The basics of FR-4 Printed Circuit Boards

  • January 5, 2021 1:57 AM PST
    Part 1 of this FAQ provided context and background on the PC board, and
    discussed its first widespread appearance as a phenolic-based board.
    Part 2 looks at some board issues and the widely used FR-4 PC board
    substrate.To get more news about [url=https://www.pcbmake.com/guide-for-fr4-circuit-board/]fr4 board[/url], you can visit pcbmake official website.

    Q: I see the term “solder mask” — what is that?

    A:
    Solder mask (also called a solder stop mask or solder resist) is a
    thin, lacquer-like layer of polymer that is usually applied to the
    copper traces of a printed circuit board (PCB) for protection against
    oxidation and to prevent solder bridges from forming between closely
    spaced solder pads. It is not applied to the places where component
    leads and PC board traces meet and must be soldered in the soldering
    wave machine or soldering oven.

    Q: How are designations (callouts) such as IC1 or R4 printed onto the PC board?

    A:
    After the solder mask is applied, a silkscreen with the needed
    designations is printed onto the mask. Green is the most common color
    for the silkscreen, but other colors are used.

    Q: I don’t see many of these phenolic bards, so what happened?

    A:
    They simply could not handle the requirements of electronics circuits
    and components into the 1980s and 1990 in terms of thermal and
    mechanical stability, consistency, ability to support narrow traces and
    tiny holes, and two-sided and multilayer demands. Thus, the glass-epoxy
    PC board was developed; the most-common version is known as FR-4
    (sometimes written FR4

    Q: Can you tell me more about FR-4?

    A:
    FR-4 is a general designation for a matrix of fiberglass and epoxy
    which is used for most of today; s PC board substrates. It is available
    in various standard thickness, chosen as a function of the size of the
    board, flexing issues, and rigidity requirements. ). The FR-4
    designation is now also a generic term used by many engineers for any
    fiberglass-epoxy PC board, even if it is not FR-4 in the formal
    standards sense, as there are many substrates which are similar to FR-4
    but do not adhere to the formal specification.

    Standard
    single-weight thickness is 0.031 in (0.78 mm), followed by double- and
    triple-thicknesses of 0.062 in (1.57 mm) and 0.093 in (2.36 mm),
    respectively; thinner ones are also available. Reference 1 has a table
    listing about 30 of the nominal electrical and mechanical
    characteristics of FR-4; they are vital to consistent performance and
    the ability to use different sources for raw boards and fabrication.
    FR-4 usually green in color, but other such as blue are sometimes used.
    There is no standard PC length or width, nor does the board have to be
    rectangular; it can be circular and have cutouts or whatever is needed.
    In many ways, the green PC board is the defining image of modern
    electronic circuits (Figure 1).