Section 2

Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

Terminology, Materials &
Manufacture

What is a PCB?
PCB is a component carrier that contains
etched copper patterns (traces) connecting the
leads of one component to the leads of the
others.
The various components are attached onto the
PCB, at the appropriate locations (pads or
lands), using solder.
Several PCBs are connected to form
subsystems or fully functional systems.
PCB replaces point-to-point wiring.

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 PCB
PCBs are also referred to as printed wiring
boards (PWBs) or in general terms
substrates.
Substrates represent circuit boards made of
any material.
PCB or PWB refers to circuit boards made of
organic resin impregnated base material.
PCBs are the most commonly used general
purpose substrates in the electronics industry
today.

PCB
Functions of a PCB
Electrical connectivity between components
Structural support for components
Effective heat dissipation
Advantages of PCBs
Compact
Professional-looking
Easy to troubleshoot & repair
Easy to duplicate
Amenable to engineering changes

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 External Features of a PCB
Via Holes

Pads or Lands

Traces

PCB Terminology
Base Material Fiducials
Prepreg Solder Mask
Laminate Plated Through Hole
Circuit (PTH)
Trace Spacing Via Holes
Trace Width
Land
Land Geometry
Footprint
Edge-Board Contacts

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 PCB Terminology
Base Material
Insulating (dielectric) material that provides
the structure for the PCB. Also referred to as
the reinforcement. Ex: Woven Glass Fabric
Prepreg
Base material soaked with organic resin and
partially cured (B-Stage)
Laminate
Several sheets of prepreg layered to achieve
the required thickness for the PCB

PCB Terminology
Trace Spacing
The distance between the edges of adjacent
traces
Trace Width
The width of each individual trace
Land/Pad
Portion of the circuit pattern to which the
component leads are connected
Land Geometry
The size and shape of lands

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 PCB Terminology
Footprint
Group of lands for a single component type
Fiducials
Geometric shapes used for vision alignment

Solder Mask
Protective coating, green in color, used to
shield certain portions of the circuit pattern

PCB Terminology
Plated Through Hole
Via Hole
A plated hole that provides a conductive path
from one layer to another
Through Via Blind Via

Buried Via

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 Basic Building Unit of a PCB
Heat & Pressure

Fiber
Copper
reinforced with Laminate Foil
organic resin
(Dielectric)

Organic Resins Fiber

Epoxy Paper Heat & Pressure
Polyimide E-Glass
Flame-retardant Quartz, aramid
Phenolic & S2

PCB Types

Single-sided

Double-sided

Multilayer

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 PCB Types

MOV - PCB

One side Cu - laminated Flexible PCB

Leadframe - PCB

Multilayer with 16 layers

3D - MID - PCB

Multi-layer Rigid PCB

Fabrication
Involves laminating several pre-etched
double sided PCBs (which form the inner
layers) with prepreg sheets between them
and a sheet of copper on the top and bottom
sides to form the outer layers
Inner layer circuitry is formed by print-and-
etch process
Outer layer circuitry is formed by pattern
plating process

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 Multi-Layer PCB Fabrication Process

Schematic Capture
Strip the
Hardened Photoresist Yes
Is it a Stand- Alone
A
Double-Sided
Create Artwork PCB?
No
Are Via A No
Holes Required?
Generate Phototool Multi-Layer
Yes
Lamination

Drill Via Holes

Apply Photoresist
Develop Outer
on the Copper Clad
Layer Circuitry
Laminate
(Pattern Plating Process)
Clean Via Holes

Expose Image from

Phototool onto the Resist Apply Solder
Electroless Copper Mask
Plating of Via Holes

Wash Off Metallic or Non-

Unhardened Resist Electroytic Copper Metallic Surface Finish
Plating of Via Holes of Exposed Copper

Chemical Etch the

Exposed Copper

Print-and-Etch Process
Photoresist is applied
onto the copper foil

Phototool containing a negative image

of the circuit pattern is placed on the
photoresist and exposed to UV light.

Phototool is removed. The UV light has

hardened the exposed photoresist, which
is covering the required circuit pattern

The unexposed photoresist is washed

off and the exposed copper is
chemically etched.

After the etching process is complete,

the hardened photoresist is removed,
exposing the required circuit pattern.

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 Multi-Layer PCB Fabrication Process

Schematic Capture
Strip the
Hardened Photoresist Yes
Is it a Stand- Alone
A
Double-Sided
Create Artwork PCB?
No
Are Via A No
Holes Required?
Generate Phototool Multi-Layer
Yes
Lamination

Drill Via Holes

Apply Photoresist
Develop Outer
on the Copper Clad
Layer Circuitry
Laminate
(Pattern Plating Process)
Clean Via Holes

Expose Image from

Phototool onto the Resist Apply Solder
Electroless Copper Mask
Plating of Via Holes

Wash Off Metallic or Non-

Unhardened Resist Electroytic Copper Metallic Surface Finish
Plating of Via Holes of Exposed Copper

Chemical Etch the

Exposed Copper

Cross-section View of a
Plated Via Hole

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 Resin Smear During Drilling

Via Hole

Improper Via Hole Plating

Copper
Via Hole Trace/Pad

Via Hole Wall

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 Multi-Layer PCB Fabrication Process

Schematic Capture
Strip the
Hardened Photoresist Yes
Is it a Stand- Alone
A
Double-Sided
Create Artwork PCB?
No
Are Via A No
Holes Required?
Generate Phototool Multi-Layer
Yes
Lamination

Drill Via Holes

Apply Photoresist
Develop Outer
on the Copper Clad
Layer Circuitry
Laminate
(Pattern Plating Process)
Clean Via Holes

Expose Image from

Phototool onto the Resist Apply Solder
Electroless Copper Mask
Plating of Via Holes

Wash Off Metallic or Non-

Unhardened Resist Electroytic Copper Metallic Surface Finish
Plating of Via Holes of Exposed Copper

Chemical Etch the

Exposed Copper

Multi-Layer Lamination
Foil Lamination

Cap Lamination

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 Pattern-Plating Process
Photoresist is applied onto the copper foil

Phototool containing a positive image of the

circuit pattern is placed on the photoresist and
exposed to UV light.

Phototool is removed. The UV light has hardened

the exposed photoresist, which is covering the
unwanted copper.

The unexposed photoresist is washed off, revealing

the required copper pattern. Copper is then plated on
top of the exposed copper followed by tin or tin-lead
etch resist plating. The hardened photoresist is then
removed and the unwanted copper is etched.
After etching the unwanted copper, the tin or tin-
lead etch resist is removed, revealing the outer
layer circuit pattern.

Solder Mask Application Over Bare Copper

Solder
Mask

Permanent Temporary

Removed after the

soldering process either
LIQUID DRY FILM manually or by
dissolving in the
cleaning solvent

Photo Photo
Imageable Imageable

Screen
Print

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 Metallic & Non-Metallic
Surface Finish
Tin-lead Finish (HASL Process)
White Tin Finish
Nickel-Gold Finish
Organic Solderability Preservative
(OSP) Finish

PCB Storage & Handling

Packed in moisture resist vacuum sealed packages
Do not remove from package until it is ready to be
assembled
If possible store in oxygen lean atmosphere
Once removed from package and exposed to
atmosphere PCBs will absorb moisture resulting in
assembly defects
Handle with care to prevent damage to the finish as it
will promote oxidation of the copper surface
Always handle the PCBs by its edges
Wear gloves while handling
Proper ESD grounding is essential

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 PCB Characteristics
Mechanical
stability, accuracy to size, planarity, quality of the
finish layer, thickness, flexural strength
Electrical
electric strength, insulation resistance, ohmic
resistance of the wires, current carrying capacity,
inductance, characteristic impedance, trace width
and space
Thermal
lasting heat resistance, linear coefficient of
expansion, accuracy to size under influence of
heat, heat shock resistance, thermal conductivity,
flammability, glass transition temperature

Critical PCB Properties-CTE

Board Materials CTE
Epoxy/Glass (FR-4) 12-18 Aspect Ratio = Board Thickness
Polyimide/Glass 12-15
Aramid/Epoxy 6.5-7.5 Drilled Hole Dia.
Epoxy/Quartz 8-11 =T/D
Polyimide/Quartz 8-11
Polyimide/Kevlar 3-8 Must be < 3 in order to
Copper/Invar/Copper (Constraining Cores) 4.4-8 avoid via hole cracking
Ceramic Substrates 5-7

Prepreg (Epoxy Double Sided Boards

Resin Reinforced (Copper Clad Laminates)
Glass)

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 Critical PCB Properties-Tg
Glass Transition Temperature (Tg)
The temperature at which the resin system
changes from a rigid or hard material to a
soft or rubber like material

Resin System Glass Transition

Temperature (C)
Epoxy 125-135
Bizmaleimide Triazine (BT) 180-190
Polyimide 250-260
Cyanate Esters 240-250
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) 327

CTE vs. Tg Relationship

Source: Circuitree, August 96

Tg

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 Effect of CTE
The uneven expansion and contraction
produces a global bending of the assembly
Change in dimension = () x (L) x (t)

Source:Electronic
Packaging Material
Science

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 PCB Inspection & Quality
Assurance
Visual Examination
Bridges, opens, nicked traces & pads,
hole-to-pad mis-registration, solder mask
covering pads or fiducials, contamination of
board surface, foreign particle entrapment,
wrong or missing legends.
Dimensional Measurements
Length, width and thickness of PCB, PTH
size and position tolerance, warpage,
circuit pattern position and orientation

warpage
1
1 touching on a line
2 touching on a point

concavity

torsion

Reasons for deviation from flat surface: 2

- asymmetric layer (metal, resist)
- asymmetrically woven texture
2

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 PCB Inspection & Quality
Assurance
Cross-section Analysis
Copper thickness, plating thickness,
improper plating, inner layer dimensions,
voids in copper plating, cracks, layer-to-
layer mis-registration, inner layer
separations, nodules on PTH barrel
Electrical Testing
Shorts & opens, continuity resistance,
maximum current, isolation resistance &
voltage

Pad Design Considerations

Component tolerances
Minimization of the occupied
area on the PCB (often
requirement for handheld
devices)
Check if routing under
component is possible
Consideration of solder
process (wave, single sided
reflow or double sided
reflow)
Determination of stencil
apertures (if applicable) and
solder mask geometries
Check, if solder paste
printing is possible with the
desired stencil thickness
Definition of centerpoint and
orientation (pin 1)
Definition of preferred
orientation if neccessary
Check if mechanical
functions will work properly
(connectors, sockets ...)
Repairability, if necessary
Arbitrate between design
and production demands

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 Pad Design Information
JEDEC, EIAJ and ANSI -
IPC-D-275 - Design Standard for Rigid Printed
Boards and Rigid Printed Board Assemblies
IPC-SM-782A - Surface Mount Design and Land
Pattern Standard
J-STD-001B - Requirements for Soldered Electrical
and Electronic Assemblies
IPC-2221- Generic Standard on Printed Board
Design
IPC-2222 - Sectional Design Standard for Rigid
Organic Printed Board
Finally the Component Manufacturers

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