Q: ESG Driving Sustainable Development in the PCB Industry

ESG Driving Sustainable Development in the PCB Industry As global attention to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues grows, ESG has become a critical driver for industrial transformation and upgrading. The PCB industry, as a core component of electronic products, faces both pressures and opportunities for transformation on the environmental front. Tackling challenges inherent in resource-intensive production, the industry must adopt measures such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy, minimizing waste, and promoting the use of eco-friendly materials to achieve sustainable production practices. In the social dimension, PCB manufacturers need to prioritize labor rights and community responsibilities, ensuring supply chain transparency and compliance with international standards. This includes establishing robust employee welfare policies and workplace safety management systems to demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility. On the governance front, sound internal controls and compliance mechanisms are key to attracting investments. By publishing sustainability reports, companies can showcase their ESG achievements and enhance trust among customers and the market. The integration of ESG is not just a challenge but also a driving force for the upgrading of the PCB industry. Through continuous innovation and sustainable practices, PCB manufacturers can secure a more competitive position in the global supply chain and contribute to a greener future for the electronics industry.

Question 1

Green PCB: The Starting Point for Sustainable Electronics

Accepted Answer

Behind the rapid growth of the electronics industry, the Printed Circuit Board remains an indispensable core component.

However, the traditional PCB manufacturing process often involves high energy consumption, extensive use of chemicals, and the generation of difficult-to-treat electronic waste. To achieve environmental protection and sustainable development, the concept of the Green PCB has emerged—becoming a key direction in the industry’s transformation.

The term “Green PCB” refers to circuit board products designed with environmental protection and resource circularity in mind throughout all stages, including material selection, process design, and waste management. This involves the use of lead-free solder, halogen-free substrates, and the development of recyclable or biodegradable bio-based materials.
Furthermore, the integration of smart manufacturing technologies and energy-efficient equipment helps reduce both energy consumption and waste emissions.

In today’s era of growing ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) awareness, Green PCBs represent not only a tangible commitment by enterprises to environmental responsibility but also a valuable opportunity to open new markets and enhance brand value.

From electric vehicles and 5G communications to wearable devices, the demand for eco-friendly materials in electronics continues to rise.

The era of green electronics has arrived.
Those who take the lead in implementing sustainable design in PCB manufacturing will gain a significant competitive advantage in the global market.

Question 2

PCB Applications and Industry Demand

Accepted Answer

With technological advancements and industrial upgrading, the applications of PCBs have become increasingly diverse—expanding from traditional consumer electronics to high-end sectors such as aerospace, medical equipment, and new energy industries.

According to market research, 5G, electric vehicles (EVs), and AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) technologies are the three major driving forces behind the recent growth of the PCB industry.

For example, in the electric vehicle sector, a single car typically contains over a hundred PCBs, including power control boards, battery management systems (BMS), and charging modules. These PCBs must not only withstand high voltage and temperature but also meet stringent requirements for reliability and stability.

As a result, many PCB manufacturers are shifting toward advanced HDI (High-Density Interconnect) and FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) technologies to meet market demands for compact, lightweight, and high-performance electronic devices.

Question 3

What is a PCB? The nervous system of electronic products.

Accepted Answer

The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is an indispensable component in modern electronic devices.

It functions as the "nervous system" of electronic products, connecting and supporting all electronic components such as resistors, capacitors, and chips.
The primary function of a PCB is to allow electrical current to flow between various components through conductive pathways (copper traces), thereby enabling different circuit designs.

Common PCB materials include FR-4 (fiberglass fabric) and polyimide, among which FR-4 is the most widely used due to its excellent heat resistance and insulation properties.
From mobile phones and computers to automobiles and medical equipment, PCBs can be found in virtually all electronic devices.

Their stability and reliability have a significant impact on product quality and safety.

Question 4

What Are The Material Factors That Influence High-Speed/Frequency Transmitting?

Accepted Answer

More and more designs of PCB is having high speed/frequency transmitting demands. It seems that this is the trend of electronic products and future. Following this trend, do you know what the material factors that influence the signal transmission are?

1) The flatness of copper – It says that better flatness of copper can help decreasing signal loss of transmission.
2) Dielectric constant (DK) – The main factor of determining how fast of the speed and how less of the signal transmission loss, the lower the better.
3) Dissipation factor (DF) – The main factor of signal loss to the near conductor of the transmitting route, the lower the better.

Five levels of signal transmission loss.

	Standard loss	Middle loss	Low loss	Very low loss	Ultra low loss
DK	3.9 ~ 4.5	3.6 ~ 4.4	3.2 ~ 3.8	3.1 ~ 3.6	2.5 ~ 3.2
DF	≧ 0.02	0.01 ~ 0.02	0.01 ~ 0.006	0.003 ~ 0.006	≦ 0.003

Question 5

ESG Driving Sustainable Development in the PCB Industry

Accepted Answer

ESG Driving Sustainable Development in the PCB Industry

As global attention to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues grows, ESG has become a critical driver for industrial transformation and upgrading. The PCB industry, as a core component of electronic products, faces both pressures and opportunities for transformation on the environmental front. Tackling challenges inherent in resource-intensive production, the industry must adopt measures such as reducing carbon emissions, conserving energy, minimizing waste, and promoting the use of eco-friendly materials to achieve sustainable production practices.

In the social dimension, PCB manufacturers need to prioritize labor rights and community responsibilities, ensuring supply chain transparency and compliance with international standards. This includes establishing robust employee welfare policies and workplace safety management systems to demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility.

On the governance front, sound internal controls and compliance mechanisms are key to attracting investments. By publishing sustainability reports, companies can showcase their ESG achievements and enhance trust among customers and the market.

The integration of ESG is not just a challenge but also a driving force for the upgrading of the PCB industry. Through continuous innovation and sustainable practices, PCB manufacturers can secure a more competitive position in the global supply chain and contribute to a greener future for the electronics industry.

Question 6

Distinction Between Traditional Dry Film and Laser Dry Film

Accepted Answer

In a previous article, we introduced inner layer processing and pretreatment. Today, we will focus on exploring the dry film aspect.

Traditional Dry Film Process

Use a photomask to transfer the design pattern onto the dry film via exposure.
Perform the development process to remove unexposed areas, leaving the desired pattern.
Proceed with etching or electroplating.

Application Scenario: Suitable for mass production of PCBs with moderate specification requirements.

Laser Dry Film (Laser Direct Imaging, LDI) Process

No photomask is required; the laser directly draws the design pattern onto the dry film.
After laser imaging, perform development to remove unexposed areas.
Continue with etching or electroplating.

Application Scenario: Ideal for high-density PCBs and semiconductor package substrates (e.g., BGA, CSP) requiring precise patterns.

Advantages and Future Trends

Advantages of Laser Dry Film:
- Eliminates the labor and material costs associated with photomasks.
- Accurately meets the increasing demands for high-density and high-performance modern electronics.
- Better suited for rapid design iteration and customization needs.
Future Trends:
As LDI equipment costs decrease and the technology becomes more widespread, laser dry film technology will gradually become mainstream, particularly in the production of high-end electronic products and semiconductor substrates.

Question 7

How is the Number of PCB Layers Counted? What is the Difference between Double Sided PCB and Multi-layer PCB?

Accepted Answer

“PCB Layer Count”
The number of PCB layers depends on its copper layers. For instance, if the design contains only one layer of copper then it is a single sided PCB; if it contains two layers of copper then it becomes a double sided PCB. If there’re more than two layers of copper, we call it a Multi-layer PCB. Please refer to the image below.

“Multi-layer PCB Production Process”
How do PCB manufacturers produce Multi-layer PCBs? Take below six layer board for example, PCB manufacturers has to first complete inner layer; then stack up the completed inner layer by placing prepreg in between. Once all layers are in correct position, then laminate all layers into one.

“Double sided PCB vs. Multi-layer PCB”
The difference between double sided PCB and Multi-layer PCB is that double sided PCB has no inner layer and lamination process.

“Single sided PCB vs. Multi-layer PCB”
On the other hand, there’s no inner layer and PTH process in single sided PCB.

Question 8

Может ли ENIG заменить ENEPIG для соединения проводов?

Accepted Answer

Когда дело доходит до соединения проводов, первым выбором может быть ENEPIG. ENEPIG, по-видимому, является наиболее стабильным для соединения проводов, однако стоимость производства намного выше, чем у других видов отделки поверхности. Вот одно из решений использования ENIG вместо ENEPIG путем увеличения толщины Au до 5u».
Ниже приведены условия испытания на растяжение и результаты демонстрации производительности использования ENEPIG и ENIG.

Условия теста:
Использовать золотую проволоку толщиной 1,0 мил и усилие натяжения более 3 граммов (как TM-650 2.4.42.3).
ПП A имеет покрытие ENEPIG с Ni:200u”; Pd:2u”; Au:2u”
ПП B имеет покрытие ENIG с Ni:200u”; Au:5u”

Результат:
ПП A: 5.091 ~ 11.186 (g)
ПП B: 4.432 ~ 12.030 (g)

Подводя итог, можно сказать, что и ENEPIG, и ENIG подходят для соединения проводов.

Question 9

Микрошлифовальный осмотр печатной платы

Accepted Answer

Микросекционный контроль — это ключевой метод анализа качества, используемый для оценки межслойных соединений и форм проводников печатных плат. Этот метод контроля обычно применяется к готовой печатной плате, чтобы убедиться, что проводники между слоями соответствуют требованиям к конструкции и производственным стандартам, или, если возникает дефект продукта, можно провести отбор проб и анализ в определенном месте, чтобы найти причину отклонения.

При проведении микрошлифовального контроля сначала вырезается образец определенного размера из готовой печатной платы, а затем его поверхность шлифуется, чтобы сделать видимой внутреннюю структуру. Затем микроскоп используется для наблюдения и получения изображений микрошлифов, которые показывают переходные отверстия, проводящие слои и диэлектрические слои печатной платы.

С помощью микрошлифовального контроля производители печатных плат могут оценить несколько ключевых факторов:

Целостность проводников и соединений: Проверить соответствуют ли форма, толщина и положение проводников проекту, чтобы убедиться в надежности соединения цепи.
Качество межслоевого диэлектрика: Проверить, чтобы диэлектрические слои были ровными и не имели трещин или воздушных полостей, чтобы предотвратить короткое замыкание между слоями проводника или недостаточную прочность изоляции.
Качество меднения отверстий PTH: Проверить достаточно ли и равномерно ли распределено медное покрытие сквозных отверстий, чтобы обеспечить проводимость и надежность изделия.

Микросекционный осмотр является важным этапом контроля качества в процессе производства печатных плат. Он позволяет обнаружить потенциальные производственные дефекты на ранней стадии и внести своевременные корректировки и улучшения. Это не только помогает повысить эффективность производства печатных плат и надежность продукта, но и снижает затраты и время на последующее тестирование и ремонт.

Question 10

Введение в CCL

Accepted Answer

CCL в основном делится на три категории.

Первый — высокочастотный,
второй — высокоскоростной,
а третий — стандартный.

Существует три основных стандарта для различения этих категорий:

Df (Dielectric Loss): Потеря электрических сигналов внутри материала.
Dk (Dielectric Constant): Задержка электрических сигналов внутри материала.
Tg (Glass Transition Temperature): Теплостойкость CCL.

Основные стандарты следующие:

Df < 0.005 является высокочастотным.
Df от 0,005 до 0,01 соответствует высокой скорости.
Df > 0,01 является стандартным.

Чем выше класс CCL, тем ниже значения Df и Dk, что приводит к меньшим потерям сигнала и задержкам. Это означает, что технические требования и добавленная стоимость будут выше, что, естественно, приведет к более высокой марже прибыли и ценам за единицу. Если мы захотим разделить его дальше, то всего будет шесть категорий. Среди них автомобильное использование связано с безопасностью, поэтому оно будет классифицировано как высокочастотное CCL с 5G, высокоскоростное CCL используется в серверах и коммутаторах, а стандартное CCL обычно используется в потребительской электронике.

Основные преимущества высокочастотных CCL

Высокая эффективность (High efficiency)
Быстрая скорость (Fast speed)
Хороший контроль (Good control)
Прочность (Strong durability)

В процессе производства сначала смешивают смолу, катализатор и отвердитель, а затем наносят на стеклоткань. Она скрепляется с полипропиленом и покрывается медной фольгой, образуя так называемый ламинат с медным покрытием.

С точки зрения доли затрат, доля CCL в общей доле ПХБ составляет около 67%, а доля затрат относительно высока.

Наука печатных плат