PCB Manufacturing Flashcards

1
Q

Describe the steps to manufacturing a double sided PCB.

A
  1. Copper clad laminate board
    2.Drill holes and debur
  2. Electroless plating of holes to make conductive.
  3. Photoresist applied
  4. Apply surface finish for areas to be soldered.
  5. Apply solder mask.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What does a double sided PCB enable?

A

It allows the manufacture to place smt components on both sides of the PCB.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is the most common PCB substrate material?

A

Glass reinforced epoxy “FR4”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are the typical properties of PCB substrate?

A
  1. Stiff-provides mechanical support for the circuit.
  2. Temperature resistant - won’t become floppy when hot.
  3. Dielectric properties - Good insulator, low dielectric constant.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is the main reason for PCB drilling?

A

It allows electrical connectivity between the top and bottom layer of the PCB.

It also allows connectivity between the different layers of a multi layer PCB.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What material are PCB drill bits made from?

A

Tungsten Carbide

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are drill registration holes used for?

A

To align multiple sheets.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What type of machine is used to drill pcbs?

A

Multi spindle Cnc drilling machine.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What purpose do entrance and exit materials serve when PCB drilling?

A

Minimise burring and improve accuracy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What other manufacturing method can a PCB drilling machine carry out?

A

They can be used for routing a PCB board. (Cut out segments)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What alternatives are there to PCB drilling?

A
  • Punching
  • Moulding
  • Photolithography
  • Laser Drilling
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are the 3 types of lithography?

A
  • imaging
  • etching
  • plating
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What is the equation for exposure time?

A

Exposure time = sensitivity/intensity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are the 3 most common exposure techniques?

A
  • Contact exposure (the most common)
  • Proximity printing
  • Projection printing
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Why is contact exposure the most common method used in lithography?

A

Accurate reproduction of image.
Low exposure tooling cost.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is proximity printing and what type of light does it require?

A

It is similar to contact exposure, however a small gap is left between the tool and part.
The process requires collimated light - Light that has parallel rays.

17
Q

What benefit does proximity printing have over contact exposure?

A

The artwork does not get damaged as easily.

18
Q

Where is projection printing used?

A

High volume areas where high resolution and close tolerances are necessary.

19
Q

What is the main downside of projection printing?

A

It is very expensive.

20
Q

What aspect of the image has a large affect on the quality of the image transfer?

A

Contrast

21
Q

Describe positive and negative resist

A

The resist is exposed to UV light. Then developed. The exposed metal is then etched away.

Positive = photo resist removed.
Negative = everything around photo resist removed.

22
Q

How is the photo resist aligned on the PCB?

A

Precut alignment marks.

23
Q

What does etching involve?

A

Removing copper material from PCB

24
Q

What does isotropic etching mean?

A

Etching in all directions (horizontal and vertical)

25
Q

What does anisotropic etching mean?

A

Etching In one direction only.

26
Q

What methods could be used for dry etching?

A

Gas/plasma

27
Q

What does plating mean, and what are the two methods of doing it?

A

Adding copper to a PCB.
Electroless
Electrolytic

28
Q

What is the difference between Electroless and electrolytic plating?

A

Electroless is slow but can add copper onto other metals and insulators.

Electrolytic is fast but only works on conductive substances.

29
Q

What is a side affect of isotropic etching?

A

Overhang under the mask

30
Q

In what order would you use the two types of plating?

A

Electroless first, electrolytic second.

31
Q

Describe pattern plating.

A
  • mask off the majority of the PCB, leaving a small amount of copper.
  • low current needed.
32
Q

Describe panel platting.

A

The entire surface of the substrate is copper plated.
Lots of excess copper removed.
Larger current needed.

33
Q

What is the benefit of having a multilayer PCB.

A

More circuit track per unit area

34
Q

What is the purpose of a blind vias

A

Holes inside a multilayer PCB that link layers.

35
Q

I’m what application would a flexible PCB be used for?

A

Wiring between parts of a system.
A PCB needing to fit into a small space of a product.

Can also be combined with rigid PCB’s.