The current circuit board mainly consists of the following components:
1. **Circuit and Pattern (Pattern)**: The circuit serves as a means of conduction between the components. In PCB design, a large copper area is often added as a ground and power layer. The routing and patterning are typically done simultaneously.
2. **Dielectric Layer (Dielectric)**: This layer provides electrical insulation between the circuit and other layers, commonly referred to as the substrate.
3. **Hole (Through hole / Via)**: Through holes allow connections between circuits on multiple layers. Larger through holes are used for component insertion, while non-through holes (nPTH) are typically used for surface-mount components or for securing screws during assembly.
4. **Solder Resist / Solder Mask**: Not all copper areas require soldering. Therefore, non-soldered areas are covered with a layer of material (usually epoxy resin) to prevent solder from adhering to the copper, avoiding short circuits between unsoldered circuits. Depending on the process, solder masks are typically available in green, red, or blue.
**Silk Screen (Legend/Marking/Silk Screen):** This is a non-essential feature. Its primary function is to label the names and positioning frames of components on the circuit board, which aids in maintenance and identification after assembly.
**Surface Finish:** Copper surfaces are prone to oxidation in typical environments, which can impair solderability, making it difficult to tin. To protect copper areas that require tinning, various surface finishes are used, such as HASL, ENIG, Immersion Silver, Immersion Tin, and OSP. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, collectively referred to as surface treatments.
**PCB Characteristics:**
1. **High Density:** The development of high-density printed circuit boards has progressed over decades alongside advancements in integrated circuit integration and mounting technologies.
2. **High Reliability:** Through rigorous inspections, tests, and aging processes, PCBs are designed to function reliably over extended periods (usually up to 20 years).
3. **Design Flexibility:** PCB designs can be tailored to meet specific electrical, physical, chemical, and mechanical requirements through standardized design practices, resulting in faster design times and greater efficiency.
4. **Producibility:** Modern management techniques allow for large-scale, standardized, and automated production, ensuring consistent product quality.
5. **Testability:** A comprehensive testing methodology, including standards, equipment, and instruments, is available to assess the eligibility and service life of PCB products.
6. **Assemblability:** PCBs support standardized assembly of various components and facilitate automated, large-scale production. Additionally, PCBs and their associated components can be assembled into larger systems, even entire machines.
7. **Maintainability:** Since PCB components are produced on a large scale and standardized, they can be easily and flexibly replaced in case of system failure, ensuring rapid system recovery. Other benefits include miniaturization, weight reduction, and high-speed signal transmission.
**Integrated Circuit Features:**
Integrated circuits offer several advantages, including small size, light weight, fewer leads and solder points, long lifespan, high reliability, and excellent performance. They are cost-effective and well-suited for mass production. Integrated circuits are widely used in both industrial and consumer electronics, including devices like tape recorders, televisions, and computers, as well as in military, communications, and remote control applications. The use of integrated circuits significantly increases assembly density—by tens to thousands of times—compared to transistors, while also enhancing the stability and lifespan of electronic equipment.
**Difference Between PCB and Integrated Circuits:**
An integrated circuit (IC) typically refers to a chip, such as the Northbridge chip on a motherboard or the CPU. The original term for an integrated circuit was “integrated block.” On the other hand, a printed circuit board (PCB) is the board that houses and connects various components, including ICs, through printed solder pads.
ICs are soldered onto PCBs, which serve as the substrate or carrier for the ICs. A PCB is a printed circuit board, and it can be found in nearly every electronic device. If a device contains electronic components, it is almost certain that a PCB of some form is used.
In essence, a PCB serves as the structural platform that physically supports and electrically connects components. Conversely, an integrated circuit integrates various circuit functions into a single chip. If an IC is damaged, the entire chip is compromised. However, a PCB can independently solder and replace components if they are damaged, making it easier to repair or upgrade the system.
1. **Circuit and Pattern (Pattern)**: The circuit serves as a means of conduction between the components. In PCB design, a large copper area is often added as a ground and power layer. The routing and patterning are typically done simultaneously.
2. **Dielectric Layer (Dielectric)**: This layer provides electrical insulation between the circuit and other layers, commonly referred to as the substrate.
3. **Hole (Through hole / Via)**: Through holes allow connections between circuits on multiple layers. Larger through holes are used for component insertion, while non-through holes (nPTH) are typically used for surface-mount components or for securing screws during assembly.
4. **Solder Resist / Solder Mask**: Not all copper areas require soldering. Therefore, non-soldered areas are covered with a layer of material (usually epoxy resin) to prevent solder from adhering to the copper, avoiding short circuits between unsoldered circuits. Depending on the process, solder masks are typically available in green, red, or blue.
**Silk Screen (Legend/Marking/Silk Screen):** This is a non-essential feature. Its primary function is to label the names and positioning frames of components on the circuit board, which aids in maintenance and identification after assembly.
**Surface Finish:** Copper surfaces are prone to oxidation in typical environments, which can impair solderability, making it difficult to tin. To protect copper areas that require tinning, various surface finishes are used, such as HASL, ENIG, Immersion Silver, Immersion Tin, and OSP. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, collectively referred to as surface treatments.
**PCB Characteristics:**
1. **High Density:** The development of high-density printed circuit boards has progressed over decades alongside advancements in integrated circuit integration and mounting technologies.
2. **High Reliability:** Through rigorous inspections, tests, and aging processes, PCBs are designed to function reliably over extended periods (usually up to 20 years).
3. **Design Flexibility:** PCB designs can be tailored to meet specific electrical, physical, chemical, and mechanical requirements through standardized design practices, resulting in faster design times and greater efficiency.
4. **Producibility:** Modern management techniques allow for large-scale, standardized, and automated production, ensuring consistent product quality.
5. **Testability:** A comprehensive testing methodology, including standards, equipment, and instruments, is available to assess the eligibility and service life of PCB products.
6. **Assemblability:** PCBs support standardized assembly of various components and facilitate automated, large-scale production. Additionally, PCBs and their associated components can be assembled into larger systems, even entire machines.
7. **Maintainability:** Since PCB components are produced on a large scale and standardized, they can be easily and flexibly replaced in case of system failure, ensuring rapid system recovery. Other benefits include miniaturization, weight reduction, and high-speed signal transmission.
**Integrated Circuit Features:**
Integrated circuits offer several advantages, including small size, light weight, fewer leads and solder points, long lifespan, high reliability, and excellent performance. They are cost-effective and well-suited for mass production. Integrated circuits are widely used in both industrial and consumer electronics, including devices like tape recorders, televisions, and computers, as well as in military, communications, and remote control applications. The use of integrated circuits significantly increases assembly density—by tens to thousands of times—compared to transistors, while also enhancing the stability and lifespan of electronic equipment.
**Difference Between PCB and Integrated Circuits:**
An integrated circuit (IC) typically refers to a chip, such as the Northbridge chip on a motherboard or the CPU. The original term for an integrated circuit was “integrated block.” On the other hand, a printed circuit board (PCB) is the board that houses and connects various components, including ICs, through printed solder pads.
ICs are soldered onto PCBs, which serve as the substrate or carrier for the ICs. A PCB is a printed circuit board, and it can be found in nearly every electronic device. If a device contains electronic components, it is almost certain that a PCB of some form is used.
In essence, a PCB serves as the structural platform that physically supports and electrically connects components. Conversely, an integrated circuit integrates various circuit functions into a single chip. If an IC is damaged, the entire chip is compromised. However, a PCB can independently solder and replace components if they are damaged, making it easier to repair or upgrade the system.
