The Printed Circuit Board
The printed circuit board (also known as a PCB) is the backbone of electrical engineering and electronics. It is a self-contained, electronic component that is used to support electronic components, secure and power them, and provide connections between them. The PCB has become a mainstay in almost every kind of device, from computers, medical equipment and military aircraft, to consumer products, such as smartphones and video game consoles.
Printed circuit boards are typically made of a thin, insulated material (typically glass-reinforced plastic or FR4) and have copper pads or traces etched into it. The pads or traces provide a pathway for electricity to travel between the components on the PCB. The number of pads or traces on a PCB depends on the type of circuit board (for example, a simple single layer PCB may only have a few traces while a complex multi-layer PCB may have hundreds).
When designing a PCB, a schematic is created that shows how each component should be connected to the board. Once the schematic is complete, the board is laid out, which includes placing components, setting their orientation and calculating paths/path lengths that connect the components to one another. Once the design work is done, the PCB is manufactured via a process known as “etching.” During this process, a sheet of FR4 or other substrate is placed in a bath of etchant, an acidic solution that eats away at the copper pads or traces. After the etching is complete, the board is then tested to ensure that all the pads and traces have been properly etched and that the connections between components have been made properly.
Once the PCB has been successfully tested and verified, it is then ready for packaging. This process may involve sealing the board in a protective epoxy casing, coating it in a conformal coating to protect it from moisture, humidity, and other environmental elements, or simply placing it in a box to protect it.
The printed circuit board is a vital component of the electronics field, and it is essential for modern technological advances. It is common in everyday devices, and it is used to create the connections between components within devices such as computers, smartphones, and other electronics. The PCB is also an integral part of high-level systems such as military aircraft and medical monitoring systems, which rely on the reliable connections provided by the PCB.
