As a key electronic connector, PCB circuit boards are integral to nearly all electronic products and are often referred to as the “mother of electronic system products.” The evolution of PCB technology and its market trends have become a major focus for many industry players.
At present, electronic products are exhibiting two distinct trends: one towards miniaturization and lightweight design, and the other towards high-speed, high-frequency performance. These trends are driving the downstream PCB industry toward higher density, greater integration, advanced packaging, finer precision, and multi-level development. As a result, there is an increasing demand for high-end boards and HDI (High-Density Interconnect) boards.
The development of high-end boards requires long trace lengths, low circuit impedance, and stable performance under high-frequency and high-speed operations. These boards must support more complex functions. As electronic technology continues to advance with higher speeds, frequencies, multi-functionality, and larger capacities, this trend is set to continue.
1. **In particular, the widespread application of large-scale integrated circuits will further accelerate the development of high-precision, high-strength PCBs.** Currently, PCBs with fewer than 8 layers are primarily used in household appliances, personal computers, desktops, and other electronic products, whereas high-performance multi-channel servers, aerospace applications, and other advanced industries demand PCBs with more than 10 layers.
2. **Taking servers as an example, single-sided and double-sided server PCBs generally consist of 4-8 layers, while high-end server boards, such as those used in high-performance models, typically require more than 16 layers.** Additionally, backplanes for these systems often exceed 20 layers.
3. **High-performance copper cladding has increasingly become a trend.** The rapid advancement of the electronics industry has also led to environmental concerns due to the waste generated by electronic products.
4. **Research has shown that electronic products containing halogen compounds or resins as flame retardants (including printed circuit board substrates) release harmful substances during incineration at the end of their life cycle.** At the same time, as the demand for PCB circuits grows and diversifies, the rapid expansion of fields like automotive electronics and LEDs has created specific requirements for copper-clad materials.
5. **There is a rising demand for high-performance, specialty copper cladding materials, such as halogen-free, lead-free, high Tg (glass transition temperature), high-frequency, and high thermal conductivity variants.** Environmental protection materials are also evolving quickly. With the increasing global focus on environmental protection, regulatory scrutiny has become stricter, with laws and regulations worldwide restricting the use of halogens in PCBs.
6. **Since 2008, under the push of major international manufacturers’ halogen-free initiatives, the call for halogen-free electronics has grown stronger.** Greenpeace releases a new green electronics ranking quarterly, and major companies like Sony, Toshiba, Nokia, and Apple are increasingly demanding halogen-free boards.
7. **According to Prismark’s estimates, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of halogen-free FR4 boards between 2011 and 2016 is projected to be the highest, reaching 21.5%.** Research and development (R&D) in environmental protection materials has become a critical focus within the CCL industry. The rapid growth of LED technology has made high thermal conductivity copper cladding a key area of interest.
8. **Small-pitch LEDs offer seamless integration, excellent display quality, and long lifespan, and have begun to penetrate various markets rapidly in recent years.** Correspondingly, the demand for high thermal conductivity copper materials has become a significant trend.
9. **Automotive PCBs have stringent quality and reliability requirements, often utilizing special energy materials to coat copper.** Automotive electronics represent a major downstream application for PCBs. These products must meet the specific demands of the automotive industry, where products must be adaptable to extreme temperatures, varying climates, voltage fluctuations, electromagnetic interference, and vibrations. These challenges place higher demands on automotive PCB materials, leading to the use of specialized materials such as high Tg substrates, CAF (compressed asbestos fiber) materials, thick copper substrates, and ceramics for multilayer copper-clad PCBs.
At present, electronic products are exhibiting two distinct trends: one towards miniaturization and lightweight design, and the other towards high-speed, high-frequency performance. These trends are driving the downstream PCB industry toward higher density, greater integration, advanced packaging, finer precision, and multi-level development. As a result, there is an increasing demand for high-end boards and HDI (High-Density Interconnect) boards.
The development of high-end boards requires long trace lengths, low circuit impedance, and stable performance under high-frequency and high-speed operations. These boards must support more complex functions. As electronic technology continues to advance with higher speeds, frequencies, multi-functionality, and larger capacities, this trend is set to continue.
1. **In particular, the widespread application of large-scale integrated circuits will further accelerate the development of high-precision, high-strength PCBs.** Currently, PCBs with fewer than 8 layers are primarily used in household appliances, personal computers, desktops, and other electronic products, whereas high-performance multi-channel servers, aerospace applications, and other advanced industries demand PCBs with more than 10 layers.
2. **Taking servers as an example, single-sided and double-sided server PCBs generally consist of 4-8 layers, while high-end server boards, such as those used in high-performance models, typically require more than 16 layers.** Additionally, backplanes for these systems often exceed 20 layers.
3. **High-performance copper cladding has increasingly become a trend.** The rapid advancement of the electronics industry has also led to environmental concerns due to the waste generated by electronic products.
4. **Research has shown that electronic products containing halogen compounds or resins as flame retardants (including printed circuit board substrates) release harmful substances during incineration at the end of their life cycle.** At the same time, as the demand for PCB circuits grows and diversifies, the rapid expansion of fields like automotive electronics and LEDs has created specific requirements for copper-clad materials.
5. **There is a rising demand for high-performance, specialty copper cladding materials, such as halogen-free, lead-free, high Tg (glass transition temperature), high-frequency, and high thermal conductivity variants.** Environmental protection materials are also evolving quickly. With the increasing global focus on environmental protection, regulatory scrutiny has become stricter, with laws and regulations worldwide restricting the use of halogens in PCBs.
6. **Since 2008, under the push of major international manufacturers’ halogen-free initiatives, the call for halogen-free electronics has grown stronger.** Greenpeace releases a new green electronics ranking quarterly, and major companies like Sony, Toshiba, Nokia, and Apple are increasingly demanding halogen-free boards.
7. **According to Prismark’s estimates, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of halogen-free FR4 boards between 2011 and 2016 is projected to be the highest, reaching 21.5%.** Research and development (R&D) in environmental protection materials has become a critical focus within the CCL industry. The rapid growth of LED technology has made high thermal conductivity copper cladding a key area of interest.
8. **Small-pitch LEDs offer seamless integration, excellent display quality, and long lifespan, and have begun to penetrate various markets rapidly in recent years.** Correspondingly, the demand for high thermal conductivity copper materials has become a significant trend.
9. **Automotive PCBs have stringent quality and reliability requirements, often utilizing special energy materials to coat copper.** Automotive electronics represent a major downstream application for PCBs. These products must meet the specific demands of the automotive industry, where products must be adaptable to extreme temperatures, varying climates, voltage fluctuations, electromagnetic interference, and vibrations. These challenges place higher demands on automotive PCB materials, leading to the use of specialized materials such as high Tg substrates, CAF (compressed asbestos fiber) materials, thick copper substrates, and ceramics for multilayer copper-clad PCBs.
