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PCB TECHNOLOGY
PCBs are the backbone of electrical
compound. They are non-conductive
board that holds all electric
components through a circuit
embossed over it . [1]
4. PCB OVERVIEW
-PCB Advantages and Disadvantages
-Limitations of PCB
-Issues in PCB
3
PCB MARKET TREND
Before we learn more about PCB, let see the PCB Market
trend over the world. Does PCB contributes high profits in
the world wide market? How is PCB Trend?
4
PCB MARKET TREND / FORECAST
WORLDWIDE
In this section, we will see the PCB market trends and forecast from some manufacturers worldwide.
Come, lets check them out!
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According to the report by Technavio.com [4].
Technavios market research analyst predicts the global printed circuit board (PCB) market to grow at a CAGR of around
3% by 2020. Since this market is an integral part of the mobiles and smartphones market, the recent increase in demand for
smart devices will lead to the augmented demand for rigid PCBs during the forecast period. [4]
$60,200,000,000
8
GLOBAL TOP 40 RIGID PCB COMPANIES BY REVENUE (2012-2014) [6]
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INTRODUCTION TO PCB
In this section, we will learn more basic knowledge
about PCB, and the history of PCB.
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PCB
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD
PCB is an acronym for
printed circuit board.
It is a board that has
lines and pads that
connect various points
together.
Figure 4. A close up look on the PCB shows lines and
pads and also solders..[7]
Solder is the metal that makes the electrical connections between the surface of the PCB and the
electronic components (devices).
A German Inventor, Albert Hanson, Described Flat Foil Conductors Laminated To An Insulating Board, In
1903
Multiple Layers.
1904 Thomas Edison Experimented With Chemical Methods Of Plating Conductors Onto Linen Paper In 1904.
Arthur Berry Patented A Print-and-etch Method In Britain, And In The United States Max Schoop Obtained
1913
A Patent To Flame-spray Metal Onto A Board Through A Patterned Mask.
The Austrian Engineer Paul Fisler Invented The Printed Circuit As Part Of A Radio Set While Working In
1939
England
1943 The USA Began To Use The Technology On A Large Scale To Make Proximity Fuses For Use In World War II.
1949 Moe Abramson And Stanislaus F. Danko Developed The Auto-sembly Process In Which Component Leads
Were Inserted Into A Copper Foil Interconnection Pattern And Dip Soldered.
Rubinstein Was Honoured For His Innovations In The Technology Of Printed Electronic Circuits And The
1984
Fabrication Of Capacitors.
16
Figure 6.The flow of PCB process [11]
1. PCB DESIGN
We will explore more how to design PCB using CAD,
and design the controlled impedance transmission
line on PCB
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Transmission Line in PCB Designing Process [12]
We may always hear the word of transmission line when it comes about PCB designing process.
A transmission line is a sub-category of waveguides that uses some physical configuration of metal
and/or dielectrics to direct a signal along the desired path.
Most familiar transmission lines (e.g., microstrip line) use two conductors; signal and ground, however,
there are single conductor transmission lines (e.g., rectangular waveguide).[12]
First conductor
The importance of PCB interconnect techniques
increases with frequency of operation.
While implementing transmission lines on a PCB, there are some techniques / options :
microstrip, stripline and coplanar
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TRANSMISSION LINE TECHNIQUES / OPTIONS
MICROSTRIP
The microstrip line removing the upper ground planes.
It is probably the most popular planar transmission line because of its ease of fabrication and the
ready availability of the signals for probing and circuit connections.
Embedded microstrip line is the situation encountered when the microstrip line is covered with
solder mask or a thin layer of epoxy.
22
TRANSMISSION LINE TECHNIQUES / OPTIONS
STRIPLINE
The presence of both top and bottom shields provides good isolation from other signals
on the PCB.
Centered stripline is the ideal situation, however layout decisions may require an off-
center stripline
Figure 11. Centered @ symmetric stripline Figure 12. Off-center @ asymmtric stripline
23
TRANSMISSION LINE TECHNIQUES / OPTIONS
COPLANAR
A coplanar transmission line uses the same metal layer of the PCB for both the signal and
return.
The impedance is controlled by the signal line width and the ground gap
Perhaps easiest to fabricate and connect components, as both ground and conductor are on
one side of the board.
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ADVANTAGES vs. DISADVANTAGES
for each Transmission Line Techniques
25
Impedance Control in PCB Designing
Characteristics impedance is one of important parameters of a transmission line for analysis. It
allows us to easily stimulate or calculate circuit performance. [15]
Below is the key point when dealing with impedance parameter.
Schematic Design
CAM
Fab Shop
Gerbers Drawing
Drill Data 28
EXAMPLE OF PCB DESIGN [17] Worked Example [17] :
FloTHERM XT thermal design workflow of a brand new product, a wall-mounted internet box
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[17] Photo credits to / Source from https://www.mentor.com/products/mechanical/engineering-edge/volume2/issue1/Introducing-FloTHERM-XT
Tips in Designing PCB [18]
There are some good tips that will lead to a successful design : Some other useful tips
Keep traces straight : Try to avoid 90 degree turns use two 45 degree.
1. Show decoupling capacitors near the device they are Double, even triple check layout : Having a fresh pair of eyes look it over,
protecting : Decoupling capacitors are used to smooth out Trace thickness & spacing : Spacing of at least .010
the ripples at the power supply of a component, in order to Try to keep all connections on one side of PCB
effectively do this, they need to be placed physically close to Take into account component package
the component. This proximity should be made clear in the
schematic.
4. Air wires : Use them when you have to, avoid them when its
practical. The point is to make your schematic as easy to
understand as possible, so if it makes sense to put a label on
a wire and connect it to others by using that label then feel
free to do so.
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Board Style
Rigid-flex
Flex
Multi-circuit board
Flexible circuit
Hybrid
Rigid
Very small circuit. It
can be integrated as a
Solid construction
part of a larger circuit
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Type of PCB
33
To understand more, let us see clearly some illustrations of common
PCB types in manufacturers [20]:
MAJOR TYPE : SINGLE-SIDED
35
MAJOR TYPE : MULTI LAYER
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OTHER TYPE OF PCB [21]
Other than single-sided, double-sided and multi layer board, there are also some other
PCB types that commonly used by the manufacturers : Aluminium (Al) backed, flexible,
rigidised flexible, flex-ridged.
Rigidised
Al Backed Flexible Flex Ridged
flexible
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[21] Photo credits to / Source from http://www.encyclopedia.com/science-and-technology/computers-and-electrical-engineering/electrical-engineering/printed-
circuit
OTHER COMMON TYPE OF PCB : AL BACKED
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OTHER COMMON TYPE OF PCB : FLEXIBLE PCB
39
OTHER COMMON TYPE OF PCB : RIGIDISED FLEXIBLE PCB
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OTHER COMMON TYPE OF PCB : FLEX-RIDGED PCB
Flex-ridged PCB
Allow for an interconnection flexible PCB to be permanently connected to rigid multilayer PCB
board. is type of configuration is used when a design calls for very complex PCB, but the
designer wants to reduce the complexity of final product assembly by including the flexible
interconnection PCB in the fabricated PCB. Flex-ridged designs also allow for the creation of
three dimensional designs and can include multiple rigid and flexible sections
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PCB RAW MATERIAL
The substrate most commonly used in PCB is a glass fiber reinforced(fiberglass) epoxy resin with a copper foil
bonded on to one or both sides. PCBs made from paper reinforced phenolic resin with a bonded copper foil are
less expensive and are often used in household electrical devices.[21]
4. Protective Coating
Polyimide Adhesives
Cover Lays Polyester or polyimide is combined with a
suitable adhesive
Cover coat A thin coating of liquid acrylated epoxy and
acrylated polyurethane
In this section, we will show major process steps used in PCB fabrication.[24]
Fabrication Steps
1. Film Generation
2. Select Raw Material
3. Via / Drilling Holes
4. Electroless Copper Plating
5. Apply Phororesist and Image
6. Pattern Plate
7. Strip and Etch
8. Solder Mask
9. Silk Screening
Figure 23. PCB Fabrication Process [25] 10. Surface Finish
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3. Drill Holes 4. Electroless Copper Plating
Through holes required for the In order for the through holes to electrically
PCB design are created from the connect to different layers of the PCB, a thin
submitted files, using drill layer of copper is chemically deposited into the
machines and carbide drill bits. through holes.
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5. Apply Photo-resist and Image 6. Pattern Plate
To transfer the PCB design from the electronic CAD This step is an electrochemical process which
data to the physical circuit board, it starts by builds copper thickness into the holes and onto
applying photosensitive photo-resist to the panel, the surface of the PCB. Once the copper
covering the entire board area. thickness is built up on the circuitry and in the
Then the copper layer film image (step 1) is placed holes, we plate an additional layer of tin to the
over the board, a high intensity UV light source exposed surface. This tin will protect the plated
exposes the uncovered portion of the photo-resist. copper during the etching process (step 7) and
Then the board will chemically develop (remove be later removed.
unexposed photoresist) creating the pads and
traces.
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8. Solder Mask
7. Strip & Etch Next we coat the entire panel with a liquid
Firstly, remove (strip) chemically remove the photo-resist from soldermask layer. Using films and high
the panel. Then the newly exposed copper is chemically intensity UV light (similar to step 5) we
removed (etched) from the panel. The tin applied in step 6 expose the solderable areas of the PCB. The
protects the desired copper circuitry from being etched. main function of the soldermask is to
At this point, the fundamental circuitry of the PCB is protect the majority of the copper circuitry
defined. Finally, the protective layer of tin is chemically from oxidation, damage and corrosion as
removed (stripped) to expose the copper circuitry. well as maintain isolation of the circuits
during assembly.
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9. Nomenclature (silkscreen) 10. Surface Finish Applied
Next we print the reference designators, logos, and The final surface finish is then applied to the
other information contained in the electronic files panels. This surface finish (tin / lead solder or
onto the panel. This process is very similar to an inkjet immersion silver) is used to protect the copper
printing process, but designed specifically for PCBs. (solderable surfaces) from oxidation as well as act as
a site for soldering of components to the PCB.
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The Manufacturing of PCB
3. PCB COMPONENTS
We will figure out and learn the components of PCB in this
section
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PCB COMPONENTS
After PCB fabrication is done, the components will be assembled onto the PCB board. The
component is an actual device in the board. The PCB components can be categorized as active
and passive. [1]
4. PC ASSEMBLY
Well. Lets jump into the PC Assembly world!
53
REMEMBER
A circuit board prior to assembly of electronic
components is known as PCB. Once electronic
components are soldered, the board is
called Printed Circuit Assembly (PCA) or Printed
Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA).
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Figure 36. PCB after device assembly. Also known as PCAB. [28]
Vias Responsible
for making electrical
Traces connection between
Connect pads layers of PCB
together
Pads Location
where components
connect / solder to.
Top metal layer the layer where most of the components are assembled
Bottom metal layer Fewer components in bottom layer and many traces
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[29] Photo credits to / Source from http://www.slideshare.net/panchal_jay/pcb-layout-53946998
the process
of soldering or
assembly of electronic
components to a PCB or
printed circuit
board.[30][31]
NOTE!
This assembly of electronic
components depends on type of
circuit board, type of electronic
components and purpose of the
circuit board. [31]
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[32] Photo credits to / Source from http://www.electronicsandyou.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Printed-Circuit-Board-Assembly.jpg
PC ASSEMBLY
Things Needed for Printed Circuit Board Assembly
Following electronics parts and consumables are needed for PCB assembly
Once all of the above equipment, electronic parts and all raw materials are arranged, it is time to start
the assembly process.
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PCB ASSEMBLY TYPES
PCB Components can be mounted onto the board in two ways; Surface Mount and Through-
Hole type.[33]
THROUGH-HOLE
SURFACE MOUNT
Each component has thin wires, or leads,
A stubby J-shaped or L-shaped legs on each which are pushed through small holes in
component contact the printed circuits directly. the substrate and soldered to connection
A solder paste consisting of glue, flux, and solder pads in the circuits on the opposite side.
are applied at the point of contact to hold the Gravity and friction between the leads and
components in place until the solder is melted, or the sides of the holes keeps the components
"reflowed," in an oven to make the final connection. in place until they are soldered.
Although surface mount technology requires greater
care in the placement of the components, it
eliminates the time-consuming drilling process and
the space-consuming connection pads inherent with
through hole technology.
Figure 38. Illustration of the difference between Surface Mount and Through Hole [34]
** SM : Surface Mount ..SMC : Surface Mount Component ..TH : Through-Hole ..THC : Through-Hole Component
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Some Examples of PCB Manufacturing Process
by PCB Manufacturers
We have done discuss about PCB manufacturing process. Now let us see some examples of real
PCB manufacturing process by industry.
65
ADVANTAGES OF PCB
Inexpensive to mass produced
Creation of multiple circuit boards from one design is easy to do since it only needs to print the
design and etch it in a copper board
Since it is computer generated, one can create uniform printed circuit boards using the same
schematic layout
Concern that it has been designed and tested using computer applications therefore, no need to
worry about broken circuits and has a bigger chance of it working
Since the board components are fixed and easy to identify, it makes the board easy to maintain.
66
DISADVANTAGES OF PCB
the only way to remedy a damaged printed circuit board is to replace the whole board.
etching PCBs involves the use of some chemicals, it can produce harmful effect to the
environment
To add even for just one component to test a certain circuitry, it should be re-printed
again
67
PCB ISSUES
There are some common issues that lead to the failure of the PCB. The issues we are focusing
on are : Design For Manufacturability (DFM), Fabrication and Electromagnetic Issues.
1. The use of design rules EMC (Electromagnetic compatibility) It is the process of emerging
and Design Rule Checking associated with the generation, a PCB layout topology to
(DRC) in PCB design propagation, and reception of electro- mitigate problems that could
software magnetic energy be encountered during the
2. DRC is the process of make sure such signals are compatible PCB fabrication and
looking at a design to see if and do not interfere with each other assembly processes
it conforms to the when different circuits, traces, vias, and required to manufacture an
manufacturing capabilities PCB materials operate in uniform. electronic system.
of a PCB fabricator Acid traps
3. DFM software (Design EMI (electromagnetic interference) Via in Pads
For Manufacturability) Damaging effect of EMC or other Insufficient annular ring
checking is offered by PCB unwanted energy generates. Copper too close to board
fabricators to customers as Boards design and components edge
an extra service. continue to shrinking and industry Missing solder mask
demands for higher speed system. between pads
Designer have to make sure various Tombstoning
energy elements are reduced to
maintain minimal interfering effects.
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SUMMARY
1. The electrical characteristics of the printed circuit board (PCB)
used to physically mount and connect the circuit components in
a high frequency product will have a significant impact on the
performance of that product.
2. PCB designer has the option to assembly the board from a number of different material laminates and
different thickness.
3. For an optimum commercial product it is important for the PCB layout engineer and the circuit design
engineer to understand issues like fabrication process limitation and other issues.
4. PBC is very marketable over the years and the demands are growing, thus giving huge profits to the
PBC company. Now you can imagine how powerful PCB is in the market of the world.
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Other References
Special thanks to all other photo sources and references for this
PCB topic :
http://www.technavio.com/report/global-semiconductor-equipment-printed-circuit-board-market
http://ytdp.ee.wits.ac.za/elen4001/gspcbdes.pdf
http://www.dredging-m3.com/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-printed-circuit-boards/
http://www.epectec.com/articles/pcb-surface-finish-advantages-and-disadvantages.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed-circuit-board
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