UNIT-2

DR. P. MALARVEZHI
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (SR.G)
DEPT. OF ECE
 PCB DESIGN
CONSIDERATIONS
 The design inputs which should be provided by the
equipment designer to the PCB designer are called
design elements. They are:

• Type of circuit (analog or digital, etc.)

• Board size

IMPORTANT • Number of layers

DESIGN • Pad stack sizes
ELEMENTS • Hole sizes
• Layer thickness
• Board thickness
• External connections
• Mounting holes
IMPORTANT PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS

Thermal shock
Shock and Moisture
Tensile strength Flexural strength and temperature
vibration resistance
cycling

Dielectric
Solderability and
Fungus resistance Salt spray Warp or twist breakdown
re-solderability
voltage

Insulation
resistance Conductor High attitude
Flame resistance Machinability
(surface and temperature rise considerations.
bulk)
MECHANICAL DESIGN
CONSIDERATIONS
The following are the main mechanical design
considerations for the PCB:
• Optimal board size compatible with the PCB manufacturing
process;
• Position of board mounting holes, brackets, clamps, clips,
shielding boxes and heat sinks;
• Proper fixation arrangement for heavy components;
• Proper hole diameter for component mounting;
• Assembled board to withstand the mechanical stress and
vibrations occurring in transportation;
• Type of installation of the board (vertical/horizontal);
• Method of cooling;
• Specific locational requirements of components like front panel
operated components such as push buttons, variable
resistors, etc.
DETERMINING THE COMPONENT
AREA
The component area on the board is calculated by
adding the contribution of each single component.

Each component is considered in its orthographic

projection on the board.

The dimensions of component are obtained from the

manufacturer’s catalogue or by actually measuring the
same.

The parts to be mounted on the PCB should be detailed

on the parts list.

Each part should be identified by a unique reference

designator and a part description. (Eg:R1 with a
description 1⁄4 watt carbon film resistor.)
 The volume available for an electronic assembly is
calculated with care.
Rather than the actual volume, it is important to
know the maximum volume that the board can
occupy in the worst condition, including the safety
VOLUME clearances.
COMPUTING For example for a paging system receiver, the PCB
has to be very small because the receiver is carried
in the pocket.
Similarly, the PCB of an implantable pacemaker
must also be very small as the pacemaker is
implanted in the body.
 ACCESSIBILITY FOR ADJUSTABLE
COMPONENTS

Adjustable components, usually variable resistors, are

common in many printed circuit board assemblies.

These components should be mounted on a PCB in a

such a manner that there is an easy access to such
components.
 HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL MOUNTING
OF COMPONENTS
• Axial-leaded components can be mounted either horizontally or vertically.
• Vertically assembled axial components require less surface area, resulting in a smaller
PCB.
• However, this technique has certain disadvantages such as lower reliability, increased
difficulty in component forming and manual assembly.
• In addition, the increased density of conductors can limit the packing density.
• Vertical mounting should, therefore, be adopted only when the area is limited and there
are limits to volume, and of course, in cases when some of the components of the board
have a height which is greater than that of the axial components.
 • A functional printed circuit board requires
connections to the outside world to get power,
exchange information, or display results.
• There may be a need to fit it into a case or slide
it into a rack to perform its function.
• There may be areas that may require height
BOARD SIZE restrictions on the board.
• Tooling holes and keep-out areas may be
required in the board for assembly or
manufacturing purposes.
• All these factors need to be defined before the
board can be designed, including the maximum
dimensions of the board and the locations of
connectors, displays, mounting brackets or any
 Connectors or
connecting tabs;

Fixtures or anchoring
Constraints encountered:
areas;

Control or adjusting
devices such as switches
and potentiometers.
PCB net area is worked out from the gross area, taking into
consideration the following geometrical constraints:
Locating holes (for assembly):

•The preferred diameter is 3.175mm, their position is usually

close to the longest edge of the board, with the widest possible
span.

•Their centre should be at least 1.5 times the hole diameter from
the edge of the board, but not less than 2 mm.

•The safety area around them should be of circular form.

Mounting holes:

•Safety areas need to be provided around the fixing holes,

keeping in view the size of the washers and screws, unless
insulating washers are used.
Edges:

•Usually a 2–5 mm safety strip is provided along all edges.

•This is necessary because trimming of the board could cause
de-lamination of copper areas too close to the edge.
 •Minimizing the total number of
interconnections can help in deciding board
size.

•This requires a judicious action as partitioning

PARTITIONI equipment in different ways can result in very
NG different numbers of interconnections.

•Generally the block diagram of the circuit is

examined to determine the points at which it
can be divided so as to break the smallest
number of connections which may decide the
size of the PCB.
ELECTRICAL DESIGN
CONSIDERATIONS
 CONDUCTOR DIMENSIONS

Conductor width is determined by :

Component packing density

Minimum spacing between conductors and
components
Geometrical constraints due to component outlines.
 RESISTOR DIMENSIONS
• The copper printed tracks on a PCB have a finite resistance which introduces a voltage
drop proportional to the current flowing in that particular conductor.

• The resistance of a conductor considered as a metal section having a rectangular

cross-section depends upon the specific resistivity of copper, which is 1.724 ¥10–6
ohm cm at 20°C.
 CAPACITANCE CONSIDERATIONS

Capacitance is a parameter of considerable

importance, particularly in the design of PCBs at
high frequency. The capacitance comes into play
in the following two situation​

• Capacitance between conductors on opposite

sides of the PCB.

• Capacitance between adjacent conductors.​

 INDUCTANCE OF PCB CONDUCTORS

• In designing the conductor patterns for fast

signal or high speed logic circuits, the
inductive couplings are also of major
concern.
• In logic circuits operating at a clock rate of
only 10 kHz, high frequency components of
the rectangular shaped signals can often
cause problems.
• Therefore, in such situations, it is important
to know the inductance of a conductor
arrangement.
 HIGH ELECTRICAL STRESSES
• The increasing density of interconnection in printed circuit boards demands that the
designer progressively decrease spacing and the size of conductive parts such as line
sections, PTH diameters, pad areas, etc.

• Therefore, the increasing level of integration is naturally accompanied by an increase

in the electrical stresses in the PCB.

• High electrical stresses (a few kV/mm) can start the degradation mechanisms
depending upon the electrical stress level, environmental conditions and the presence
of thermal and mechanical stresses.

• Therefore, in order to keep the electrical stresses at a level appropriate to achieve the
desired level in insulation reliability, the designers have to provide for insulation
adequate distances which may be higher than what is economically desirable.
 CONDUCTOR PATTERNS
• The manufacturability and reliability of a PC board depends, to a large extent,
upon the basic design of the PC board in terms of conductor width, thickness,
spacing, shapes and routing, etc.

• The design can be done manually or with a computer, but the basic rules in both
the cases are fairly constant.

• The three basic rules for layout design are:

No interference between the components;

Conductors not to cross each other; and

Sufficient spacing between any two close conductors.

 COMPONENT PLACEMENTS

Following are the rules for component placement:

• In a highly sensitive circuit, the critical components are placed first and
in such a manner as to require minimum length for the critical
conductors.

• In a less critical circuit, the components are arranged exactly in the

order of signal flow.

• This will result in a minimum overall conductor length.

• In a circuit where a few components have considerably more
connecting points than the others, these key components have to be
placed first and the remaining ones are grouped around them.
• The general rule is to place first components, whose position is fixed for
the final fitting and interconnections, e.g. connectors, heat sinks, etc.
• Then place the components which are connected to these fixed
components.
• Components should be placed on the grid of 2.5 mm.
• Among the components, larger components are placed first and the
space in between is filled with smaller ones.
• All the components should be placed in such a manner that disordering
of other components is not necessary if they have to be replaced.
• Components should be placed in a row or a column, so that it gives a
good overview.
 FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY
CONSIDERATIONS
Certain limits should be taken into account in order to maximize manufacturability and
thereby minimize cost. Also, the human factors should be considered before designing
is undertaken. These factors are given below.

• Conductor spacing less than 0.1mm will not work with the etching process, because
the etchant fluid does not circulate efficiently in narrower spaces resulting in
incomplete metal removal.

• Features with a conductor width smaller than 0.1 mm will lead to breakage and
damage during etching.

• The land size should be at least 0.6mm greater than the hole size.
 LIMITATIONS
The following limitations determine the layout techniques:

• Size capability of reprographic camera for film master production;

• Artwork table size;
• Minimum or maximum board processing size;
• Drilling accuracy; and
• Fine line etching facilities.
Soldering techniques and equipment for assembly also impose many restrictions
on the board design and layout.

• For example, in wave soldering, the maximum sizes of the slots, edge
clearances and handling clearances are important parameters.

• Also, the designers must be aware of what the final product will be and try to
protect its most sensitive parts, as far as possible.

• For example, any high voltage circuit must be protected to prevent contact from
outside.

• Careful location of components on the boards and of the boards in the product
can help to minimize the likelihood of damage by external agents.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS

CONTAMINATION

SHOCKS AND VIBRATIONS

 THERMAL CONSIDERATIONS
•The PCB designer should keep in view the following points to
ensure proper cooling of the electronic packages:

•Use of high temperature components, where possible;

• Thermal isolation of temperature-sensitive components from high
heat-emitting sources

• Ensuring proper conductive cooling; the heat removal can be

achieved by all the three modes of heat transfer, i.e. conduction,
convection and radiation.
Removal of heat by conduction is achieved by:

• Use of materials with high thermal conductivity;

• Adopting the shortest/direct path to the heat sinks;
• Ensuring good thermal coupling between parts involved in the
conduction path;

• Designing the printed conductor in the thermal path as large as

possible.
Cooling through convection can be increased by:

• Enhancement of the surface area available for heat transfer

• Replacement of laminar flow with turbulent flow, thereby
increasing the heat transfer

• coefficient and ensuring a good scrubbing action around the

parts to be cooled.
Heat transfer through radiation can be enhanced by:

• Use of materials with high emissivity and absorptivity;

• Raising the temperature of the radiating body;
• Lowering the temperature of the absorbing body; and
• Arranging the geometry to minimize back reflection to the
radiating body itself.
 CONTAMINATION
• Printed circuit boards must be protected against dust, dirt, contamination, humidity, salt
spray and mechanical abuse.
• There are many insulating compounds that can be applied as protective coatings.
• The commonly used compounds are polyurethanes, silicones, acrylics, polystyrenes and
varnishes.
• The following are the broad technical considerations involved in the selection of protective
coating:
i) Ability to prevent corrosion and provide protection to the board;
ii) Flexibility — resistance to cracking during shock;
iii) Easy application and processing;
iv) Transparency — to enable viewing of the board’s component marking; and
v) Easily removable for repairing the printed wiring assembly — minimum effect due to its
thickness on important electrical properties such as dissipation factor, dielectric constant.
 SHOCK AND VIBRATION
•Vibration, flexing and bowing are the problems usually encountered
on larger boards.

• The effects of vibration and warping can be minimized in exactly the

same way as those met in any other form of engineering and similar
solutions can be used.

•Parts that might be susceptible to failure because of shock or vibration

should be located as near to the supported areas of the board as
possible.

•Clamping or strapping may be required for properly holding the

COOLING REQUIREMENTS AND PACKAGING
DENSITY
HEAT SINK

PACKAGING DENSITY

PACKAGE STYLE & PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

 HEAT SINK
• Sufficient free space should be provided around the heat sinks to improve
efficiency.

• No bulky component should be mounted near the heat sink which may obstruct
the free air flow.

• Generally, heat-generating components are raised to a higher level above the

board.

• This prevents damage to the component and the board itself.

• In a vertically mounted PCB, two heat sinks should not be designed and
mounted one above the other.

• In order to ensure maximum exchange of heat in heat sinks with unidirectional

 PACKAGING DENSITY

The packaging density is usually dictated by:

• Purpose, use and application of equipment — whether fixed installation,

portable or airborne;

• Heat generated and cooling arrangement — natural air flow, forced cooling or
hermetically sealed unit;

• Type of components on board;

• Component technology-whether discrete, SSI, LSI, VLSI, or SMT; and
• Type of PCB used (interconnection density) — whether single-sided,
double-sided, or multi-layered.
 PACKAGE STYLE AND PHYSICAL
ATTRIBUTES
• Every electronic system consists of various parts including electronic
components, interfaces, electronic storage media and the printed board assembly.

• The complexity of these systems is reflected in both the type of components used
and their interconnecting structure.

• Components are generally grouped into the following categories:

Axial lead components;

Radial lead components;

Surface mounted devices; and

Electromechanical components.
 LAYOUT DESIGN
The general considerations for a good layout design are:

• Type of product (required quality, reliability and safety

considerations, applicable standards, approvals required etc.);

• Expected production volume;

• Assembly facilities and techniques along with desirable degree of
automation;

• Maintenance set-up (factory premises, disbursed maintenance

facilities and at customer’s place);
• Working environment (storage, shock and vibration);
• Transportation arrangement;
• Electrical considerations/constraints such as electromagnetic
shield, cross-talk between conductors;

• Components/connected modules requiring easy access;

• Heat removal considerations;
• Requirement of insulation between the PCB or its mounted
components and any other metallic part on the assembly.