Dean&Francis

ISSN 2959-6157

Research of Design Technology of Printed Circuit Board

Ziao Yan

Jinan Foreign Language School, Jinan, China

Corresponding author: [email protected]
Abstract:
This paper delves into various methodologies for enhancing the quality, design, and optimization of Printed Circuit
Boards (PCBs). With the development of the technology, the importance of Printed Circuit Board(PCB) is recently
mentioned by more and more people who is trying to make progress of human technology. The classification of PCB
defects, a crucial step in ensuring product reliability, is discussed on several categories of defects in PCB, highlighting
recent advancements such as fuzzy c-means segmentation, which significantly improves defect detection accuracy.
When producing, the layout is quite significant. In a conference, a group of scientists used a thermal layout modelling
and optimization routine to make the board having more space to put circuit on it. Methods to ensure PCB quality
during production are examined, focusing on optical and electrical testing. The PCB design process is also explored,
emphasizing the importance of those considerations before production. Finally, the paper reviews innovative approaches
to PCB layout optimization, particularly in managing heat dissipation and dynamic behavior through advanced
simulation techniques.
Keywords:Printed Circuit Board, Defects, Production

1. Introduction In terms of design, PCB layout has a profound impact on

the overall performance of electronic systems. From the
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) play a significant role in selection of stackup configurations to the application of
modern electronic systems, serving as the foundational routing technologies like microstrip and stripline, and the
structure that connects electronic components and ensures control of electromagnetic interference (EMI), each step
their proper functioning. The quality of PCB design and requires careful consideration to minimize issues such as
manufacturing directly impacts the performance and reli- noise, crosstalk, and transmission line effects. Meanwhile,
ability of the entire system. As electronic devices become with the increasing frequency of integrated circuits and
increasingly complex and integrated, the challenges faced the trend towards miniaturization, managing heat dissi-
by PCBs also grow, encompassing various aspects such pation and evaluating dynamic behavior in PCBs have
as defect detection, quality control, design optimization, become more critical. By employing advanced simulation
and layout management. Traditional PCB defect detection techniques and optimization algorithms, designers can
methods, such as optical and electrical testing, are capable achieve optimal PCB layouts while ensuring efficient heat
of identifying most common defects, but often struggle management. This paper will delve into these key issues,
when dealing with complex and diverse defect types. This presenting the latest research developments and techno-
paper will talk about the solution of this issue. logical methods related to PCB production and design.
In addition to defect detection, quality control during PCB
manufacturing is equally critical. Methods such as flying 2. Design Technology of Printed Cir-
probe testing can reveal defects like open circuits and cuit Board
short circuits, but more efficient testing methods are need-
ed for large-scale production to ensure that every PCB 2.1 Classification of PCB defects
meets strict quality standards. This includes testing the There are 14 known defect categories of PCB, and re-
accuracy of geometric dimensions, the precision of com- searchers often use the existing defect inspection technol-
ponent manufacturing, and the alignment between layers. ogy to test the defect type of PCB. However, traditional
Furthermore, the quality of hole metallization and the methods struggle to accurately classify all 14 types,
PCB’s resistance to current loads are also essential aspects including Breakout, Pin hole, Open circuit, Under etch,
that must be tested. Mouse bite, Missing conductor, Spur, Short circuit,

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Wrong size hole, Conductor too close, Spurious copper, employs arithmetic and logic operations, the circle hough
Excessive short, Missing hole, and Over etch, as shown transform (CHT), morphological reconstruction (MR),
in Figure 1 [1][2]. Recently, an developed algorithmic and connected component labeling (CCL). In this case,
method , using fuzzy c-means for image segmentation via the accuracy of defect classification improved to 99.05%
image subtraction as a preprocessing step before the actu- and 100% defect detection [2].
al defect detection. For defect classification, the method

Fig. 1 Template and defective PCBs [1][2].

2.2 The method of making a PCB alignment. Additionally, it’s important to check the metal-
lization of holes and their resistance to current load. Final-
2.2.1 The method of ensuring the quality of PCB ly, determining the continuity of circuits and the resistance
While PCB is producing, ensuring the quality of each of insulation is also crucial. In this case, a conference of
board is crucial. Identifying the discontinuities is one of Russian Young Researchers in 2019 has come up with a
the most significant problems in manufacturing. In a flying way that it is possible to use optical and electrical control
probe test, it has unraveled the discontinuities as open cir- to enhance the accuracy of the PCB manufacturing [3].
cuit defects and short, which were caused by such defects According to the experiment, a serious reason for the re-
like etching, foreign inclusions and the reduction of the jection of a PCB would be flaws as etching and scratches
distance between conductors, as well. Another significant breaking the continuity of conductors. In this case, re-
problem is to keep each PCB reliable,which means every searchers could recognize the variety of discontinuity [3].
board must be examined. Therefore, several aspects need As the type of manufacturing is different, the choice of
to be tested: the geometrical dimensions, the accuracy of testing can be changed. There are several merits and de-
individual component manufacturing, and level-to-level merits for optical testing and electrical testing.

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Optical testing provides more reliable results for PCBs imental results demonstrate that incorporating an Image
and can examine all types of boards. However, it is in- Plane in PCB design can lead to a significant reduction in
efficient for mass manufacturing due to its ‘flying mass’ EMI, approximately 15dB across the frequency spectrum
approach. On the other hand, electrical testing has lower [5].
equipment costs compared to automatic optical systems, 2.2.3 The optimization of PCB layout
but its results may require further verification by other
methods [3]. Therefore, it is important to choose the cor- The trend towards higher clock frequencies and miniatur-
rect method before testing. ization of integrated circuits has resulted in increased heat
During manufacturing, the challenge lies in cutting small- dissipation on PCBs. This necessitates innovative cooling
er circuit boards from larger rectangular panels, which is solutions to maintain reliability and functionality while
akin to the rectangular cutting stock problem in operations keeping designs compact and lightweight. A compre-
research. Existing solutions were unsuitable due to the hensive review of studies from 1989 to 2002 by various
unique requirements of PCB manufacturing. To address researchers including Lee, Mahaney, Elias and Sridhar,
this, a new algorithm was developed, focusing on group- Gerald, and Ying et al., revealed several key findings, list-
ing similar pieces and patterns while minimizing trim ed below.
losses. This algorithm is implemented in software that Firstly, a new method for optimization of the PCB mesh-
integrates design and manufacturing data, optimizing the ing which is applicable not only for the PCB, but to other
PCB manufacturing process [4]. system meshing and can be improved to three-dimension-
al meshing was developed. This method is based on the
2.2.2 The method of designing a PCB
mathematical optimization (Complex Method). The dual
The layout of PCB is a crucial step in electronic design, complex method is a new technique to control the PCB
particularly in minimizing noise, crosstalk, and trans- meshing and a good route to reach the optimum system
mission line effects. Effective PCB layout significantly mesh i.e. a unique system mesh with minimal CPU time
impacts the performance of filtering circuits and overall [6].
system reliability. Secondly, larger dimension of the PCB must oriented hor-
When designing a PCB, one of the first and most crucial izontally rather than vertically in free convection for the
steps is determining the stackup. This process involves optimum total heat loss. For the same previous objective
deciding the minimum number of layers required. In mak- function and case of convection, the electronic compo-
ing this decision, designers must take into account various nents or sub-assemblies of larger power should located
factors including high-speed signal shielding, differential near the top of the PCB. Also, in the case of the horizon-
impedance for buses like USB and Ethernet, and the man- tal-Upset-down, the electronic components of larger pow-
ufacturer’s specifications for trace width and spacing [5]. er must lie near the center of the PCB [6].
In the adjacent power and ground topology, the close As PCB is an intricate system subjected to various ex-
proximity of these planes increases capacitance and re- ternal and internal loads, necessitating dynamic behavior
duces high-frequency impedance, making it suitable for evaluations early in their development. Modal finite ele-
high-frequency DSP systems. However, it might not be ment (FE) simulations are used to assess these behaviors
feasible for systems with complex routing needs. The across a broad frequency range. For accurate results, all
non-adjacent topology, while offering more routing flex- geometrical features, including PCB assembly, copper lay-
ibility, results in lower capacitance and higher board im- er thicknesses, and prepreg structures, must be considered
pedance, necessitating additional high-frequency decou- with appropriate material properties. However, modeling a
pling capacitors [5]. PCB in full detail, including elements like glass fiber-ep-
The article also covers Microstrip and Stripline routing oxy compounds and copper traces, is time-consuming.
technologies. Microstrip is easier to route with fewer vias To address this challenge, researchers developed a method
and is generally less expensive but offers only acceptable that simplifies the modeling process without sacrificing
signal quality and electromagnetic interference(EMI) per- accuracy [7]. This approach takes into account the func-
formance. Stripline, while offering superior EMI shielding tional board layout and assembly. It uses general compos-
due to its routing between ground planes, is more expen- ite theory, domain-specific mixture rules, and generalized
sive and complex to implement. laminate theory to approximate material properties. These
To reduce radiated emissions, the concept of an Image approximated properties, including local stiffness and
Plane is introduced. This is essentially a ground plane densities, are then applied to the meshed geometry of the
placed adjacent to the signal routing layer, providing PCB model. These approximated properties, such as lo-
low-inductance return paths for high-speed signals. Exper- cal stiffness and densities, are then applied to the meshed

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geometry. This method was validated through operational in human’s daily life. Also, those resistors and capacitors
modal analysis (OMA) up to 25 kHz using piezo patch can be embedded directly into the PCB layers, so that they
transducers [7]. The comparison between simulated and can save the space for more denser connections and more
experimental results showed a strong agreement in both finer lines of circuits.
mode shapes and natural frequencies of the non-assem-
bled board [7]. References
[1] Onshaunjit J., Srinonchat J., et al. Algorithmic Scheme for
3. Conclusion Concurrent Detection and Classification of Printed Circuit Board
In conclusion, the advancements in PCB defect classifi- Defects. Computers, Materials & Continua, 2022, 71(1): 355-
cation, quality assurance, design, and layout optimization 367.
have significantly improved the reliability and perfor- [2] Kanygina E. D., Denisova O. V., Rastvorova I. V. Optical
mance of modern electronic systems. The use of algo- and Electrical Control in Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing.
rithms for defect detection, alongside robust testing meth- In Proceedings of the 2019 IEEE Conference of Russian
ods, ensures high-quality PCB manufacturing. Thoughtful Young Researchers in Electrical and Electronic Engineering
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EMI reduction, are crucial for optimizing PCB perfor- 536-538.
mance. Furthermore, innovative approaches to layout op- [3] Banerjee P. Printed circuit board panel layout optimization: a
timization, particularly in managing heat dissipation and module in integrating PCB design and manufacturing databases.
dynamic behavior, are essential in meeting the growing Journal of Electronics Manufacturing, 1993, 3(2): 69-78.
demands of modern electronics. As the industry continues [4] Tran T. T., et al. Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Layout, High-
to evolve, these methodologies will play a crucial role Speed DSP and Analog System Design, 2010, pp. 187-194.
in addressing the challenges of PCB production and de- [5] Hussain I. Y., Abdulla H. S., et al. Optimization of Thermal
sign. These advancements underscore the importance of a Layout Design of Electronic Equipments on the Printed Circuit
holistic approach to PCB design and manufacturing, en- Board. Journal of Engineering, 2006, 13: 757-775.
suring high-quality, reliable, and efficient electronic sys- [6] Moganti M., Ercal F., Dagli C. H., Tsunekawa S., et al.
tems. Through such a set of methods which maintains the Automatic PCB inspection algorithms: A survey. Computer
equilibrium of quality and a mass production, the industry Vision and Image Understanding, 1996, 63(2): 287-313.
of making printed circuit board seems to rise up. In this [7] Zukowski E., Kimpel T., Kraetschmer D., Roessle A. Efficient
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as environmental and sustainability concerns, high cost simulations. In Proceedings of the 16th International Conference
and high performance trade-offs, complexity and so on. on Thermal, Mechanical and Multi-Physics Simulation and
These obstacles still need time to be solved. Once they are Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems, Reutlingen,
solved, the human technology will make progress much Germany, 2015, 1-5.
faster than before, as PCBs are and will be a vital device