.,;i 1:.

ilii,:\
CIRCUITS
2 Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Flex PCBs and their materials........................................................ 5

1.1 What is a flex PCB? ........................................................................... 5

5
1.2 Types of flex PCBs...............................................................................

1.2.1 Single-sided flexible circuit boards ..................................... 5

1.2.2 Double-sided flexible circuit boards ................................... 6
1.2.3 Multilayer flexible circuit boards ........................................ 6

1.3 Advantages of flex PCBs .................................................................. 7

1.4 Flex PCB materials............................................................................... 7
1.5 Applications of flex PCBs.................................................................. 8

Chapter 2: How to prepare the rigid-flex board outline............................ 9

2.1 Board outline..................................................................................... 9

2.2 Factors affecting the thickness of flex board.............................. 9

Chapter 3. Calculating the bend radius...................................................... 10

3.1 Calculation of bend radius........................................................... 10
3.2 Static flex PCBs.............................................................................. 11
3.3 Dynamic flex PCBs........................................................................ 12
3.4 Challenges in dynamic flex PCB design...................................... 12

3.4.1 Minimum bend radius.............................................................. 12

3.4.2 Copper type and grain orientation....................................... 13
3.4.3 Layer count and neutral bend axis....................................... 13
3.5 Best practices for designing bend areas.................................... 13
3.6 Methods to increase flexibility of flex boards...................... 14

Chapter 4: Flex routing................................................................................. 15

4.1 Guidelines for routing flex PCBs................................................. 15
4.2 Pad design for outer layers.......................................................... 18

Chapter 5: Designing and manufacturing vias in flex PCBs...................... 19

5.1 Flex via design............................................................................... 19
5.2 Via locations................................................................................... 19
5.3 Rigid-flex vias................................................................................ 19
5.4 Annular ring in flex PCBs............................................................. 20

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

 Table of Contents
5.5 Plating flex circuit boards............................................................ 21
5.6 Drill to copper................................................................................ 21

Chapter 6: Designing and assembling rigid-flex PCBs............................... 23

6.1 How do rigid-flex PCBs cut assembly costs?.............................. 23

6.1.1 Direct cost savings................................................................ 23

6.1.2 Indirect cost savings ............................................................... 23
6.2 Materials used in rigid-flex PCBs................................................ 23
6.3 Rigid-flex design rules.................................................................. 24
6.4 Assembling flex and rigid-flex PCBs........................................... 24
6.5 Stiffeners....................................................................................... 25
6.5.1 Stiffener considerations...................................................... 25
6.6 Tear guards.................................................................................... 25
6.7 Array panelization and depanelization...................................... 26

Chapter 7: Fab drawings for flex PCB.......................................................... 27

7.1 Flex PCB stack-up.......................................................................... 27
7.2 Dimensional drawing and tolerances......................................... 27
7.3 Design specifications a PCB manufacturer needs to know..... 27
7.4 Drill symbol chart......................................................................... 28
7.5 Flexibility (bend radius)............................................................... 28
7.6 Plating requirements................................................................... 28
7.7 Testing requirements................................................................... 29
7.8 Marking requirements................................................................. 29
7.9 What to include in flex drawing notes....................................... 29
7.10 Flex PCB design checklist........................................................... 31

Chapter 8: Controlled impedance in flex PCBs........................................... 32

8.1 What is controlled impedance?................................................... 32

8.2 Factors affecting impedance control in flex.............................. 32
8.2.1 Physical dimensions of the traces...................................... 32
8.2.2 Dielectric properties of the material used........................ 32
8.3 Controlled impedance configurations for flex circuit boards 32

3
8.3.1 Single-ended microstrip....................................................... 33
8.3.2 Edge coupled coated differential pair microstrip............. 33

www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
4 Table of Contents
8.3.3 Single-ended stripline................................................................... 33
8.3.4 Edge coupled differential stripline.............................................. 34
8.4 Flex PCB materials for controlled impedance........................... 35
Chapter 9: IPC standards for flex PCBs........................................................ 36
9.1 Design............................................................................................. 36
9.2 Materials........................................................................................ 36
9.3 Performance.................................................................................. 36
9.4 Quality guidelines — circuits & assembly.................................. 37
9.5 Military............................................................................................ 37

Chapter 10: Example flex stack-ups............................................................. 38

10.1 One layer flex stack-ups............................................................. 38

10.2 Multilayer flex stack-ups........................................................... 39
10.3 Rigid-flex stack-ups..................................................................... 40

Copyright
Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023
Inc., 2018
Chapter 1: Flex PCB and its materials
1.1 What is a flex PCB?
Flex PCBs with very thin substrates and a high level of bendability offer superior tensile
strength. These circuits are popular in any high-end electronic device, such as medical devices,
fitness wearables, cameras, and smartphones.

1.2 Types of flex PCBs

Flexible PCBs are classified into single-sided, double-sided, and multi-layered boards.

1.2.1 Single-sided flexible circuit boards

Image 1: Single-sided flex circuit board

Single-sided flex boards are the most basic type. These consist of a single conducting
layer on a flex substrate. A flexible polyimide is laminated to a thin sheet of copper.
Holes may be drilled through the substrate to allow the component leads to pass
through during the soldering process. A polyimide coverlay can be used for circuit
insulation and environmental protection.
5
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
 6
1.2.2 Double-sided flexible circuit boards

Notes

Image 2: Double-sided flex circuit board

Double-sided flex PCBs have two conductive layers (one on each side of the flex substrate).
Plated through holes or vias establish electrical connections between the layers.

1.2.3 Multilayer flexible circuit boards

Image 3: Multilayer flex circuit board

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

Multilayer flex boards consist of more than two copper conductors. Like double-sided flex
PCBs, the conductive layers are interconnected through PTHs or vias. These are effective
solutions when confronted with design challenges such as unavoidable crossovers, specific
impedance requirements, crosstalk issues, additional shielding, and high component density.

1.3 Advantages of flex PCBs

These boards have several advantages over rigid PCBs.

• Flex board can be fabricated in different shapes. This eases the electronic device
assembly process.
• Minimizes the connection points. Therefore, it eliminates the chances of interconnection
defects like poor solder joints. This makes them more reliable when compared to rigid
boards.
• Flexible circuitry is thinner and lightweight than its rigid counterparts.
• Offers superior resistance to vibrations and other disruptions in harsh environments.
• Flex PCB makes use of HDI technology.
• Enables better airflow and heat dissipation than other PCBs.

1.4 Flex PCB materials

Polyimide is the material used for both the flex core and coverlay layers. Flex substrates offer
better material properties when compared to standard FR4 rigid materials. The thickness of flex
materials is uniform throughout the substrate. These materials also offer improved DK values
ranging between 3.2 and 3.4. The lack of woven glass reinforcement reduces variations in Dk.
Typically, the thickness of the flex layers ranges between 1 and 5 mil. Generally, polyimide
materials such as Nelco and Rogers are preferred for rigid-flex boards. For flex circuits, Kapton is
ideal.

Polyimide flex cores are cladded with rolled annealed copper. This copper is very thin and
suitable for both dynamic and static applications. 0.5oz (0.7 mil) or less copper is more
commonly used in these boards.

There are two major types of flex materials:

1. Adhesive-based: Copper is bonded to the polyimide with acrylic adhesive
2. Adhesive-less: Copper is cast directly onto the polyimide

77
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
8
Adhesives are used to laminate the copper layer with the polyimide. The use of
adhesives may cause cracks in the copper plating within via holes because acrylic
adhesives can become soft when heated. Consequently, when designing for
adhesive-based materials, it’s important to incorporate anchors and teardrops in your
design.

Here are a few disadvantages of using adhesive based materials:

1. Can cause cracks in via holes

2. Makes the copper-clad laminate thicker
3. Prone to absorb moisture from the environment. Hence, it is not suitable for a
system that is exposed to the outside environment
4. Leads to dimensional errors as the core thickness may decrease after fabrication

To address these issues, adhesive-less materials are used. Following are the features of
adhesive-less materials:

1. Reduced flex thickness

2. Improved flexibility
3. Better controlled impedance
4. Improved temperature rating
5. Well-suited for harsh environmental applications

To choose the right flex material, try our PCB Material Selector.

1.5 Applications of flex PCBs

Flexible and rigid-flex PCBs were originally used within the military industry as they require
durable, reliable, lightweight 3D circuitry. Now, flex boards are found in nearly every industry.
They are used in devices we use on a daily basis—from phones to computers. They are also
found in cars, trains, and airplanes to satellites, missiles and radios. In fact, NASA’s Mars
Rover which is 140 million miles away from the earth has flexible circuits within it.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

Chapter 2: How to prepare the rigid-flex board outline
2.1 Board outline

The shape of a PCB depends on the design of the device that it goes into. Once the shape is
finalized, test your ideas by cutting out a piece of paper in the shape of your proposed board.
Use cardboard to represent stiffeners and rigid areas.

Image 4: Sample board outline

Start your layout by drawing the board outline on a piece of paper. Mark the location of the
varied thicknesses. Now, think about preliminary component placement and determine whether
those components require stiffeners. Next, mark the stiffeners and rigid areas. This will give you
a rough outline of your upcoming board design. It is essential to calculate the bend radius so
that thicknesses can be marked precisely. If not planned properly, it will affect your board’s
flexing capabilities.

2.2 Factors affecting the thickness of flex board

Avoid unnecessary circuit thickness, which hinders flexible capabilities. Determine the flex
thickness as per your bend radius requirements. If part of the flex circuit needs to be thicker,
add a stiffener.
The following factors determine the required thickness of a circuit.

• Material thickness
• Copper layer count
• Base copper weight

99
• Adhesive thickness
• Dielectric thickness

www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
10 Chapter 3: Calculating the bend radius
Bend radius is the measurement of the degree up to which the flex area of a circuit
board can bend. It must be identified early in the design phase and calculated
based on the number of layers the flex stack-up has. The bend radius ensures your
design can survive the required number of bends without damaging the copper.

Notes

Image 5: Bend radius

3.1 Calculation of bend radius

Number of layers Bend radius

1 (single-sided) Flex thickness x 6

2-layer board (double-sided) Flex thickness x 12

Multilayer board Flex thickness x 24

*thickness in mils/mm

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

It is vital to know two things about flexibility: how many times the PCB will be flexing, and to
what extent the PCB will flex. The number of times the flex board can bend determines whether
it will be a static or dynamic board.

Note: Plated through holes (PTH) should be at least 0.5 mm away from the bend area, as
shown in Image 5.

3.2 Static flex PCBs

A static board is considered bend-to-install and will flex less than 100 times in its lifetime.

Image 6: Static flex board

It is generally bent during the assembly process. These boards are not intended to flex during
the operation of the end product. Static boards may have a slight bend that allows the board to
fit into its packaging. The image below shows a board with a static ribbon (flex PCB).

Image 7: PCB with a static ribbon

11
11
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
12
The flex ribbon in the above example is only bent during the assembly process of the
electronic device. Once the board is installed on the end product, the board will
remain static.

3.3 Dynamic flex PCBs

A dynamic flex is a board that is regularly flexed during the system operation. This
design needs to be more robust and must withstand tens of thousands of bends.
These PCBs are used in very harsh conditions, such as in spacecraft and military
applications.

Image 8: Dynamic flex board

3.4 Challenges in dynamic flex PCB design

Dynamic flex boards are capable of solving many interconnect and packaging challenges in
applications that require repetitive flexing. The designers should ensure that the copper circuit
on these boards does not fracture during operation and result in an open circuit.

3.4.1 Minimum bend radius

The minimum bend radius is one of the critical aspects of design success. The recommended
minimum bend radius is 100 times the finished thickness of the dynamic flex circuit. For
example, a flex circuit with a finished thickness of 0.006” will need a 0.6” minimum bend radius
or 1.2” minimum bend diameter to ensure its reliability.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

3.4.2 Copper type and grain orientation

Flex PCBs generally use rolled annealed copper. Rolled annealed copper (RA copper) is created
by subjecting electro-deposited copper to the rolled annealed process. The grain structure is
transformed from a vertical to an elongated horizontal structure. This improves the ductility of
copper, making it suitable for dynamic applications.

Image 9: Rolled annealed copper

RA copper is available in a variety of thicknesses ranging from ¼ oz up to 2 oz, with ½ oz and 1

oz being the most commonly used.

3.4.3 Layer count and neutral bend axis

Layer count of dynamic flex boards is limited as per the IPC 2223 standard. The optimum
configuration is a 1-layer construction. It allows the copper circuits to be close to the neutral
bend axis (the neutral bend axis is the plane where there is minimum tension or compression
when the circuit is flexed). This ensures that the copper is subjected to the least compressive
and tensile forces possible.

A 2-layer construction is permissible provided that a thin adhesive-less flex core of thickness
0.001” or less is used between the two layers. This ensures a minimal distance between the
circuits and the neutral bend axis.

3.5 Best practices for designing bend areas

• Avoid 90 degree bends if possible. Tighter bends increase the chance of circuit
damage. Gradual bends are safer for the circuit.
• Always measure the bend radius from the inside surface of the bend.

13
• Place conductors smaller than 10 mil inside the neutral bend axis, as they toler-
ate compression better than stretching.
13
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
14 • Avoid plated through-holes within the bend area.
• Keep conductors running through a bend perpendicular to the bend axis
• Use staggered conductors in multilayer circuits to increase the effectiveness of
the circuit.
• Provide sufficient space between the transition point of flex and the rigid area to
minimize the stress on the flex layers

Notes

Image 10: Bending point is kept far away from transition points

3.6 Methods for increasing flexibility of flex boards

There are a couple of different methods of increasing the

flexibility of a flexible circuit. The most common method
is to reduce the overall thickness of the flexible dielectric
material because its thickness directly influence bendability.

The second method is to reduce the copper thickness of

the traces and moreover the thick-ness of the plane layer.
One way of reducing copper on a plane layer is by cross
hatching the plane. Typically, we recommend 0.015” wide
signals with 0.025” spacing for the cross hatched plane
Image 11: Cross-hatched copper plane
layers.
Ground and power planes are usually cross hatched in flex PCBs in order to maintain or in-crease the
flexibility. A ground or power plane that is completely flooded doesn’t bend.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

Chapter 4: Flex routing
Routing is the process of laying copper traces between the nodes. This conductive path is
defined by placing tracks, arcs, and vias to establish a connection between two nodes.

The layout of the circuitry has a direct impact on the performance and longevity of a flexible
circuit board. Adhere to the following points in mind while routing a flex PCB:

4.1 Guidelines for routing flex PCBs

• Always opt for a larger bend radius.

Image 12: Bend radius

• When designing multilayer flexible PCBs, stagger traces on the front and back. Stacked
traces will not only reduce the flexibility of your circuit, it will increase stress contributing
to the thinning of copper traces at the bend radius.

Image 13: Stacked and staggered

15
15
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
16
• Use curved traces instead of traces with corners.

Image 14: Curved and sharp edged

• Traces should be perpendicular to the bend area.

Image 15: Traces perpendicular to bend area

• Trace entering a pad forms a weak spot in which the copper might get fatigued over a
period of time. It is always recommended to taper down the pads (as shown below)
towards the end at which they are connected to the traces

Image 16: Non tapered and tapered pads

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

• Copper is prone to being detached from the substrate due to the bending of the flex
circuit. It is vital to provide mechanical support for the exposed copper. Plating in the
through hole vias inherently provides mechanical support in the flex region. For this
reason, additional through hole plating of up to 1.5 mil is recommended for rigid-flex
and flex circuits. Usually, SMT pads and non-plated through holes are referred to as
unsupported and require additional measures to prevent detachment

Image 17: Supported and unsupported pads

• Via-in-pad is not recommended in flex designs as that can damage the thin
substrate during planarization. Moreover, the smaller aspect ratio of the vias does
not allow non-conductive epoxy filling, as it can hamper the electrical conductivity
of the vias

Image 18: Via filling with non-conductive epoxy resin

17
17
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
18
4.2 Pad design for outer layers
Pads are the exposed regions of metal on a circuit board on which the component leads are
soldered. Pads are prone to lifting off due to the flexible nature of the substrate. This can be
avoided by incorporating anchors or spurs encapsulated in coverlay. During dynamic
bending, anchors help stabilize the outer layer. It is also highly recommended to make the
pads as large as possible.

Image 19: Anchored trace on outer flex layer

A teardrop is an extra copper at the junction of a pad and a trace. It is advisable to use
teardrops on all flexible PCBs, especially when there is a transition of copper trace from
thick to thin. For example, if a part of your trace width is changing from 10 mil to 4 mil, then a
teardrop is added at the transition point to reduce any stress or hairline cracks. Teardrops
can reduce and even eliminate potential stress concentration points on the PCB.

Image 20: Tear dropped trace

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

Chapter 5: Designing and manufacturing vias in flex PCBs

Most flex PCBs have multiple conductive layers that are electrically connected. The
connection through the dielectric layers is established through mechanically drilled or laser
drilled vias. IPC 6013 standard defines various considerations related to flex vias. Here are a
few points to consider:

5.1 Flex via design

Vias are at greater risk of peeling when implemented in flex designs.To reduce this risk:

● Make the annular rings as large as possible

● Incorporate tear dropping in vias
● Add tabs or anchors to vias to prevent peeling

5.2 Via locations

● Vias are not reliable in areas that will flex and bend
● In a dynamic application, flexed vias can crack very quickly
● Vias are safe over a stiffener, but those that are placed just off its edge are at risk of
cracking. The stiffener's edge is kept at least 50 mil away from the vias

5.3 Rigid-flex vias

Hole-to-flex distance is the distance between vias and the rigid-flex transition area. It should
be 50 mil for boards that require high reliability. For commercial applications, the distance
can be 30 mil. Insufficient clearance generates undesired stress during bending and
detaches the via from its plating.

19
Image 21: Hole to flex distance distance in rigid-flex board

19
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
20
5.4 Annular ring in flex PCBs
Annular ring is the area of copper pad around a drilled and finished hole (copper plated
via). There should be enough copper to form a solid connection between the copper
traces and the via in a multilayer PCB.

Image 22: Annular ring

The main purpose of an annular ring is to establish a good connection between a via
and the copper trace. The minimum annular ring should be 8 mil for flex PCBs.

Image 23: Annular ring connection between via and trace

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

5.5 Plating flex circuit boards
For double-sided flexible boards, Sierra Circuits uses pads only plate” process for plating
through holes. To accomplish this, we drill the flexible copper-clad dielectric material and
then image the pads around the drilled holes at (drill diameter) D +.003” or better.

After plating the holes with approximately

0.001” of copper, we again image the final
circuitry pattern, and the unwanted copper
is etched. An additional D + 0.014” of the
pad is needed for this etching process. The
table below helps in finalizing the drill size
for different layer types.

Image 24: Hole plating in flex PCBs

Layer type Standard boards (mils) Advanced boards (mils)

Flex drill + 14 drill + 10

Outer layer rigid drill + 10 drill + 6

Inner layer rigid drill + 14 drill + 10

5.6 Drill to copper

When designing flexible boards, it is crucial to keep drill to copper in mind. Drill to copper is
the distance between a hole (via or non plated hole) and the nearest copper feature.
Flexible dielectric materials are not as dimensionally stable as standard rigid materials.
This material moves, and contracts during the manufacturing process, which makes drill to
copper a critical factor while designing flex circuits.

21
21
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
22

Image 25: Drill to copper

Finished hole is the final hole obtained after metallization and surface finish. The drill to
copper clearance and the plating thickness together determine the finished hole-to-copper
clearance.

Finished hole to copper clearance = drill to copper clearance + plating thickness x 2.

So, if the drill diameter is 6 mil and the plating thickness is 1 mil, then the finished hole to
copper clearance = 6 + 1 x 2 = 8 mils.

For drill to copper, always consider the drilled hole edge. To achieve accuracy in layer
alignment, it is important to keep the drill to copper distance around 8 mil.

To quickly run a DFM check on your designs check out our Better DFM tool.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

Chapter 6: Designing and assembling rigid-flex PCBs
A rigid-flex PCB is a combination of rigid and flexible materials. Here, one or more flex
circuits are used to connect rigid sub-circuits. Rigid-flex designs may be expensive to
fabricate, but they can essentially save costs during electronic system assembly.

6.1 How do rigid-flex PCBs cut assembly costs?

Using rigid-flex boards can make way for both direct and indirect cost savings. Direct cost
savings mainly comes from reduced BOM (bill of materials) and inventory. Indirect cost sav-
ings are from reduced assembly costs and improved reliability.
You can quickly validate your BOM files with our BOM Checker tool.

Let us assume that a product has 6 interconnected rigid PCBs (a power board, two control
boards, and three display boards). Interconnections among these boards would require wire
harnesses and connector pairs. Now, let us have a look at how using rigid-flex PCB could
reduce direct and indirect costs.

6.1.1 Direct cost savings

A single rigid-flex PCB with 6 rigid sections could be used to replace 6 rigid boards within the
electronic device. It also replaces wire harnesses and eliminates connector requirements.
This inventory reduction leads to direct cost savings.

6.1.2 Indirect cost savings

Since there are no wiring harnesses involved in rigid-flex PCBs, the cost incurred in
procurement and assembly is saved. Also, there are no wiring errors, which increases the
reliability of the product. This eases the testing procedure and reduces production costs.

6.2 Materials used in rigid-flex PCBs

Rigid-flex PCBs use a combination of standard rigid and flex materials. The materials
include core, prepreg, copper foil, flexible laminates, cover layers, and bond plies.
The PCB material used in flex sections can be just a few microns thick but should be
reliably etched. This often makes them preferable over rigid PCBs in satellite and
aerospace applications.

No-flow prepregs are one of the most critical components in rigid-flex manufacturing.
This type of prepreg prevents the flow of epoxy resin onto the flexible sections of

23
23
your PCB. Flex materials are less dimensionally stable than the rigid materials they
are stacked with.

www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.com
24 6.3 Rigid-flex design rules
● Place the flex layers in the middle of the stack-up and use an even number
of layers
● Drill to copper should be at least 8 mil
● Clearly name the rigid and flex sections
● To allow multiple flex layers to bend without deformation, a bookbinding
technique is used where the layers are manufactured in progressively longer
lengths around the outside bend radius. The number of flex layers in your design
determines the cost of bookbinding. The higher the number of flex layers, the
higher the lamination cycles and overall cost. Typically, a board with bookbinding
costs 30% more than a non-bookbinding one

Image 26: Bookbinding construction

6.4 Assembling flex and rigid-flex PCBs

• Solder joints can weaken if components are placed in the bending areas. To solder IC
packages on the flex board, incorporate solder bumps. Affixed to the pads, solder bumps
offer better control over the connections. You need to ensure the component placement is
not infringing on the board thickness restrictions
• If components need to be close to a flex area, add stiffeners. Try to place components
over the stiffener or rigid area
• Include SMT components on only one side of the board for flex circuits
• Most parts of the rigid-flex circuits are stiffened, only the hinges or flexible arms remain
unstiffened
• Depending on component size, the surface mount areas do not always require a stiffener
• Apply stiffeners to the opposite side of SMT components and to the same side of the
connector and through-hole components
• The pre-bake cycle eliminates any retained moisture in the board and allows for improved
assembly yields and reliability. However, if boards are assembled immediately after
manufacturing, there is no need for pre-baking. Since Sierra Circuits has in-house
manufacturing and assembly capabilities, we skip the pre-bake step

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

6.5 Stiffeners
Single-sided, double-sided, and multilayer flex circuits can be stiffened in specific areas by
adding a localized rigid material called stiffener. This can add support for mounting
components, increasing strength, thickness, and rigidity. Kapton and FR4 materials are
commonly used for stiffeners. These materials can be attached with thermally cured acrylic
adhesive or pressure-sensitive adhesive. Stiffeners should overlap the bared coverlay by
0.030to relieve stress. They reinforce solder joints, increase abrasion resistance, and help with
strain relief and heat dissipation.

Image 27.1 Stiffener considerations

6.5.1 Stiffener considerations

• Maintain the same stiffener thickness when using multiple stiffeners to lower cost
• Stiffeners should come to at least two edges of the board
• When the desired stiffener thickness is less than 10 mil, use Kapton stiffeners.
Generally, their thickness varies between 4 mil and 10 mil.
• The thickness of acrylic adhesives would be roughly 2 mil (50 microns). Although,
it may be reduced to 1.6 mil (40 microns) after pressing

6.6 Tear guards

We recommend the use of tear guards, which will help

reinforce the flex material along the inside bend radius. This
will help prevent the tearing of the flex material. Avoid any
discontinuation of materials close to the bend area and try
to use a liberal bend radius, avoiding sharp corners.

Image 27.2 Tear guards

25
www.protoexpress.com
www.protoexpress.co
6.7 Array panelization and depanelization

Array panelization is a manufacturing process that involves grouping multiple circuit boards
into an array. It aids in accurate component assembly and reduces overall costs.
To fulfil the bending requirements of the rigid-flex boards, their components should be
rotated, placed on corners, or intertwined. Array panelization allows these configurations on
the production panel.
Panelization also eliminates dimensional faults and ensures the correct alignment of the
solder paste stencil across the array. As polyimide coverlays involve greater dimensional
tolerances, flex and rigid-flex PCB arrays are often smaller than rigid arrays with LPI solder
masks. An external frame can be affixed to create enough room to hold the assembly
properly. Pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSA) are used to bond flex circuits to the frame.
Always prefer laser depanelization to secure precision, speed, and accuracy. It also reduces
mechanical stress on the PCB, resulting in higher throughput than standard depanelization
procedures. Avoid V-scoring in flex designs, as the cutting-edge process produces an
undesirable rough edge finish.

26
Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023
27 Chapter 7: Fab drawings for flex PCB
To successfully design a flexible PCB, it is important for the designers to have a basic
understanding of the flex drawing requirements. Let us have a look at a few of these.

7.1 Flex PCB stack-up

Flexible PCB stack-up drawing will depict each layer’s thickness, including the
conductive layers. This should also specify which layers are of rigid material and which
layers are of flexible material with copper weights. Sierra Circuits can assist you in
designing your flex stack-up.

You can check out our Stackup Designer to get an accurate and detailed PCB stack-
up.

7.2 Dimensional drawing and tolerances

The dimensional drawing of a flexible PCB design provides the following information:

• Location of PCB stiffeners.

• Thicknesses of each section of the board and the materials to be used.
• Type of flex board (static or dynamic)
• Locations where the board rarely flexes and frequently flexes.

7.3 Design specifications a PCB manufacturer needs to know

A PCB manufacturer expects the following range of specific details from a designer:

• Class type (class 1, class 2, class 3), wiring type, and installation use requirements
• Flexible copper clad material to be used
• The cover coat material
• Minimum conductor width and spacing
• Maximum board thickness
• The minimum size of plated through holes
• Electrical test requirements
• Color of coverlay
• Color of silkscreen
• Board markings such as part number, version, and company logo
• Special packaging and shipping requirements

www.protoexpress.com
7.4 Drill symbol chart

The drill symbol chart summarizes the drill hole information of the board. An example of a
drill symbol chart is shown below. The standard finished hole size is +/- 0.003″ but this
measurement must be specified on your design drawing.

Image 28: Drill symbol chart

7.5 Flexibility (bend radius)

The flexibility of a flex PCB is determined by the bend radius of the flex material used.
Bend radius is the minimum angle at which the flex region can bend. The number of bends
your flex PCB may experience is an important design consideration. The copper will
stretch and crack if the board bends more than its limit.

7.6 Plating requirements

Plating the through holes, or vias, is a requirement for multilayer PCBs. It is very important
to mention the type of plating that your flex board requires. The available types of plating
are:

• Panel plating: This method of plating deposits copper on the entire panel. Panel
plating is generally performed before circuit imaging.
• Pattern plating: This type of plating deposits copper on the selected areas of flexPCB.
• Pads only plating: It is a type of pattern plating where a photoresist covers the entire

28
panel, exposing the pads around the vias. As a result, only the vias and exposed pads
get plated.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

29
7.7 Testing requirements
PCBs undergo various tests before they reach the designer. It is important to
mention the physical and electrical testing requirements (test type and frequency).
Over-specifying the test requirements might increase the overall circuit cost. Basic
tests include:

• Dimensional checks
• Electrical continuity
• Ionic cleanliness testing
• Flexibility check
• Plating thickness
• Insulation resistance
7.8 Marking requirements
Designers can specify the type of ink to be used for various board markings like serial
numbering, component mounting locations, stiffeners/cover locations, and panel-based
marking. The types of ink include:

• Durable white ink

• Traditional epoxy ink

7.9 What to include in flex drawing notes

• The PCB shall be fabricated to IPC-6013, class <1/2/3>, wiring type <enter your
requirement here>, and installation use <enter your requirement here>
• The flexible copper clad material shall be IPC-FC-241/11 preferred (or /1) (flexible
adhesive-less copper clad dielectric material). For example, FR / AP / LF
• The covercoat material shall be as per IPC 4203/1 <your requirement here>. Example:
LPI or coverlay
• The maximum board thickness shall not exceed <your requirement here> and applies
after all lamination and plating processes
• For rigid-flex constructions, the acrylic adhesive thickness through the rigid portion of the
panel shall not exceed 10% of the overall construction
• Minimum thickness of plated through-holes is 0.001”, with a minimum annular ring of 2 mil
• Misregistration between any two layers shall not exceed ±0.005”
• Warpage shall not exceed 0.010 inch per inch
• The plating thickness of PTHs shall be at least 0.001 mm
• If polyimide material is used in a rigid section, the rigid material shall be GIN (Poly) as per
IPC4101/40
• If the thickness requirement is critical, then mention it in the drawing notes
• All external conductive surfaces not covered by a solder mask shall be plated with ENIG
• Provide marking and identification requirements, packaging, and shipping data
• Specify electrical test procedures

www.protoexpress.com
• Apply a green LPI solder mask to the rigid sections of the board over bare copper on
both sides
• All exposed metal will have <surface finish requirement here. For flex circuits, use a 1 mil
polyimide coverlay
• For flex boards, choose ENIG as the surface finish. You can also use immersion gold
with 125 microns of nickel and 2 microns of gold. Due to the low lead solderability, a tin
or lead finish is not advised for flex material

Image 30. ENIG PCB surface finish

• Add silkscreen markings on both sides of the board using white, non-conductive epoxy
ink
• The PCB shall be constructed to meet a minimum flammability rating of V-0

30
Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023
7.10 Flex PCB design checklist
In order to get the most out of your flex PCB, you should have a clear vision of the circuit
board’s functionality and design rules. Below are some guidelines that we have discussed
throughout the course of this design guide.
• Make annular rings as large as possible
• Vias should be tear-dropped. Teardrops can reduce potential stress concentration points
on the PCB
• Adding tabs or anchors to vias will help prevent peeling
• Vias are not reliable in areas that will bend
• Avoid vias in the flex section of dynamic boards as they are at risk of cracking
• Vias can be used over a stiffener, but they are at risk of cracking if placed at the edge of a
stiffener
• Vias should be placed at least 30 mil away from the rigid-flex/flex interface
• Always opt for a larger bend radius
• Use curved traces instead of traces with corners. Curved traces cause lower stress than
angled ones
• Maintain at least 10 mil clearance between two flex regions

Image 31. Distance between two flex regions of a rigid-flex board

• When designing multilayer flexible PCBs, incorporate staggered traces on the front
and back. Stacked traces will not only reduce the flexibility of the circuit but also
increase stress, contributing to the thinning of copper circuits at the bend radius
• Traces should also be kept perpendicular to the overall bend
• The rigid-flex fab notes must consist of rigid notes, and flex notes separately
• The acrylic adhesive thickness through the rigid portion of the panel shall not exceed
10% of the overall construction
• Misregistration between any two layers shall not exceed ±0.005’’
• Warpage shall not surpass 0.75%

31
• Provide impedance trace details such as trace width, height, and impedance
tolerance in the stack-up

www.protoexpress.com
32 Chapter 8: Controlled impedance in flex PCBs

8.1 What is controlled impedance?

Controlled Impedance is the characteristic impedance of a transmission line formed
by PCB traces and its associated reference plane. It becomes very important when
high-speed signals propagate on circuit board transmission lines. In order to
achieve good signal integrity, a uniform controlled impedance is required.

Notes
8.2 Factors affecting impedance control in flex

Controlled impedance is determined by the physical dimensions of the PCB traces and the
properties of the dielectric material used. Below are the factors that affect impedance control on flex
boards:

8.2.1 Physical dimensions of the traces

1. Trace height
2. Trace width at the top and bottom
3. Difference between the width at the top of the trace and the bottom of the trace

8.2.2 Dielectric properties of the material use

1. Dielectric constant
2. Dielectric height between the trace and the reference plane
8.3 Controlled impedance configurations for flex circuit boards
Common controlled impedance configurations for flex circuit boards are:

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

8.3.1 Single-ended microstrip
It is the most preferred controlled impedance
configuration for flex circuit boards. It has a
transmission line of a single uniform conductor on the
outer layer of the board. The return path for the signal is
provided by a reference plane separated by a dielectric
lay-er of height H1. This configuration allows for thinner
flex construction, improved bend capability and reduced
cost.
Image 32: Single ended microstrip
8.3.2 Edge coupled coated differential pair microstrip

Image 33: Edge coupled coated differential pair microstrip

When a signal and its complement are transmitted on two separate traces, it is called
differential signaling. These traces are called differential pairs. The traces are routed with a
constant space between them. One of the primary advantages of having edge-coupled
differential pairs is that the noise on the reference plane is common to both traces. This
cancels out the noise at the receiver end.
This technique is used for routing differential pairs and has the same arrangement as regular
microstrip routing. It is more complex due to the additional trace spacing requirements. It
consists of a differential configuration with two controlled impedance traces on the surface,
separated by a uniform distance and backed by a plane on the other side of the laminate.
8.3.3 Single-ended stripline

Image 34: Single ended stripline

33
www.protoexpress.com
34
It implements the signal trace between two ground planes in a multi-layer PCB. The
return path for a high-frequency signal trace is located above and below the signal
trace on the planes.
8.3.4 Edge coupled differential stripline

Notes
Image 35: Edge coupled differential stripline

It is similar to the single-ended stripline described above, except that we now have a pair of
conductors separated by a uniform distance. It is a differential configuration with two
controlled impedance traces sandwiched between two planes.

Reference planes in flex PCBs

Cross-hatched copper planes are used as reference planes in flex circuit boards. An image
of a cross-hatched plane is shown below.

Image 36: Cross-hatched copper plane

A cross-hatch plane can be characterized by the ratio of the cross-hatch conductor width
(HW) to the cross-hatch pitch (HP). The lower the ratio, the greater the percentage of copper
being removed. 50% copper removal can be achieved if the ratio is about 0.293. The
controlled impedance increases proportionately to the amount of copper that is removed in
the cross-hatch.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

 Image 37: Hatch pitch and hatch width in flex reference

8.4 Flex PCB materials for controlled impedance

Flex PCBs are often made of polyimide flex materials. These materials are well suited for
controlled impedance designs as they offer a lower Dk value, tightly controlled thickness, and
homogeneous material construction.

There are two types of polyimide materials: adhesive-based and adhesive-less materials.
Both can be used for the controlled impedance designs. However, adhesive-less materials
are preferred for high-speed applications due to their consistent results.

Advanced materials like Teflon and Teflon/Polyimide hybrids are suitable for this. These
materials are more expensive than polyimide materials.

It should also be noted that standard adhesive-less polyimide materials meet the controlled
impedance design requirements while reducing overall costs.

Sierra Circuits uses Dupont for flex PCBs.

35
www.protoexpress.com
36
Chapter 9: IPC standards for flex PCBs

9.1 Design

IPC-FC-2221 Generic standard on printed board

design

IPC-FC-2222 Sectional design standard for rigid

organic printed boards

IPC-FC-2223 Sectional design standard for flexible

printed boards

Notes 9.2 Materials

IPC-4202 Flexible base dielectrics for use in

flexible printed circuitry

IPC-4203 Adhesive coated dielectric films for

use as cover sheets for flexible print-
ed circuitry and flexible adhesive
bonding films
IPC-4204 Flexible metal-clad dielectrics

9.3 Performance

IPC-6011 Generic performance specification for

printed boards

IPC-6012 Qualification and performance specifi-

cation for rigid printed boards

IPC-6013 Qualification and performance specifi-

cation for flexible printed boards

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

9.4 Quality guidelines — circuits & assembly

IPC-A-600 Acceptability of circuit boards

IPC-A-610 Acceptability of printed circuit board

assemblies

IPC/EIA J-STD001 Requirements for soldered electrical

and electronic assemblies

9.5 Military

MIL-P-50884 Military specification: Printed wiring

board, flexible or rigid-flex

MIL-PRF-31032 Performance specification: Printed

circuit board/Printed wiring board,
general specification

IPC-6013 Class C meets the same performance requirements as MIL-

PRF-31032, and is accepted by government agencies as a COTS equivalent
of the latter. If your flex circuit must meet performance requirements of
MIL-P-50884, MIL-PRF-31032 or IPC6013, follow the IPC-2223 design specifica-
tion recommendations.

37
www.protoexpress.com
38
Chapter 10: Example flex stack-ups

10.1 One layer flex stack-ups

Notes

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

10.2 Multilayer flex stack-ups

39
www.protoexpress.com
40 10.3 Rigid-flex stack-ups

Notes

A well-designed flex PCB will be lightweight, durable, easy to install, and suitable for
demanding applications such as wearable devices and satellites. The physical advantages
of flex are that it offers improved resistance to shock and vibrations and better performance
in harsh environments.

Copyright Sierra Circuits Inc.,2023

 We provide our customers with unprecedented quality,
reliability, and a single point of support. No more miscom-
munication between multiple vendors and no more delays.

We are ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485:2016, and

MIL-PRF-31032 / 3 Flex certified.

Sierra Circuits
1108 West Evelyn Avenue Sunnyvale, CA 94086
+1 (408) 735-7137
www.protoexpress.com