as sufficient evidence for a loss-sensitive PCB. The new IPC test method can make metallic-foil surface data more consistent, but the RFQ must still define the required material, measured parameter, sampling and traceability rules, substitution approval, and finished-board electrical acceptance criteria.
What changed on October 15, 2026?
External fact: On October 15, 2026, the High Density Packaging User Group and the Global Electronics Association announced IPC-TM-650-2.2.23, 3-D Surface Laser Imaging and Measurement. The announcement says the method is based on results from HDP's Non-Contact Copper Foil Profile project and is relevant to high-speed, high-performance applications where lower-profile copper is needed.
The published method is dated September 2026. Its stated purpose is to quantify the areal surface topography or texture of metallic foil with a non-contact 3D surface measurement device. It identifies Sa, Sq, Sz, Sdr, Ssk and Vmc among the values that may be collected, and it states that Sa measured under the method is reported as the surface profile of metallic foils.
The method also defines important controls around the measurement. It calls for a non-contact 3D laser imaging system with a wavelength from 325 to 410 nanometers, a specified roughness reference for calibration, consistent saved measurement settings, and calibration verification at least monthly. Samples are to be taken from a representative location, tested as received and protected from scratches, dents or bending.
The practical procurement value is comparability. A named procedure, controlled setup and defined areal parameters can reduce ambiguity when a laminate supplier, foil supplier, PCB fabricator and buyer discuss surface profile.
Why copper surface profile matters to signal integrity
External research: High-frequency current becomes concentrated near a conductor's surface. When the copper surface texture is significant relative to that current-carrying region, conductor loss can increase. Peer-reviewed research published in Measurement in 2025 examined copper foils from 1 to 43.5 GHz and reported better high-frequency behavior for the lower-profile foil studied. Earlier IPC-hosted research also showed that copper foil and inner-layer surface treatment can affect measured insertion loss and can distort dielectric-loss extraction if conductor roughness is not handled correctly.
Industry analysis: This means copper profile can be a material input to channel performance, especially for long routes, high Nyquist frequencies, tight loss budgets, low-loss laminates and millimeter-wave structures. It does not mean that one roughness number predicts the completed channel by itself. Dielectric loss, trace geometry, copper thickness, glass weave, via structures, surface treatment, etching, plating and the actual test vehicle can all affect the result.
The new method therefore strengthens measurement discipline. It does not replace channel engineering.
What IPC-TM-650-2.2.23 does not decide for the buyer
The method does not publish a universal pass or fail limit for every high-speed PCB.
It does not say that a particular Sa, Sq or Sz value will deliver a specified insertion loss.
It does not make different roughness parameters interchangeable. A value reported as Sa cannot be compared directly with a supplier value reported only as Rz without a technically justified correlation.
It does not qualify a laminate, copper foil, PCB factory or finished board for a buyer's application.
Its sample procedure addresses metallic foil as received. A buyer should not assume that the same result describes the final etched conductor after bonding treatment and PCB processing unless the parties have agreed on a validated relationship.
It does not automatically become part of an existing purchase order. IPC states that standards are voluntary and that use of a new revision in an existing customer-supplier relationship is not automatic unless the contract requires it.
A seven-step sourcing plan for loss-sensitive PCBs
1. Start with the electrical requirement.
State the channel type, data rate, relevant frequency range, route length and maximum permitted insertion loss. If the design has an established coupon or test fixture, identify it. A surface-profile requirement without an electrical target can optimize the wrong variable.
2. Lock the material construction.
Name the laminate family, construction, copper-foil designation, copper weight and relevant foil surface. Record any approved equivalents separately. Marketing categories alone are not precise enough when the loss margin is narrow.
3. Name the measurement method and revision.
If IPC-TM-650-2.2.23 is required, put the full method number and release date in the controlled procurement document. Identify which parameter or parameters must be reported, the units, the measured surface, the number of samples or locations, and the applicable lot definition. The standard provides a method; the buyer and supplier must still agree on the acceptance rule.
4. Require traceable evidence.
Ask the supplier to link the measurement report to the foil or laminate lot and to the production lot used for the order. The report should identify the measured surface, instrument, measurement template, calibration status, raw or processed data format, and any filtering applied. Decide how long the record must be retained.
5. Control substitutions and process changes.
Require written approval before changing the foil type, laminate construction, bonding treatment, inner-layer treatment chemistry, key process route or material source. A mechanically acceptable substitute can still alter conductor loss. Define which changes trigger a new first article, coupon build or electrical correlation.
6. Validate the finished board electrically.
Use the copper-profile report as incoming-material evidence, not as the final performance verdict. Keep appropriate finished-board checks such as controlled-impedance testing, insertion-loss or S-parameter testing, and coupon-to-product correlation. The exact test frequency, fixture, de-embedding method and acceptance limit should come from the design authority.
7. Review adhesion and reliability together with loss.
Smoother copper can support lower conductor loss, while the copper-to-resin interface must still meet the product's mechanical and reliability needs. Ask engineering to evaluate bond strength, thermal cycling, material compatibility and processing robustness rather than choosing the lowest available roughness number in isolation.
Questions to add to a high-speed PCB RFQ
1. What exact laminate construction and copper-foil designation will be used?
2. Which foil surface is represented by each reported roughness value?
3. Which roughness parameter is reported, in what units, and under which test method?
4. Can data be supplied using IPC-TM-650-2.2.23, or can the supplier provide a documented correlation to its current method?
5. How are measurement settings, filtering and calibration controlled across instruments and sites?
6. How will the report be linked to the material lot and finished PCB production lot?
7. What inner-layer bonding treatment will be used, and can it change the conductor surface relevant to loss?
8. Which material or process substitutions require buyer approval?
9. What impedance, insertion-loss or S-parameter coupon can be built for the agreed frequency range?
10. Which material, process or site changes trigger requalification?
How to read a supplier report without overclaiming
First, confirm that the metric matches the drawing. Sa, Sq, Sz, Sdr, Ssk and Vmc describe different aspects of a three-dimensional surface; one number should not be silently substituted for another.
Second, confirm the surface identity and condition. The buyer needs to know whether the result refers to an as-received foil surface, the laminate interface, a treated inner layer or another condition. If the report and the drawing refer to different surfaces, the numbers may not answer the same question.
Third, look for measurement discipline. The new IPC method uses a non-contact 3D laser process, calibration controls and a consistent setup. A report that omits method, instrument, calibration or filtering information is harder to compare across lots or suppliers.
Fourth, keep metrology and electrical performance separate. A conforming surface-profile report supports material control. It does not by itself prove that a completed channel meets its loss budget.
Where JETFGO fits
JETFGO public website statement: JETFGO's English website lists high-speed, high-frequency, HDI, hybrid and multilayer PCB categories. Its homepage also states that it screens incoming materials and uses copper-thickness and impedance test equipment. These are website statements about general products and controls, not proof that a specific build has been measured to IPC-TM-650-2.2.23 or will meet a particular insertion-loss target.
For a loss-sensitive project, send the stackup, Gerber or ODB++ data, channel requirements, approved-material rules, copper-profile request, test-coupon plan and substitution controls for order-specific engineering review. Do not assume that a website category or sample image is a qualification record.
JETFGO High Speed Board: https://www.jetfgo.com/en/products/high-speed-board
JETFGO Process Capability: https://www.jetfgo.com/en/capability
Request a project review: https://www.jetfgo.com/en/contact
Decision summary
IPC-TM-650-2.2.23 gives the electronics supply chain a clearer common method for three-dimensional metallic-foil surface measurement. The strongest buyer response is not to add a generic smooth-copper note. It is to connect a controlled measurement method to a named material construction, lot-level evidence, change approval and finished-board electrical acceptance.
That combination turns copper-profile data into a procurement control instead of a marketing label.
1. Global Electronics Association, High Density Packaging User Group and Global Electronics Association Announce New Copper Profile Test Method, October 15, 2026 https://www.electronics.org/news-release/high-density-packaging-user-group-and-global-electronics-association-announce-new
2. Global Electronics Association, IPC-TM-650-2.2.23, 3-D Surface Laser Imaging and Measurement, September 2026 https://www.electronics.org/sites/default/files/test_methods_docs/TM%202.2.23.pdf
3. Chiang et al., Enhancing the high-frequency signal performance through surface morphological modification of Cu interconnects, Measurement, Volume 250, 2025, Article 117071 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2025.117071
4. IPC technical paper, Effect of Conductor Surface Roughness upon Measured Loss and Extracted Values https://www.ipc.org/system/files/technical_resource/E8%26S20_02.pdf
5. JETFGO High Speed Board https://www.jetfgo.com/en/products/high-speed-board
6. JETFGO Process Capability https://www.jetfgo.com/en/capability
7. JETFGO Contact Information https://www.jetfgo.com/en/contact