Five Common Adaptable Printed Circuit Design Errors

Versatile Printed Circuitry (FPC) provides a large chance for the packaging engineer and digital designer. These functional digital wiring programs can be formed, bent, twisted and folded into unlimited dimensional configurations…minimal only by an engineer’s origami creativity. In this regard they supply sizeable style and design benefits in excess of a two dimensional and inflexible rigid printed circuit board (PCB). This additional dimension can make flex circuits a designer engineer’s dream, but with the addition of versatility appear some “rules” that need to be followed (sounds like an oxymoron??) to make certain a sturdy design and style is achieved.

Various production strategies and material sets are applied for FPC’s and an speedy difference is the dimensional attributes. Rigid printed circuits are typically extra dimensionally stable vs. the typical polyimide film used as the constructing block in 98% of the flex circuits created. This greater dimensional variability means a versatile circuit calls for different layout rules than its rigid printed circuit board relative. Sadly, substantially of the design and style computer software out there uses rigid PCB structure regulations and this can produce production and practical challenges for the versatile circuit. Finding a flexible circuit design and style completely ready for fab is referred to some in the marketplace as “flexizing” the layout.

The listing underneath information five of the far more widespread ways “flexizing” would make a design and style additional robust, additional producible, and prepared for fabrication.

1. Solder mask or coverfilm openings: In the course of fabrication flexible circuitry can display dimensional modify just after publicity to processes like pumice scrubbing, copper plating, and/or etching. While some change can be accounted for, versatile circuitry style rules normally have to have bigger tolerances to accommodate subsequent registrations for coverfilm, stiffeners, or die slicing. More thought is expected for the adhesive squeeze out that occurs in the course of lamination of the coverfilm dielectric. Complicating the prediction of compensating design and style functions is the myriad of processes and sequences expected to produce a customized adaptable circuit. The bottom line is the openings in the coverfilm frequently need to have to allow a lot more place in a flex circuit structure.
2. Spacing between solder pads and adjacent traces: Listed here is the tradeoff, i.e. design and style compromise, which will be created based on merchandise #1. When the coverfilm or soldermask openings are manufactured much larger, the edges of the adjacent conductor traces could be uncovered if they have been routed way too near to a solder pad. This can result in shorts if solder bridges involving connector pins or pads. Physical sizing of the circuit is a further aspect that can impact registration functionality. In standard much more space is desired in between a solder pad and an adjacent conductive trace to accommodate the coverfilm or soldermask placement tolerance.
3. Anxiety details in conductors: Simply because flex circuitry is applied in both of those fold to install and dynamic flexing applications, trace configurations that are satisfactory in a rigid PCB may well produce complications in a flexible circuit. Conductor traces with sharp corners and acute junctures at the foundation of solder pads become natural “anxiety details” when the spot in close proximity to them is flexed. This can outcome in trace fracture or delamination. A fantastic flexible circuit format will have a smooth radius for conductor flip points (instead of sharp corners) and a gentile radius from the trace to the pad fillet rather of a sharp angle. Selective attachment of stiffeners will avert bending in soldered areas and is a popular style and design practice.
4. Stacked traces: Traces on opposite sides of the dielectric ought to not immediately “stack” on each other. Traces in stress (on the outside of the bend radius) may perhaps crack when the circuit is bent if they immediately align in parallel with a trace on the reverse side. The traces in tension are pressured farther from the neutral axis of the folded location and can fracture, particularly with repeated bending. A great style exercise is to preserve the copper in the neutral axis of a bend by developing this region as a one conductive layer. When this is not possible, a right structure will “stagger” the traces involving best and bottom copper layers to avert prime and base alignment.
5. Soldered joints as well shut to bend point: A solder joint is fashioned by an intermetalic bond of the solder alloy to the copper trace. While the copper trace is ordinarily flexible, regions that have been soldered come to be really rigid and rigid. When the substrate is bent close to the edge of the solder joint, the solder pad is possibly going to crack or delaminate. Both scenario will induce serious useful challenges.

The bottom line is that creating a flex circuit with normal PCB application can outcome in some major manufacturability and dependability issues. It is greatest to perform with your flexible circuit provider or a adaptable circuit structure pro to both “flexize” the layout prior to beginning fabrication or make the structure right from a net record. This will guarantee that the layout can be manufactured to fulfill your desires.