Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Insulating the inner conductive layers of printed circuit boards (PCBs) is critical
for their electrical and thermal performance. This article provides an overview
of PCB inner layer pad insulation including its role, key properties, materials
If the insulating pads fail, it enables electrical shorts and interference while
Dielectric Strength
distances.
Thermal Conductivity
Rate of heat transfer through the insulating pad. Impacts overall thermal
management of PCB.
match conductors.
Various dielectric materials get used to insulate PCB inner layers, each with
The most common rigid PCB insulator due to its optimal balance of electrical
and physical properties, reliability, and cost. FR-4 contains woven fiberglass
Key Attributes:
Proven reliability
Good dielectric strength
Excellent mechanical bond with copper
Prone to water absorption
Moderate thermal conductivity
Ceramics like silica or alumina are blended into resin systems like
Key Attributes:
Polyimide Film
Polyimide films like Kapton provide very high dielectric strength and
Key Attributes:
Key Attributes:
There are also emerging insulation materials like PTFE/woven glass blends for
processing.
management:
1. Surface Preparation
2. Layer Alignment
3. Lamination
4. Post-Cure
5. Microsection Test
Several factors impact how well inner layer pads electrically isolate and
Dielectric Thickness
Loosely bonded pads enable air gaps that lower dielectric strength. Full cured
Lamination Pressure
Too little pressure fails to properly bond foil and dielectric layers. Too much
Registration Accuracy
Misalignments create resin-rich areas that alter impedance values along traces.
Material Homogeneity
External Layers
Internal Layers
With higher layer counts, use thinner insulation pads internally to control
overall PCB thickness. Adjust values depending on electrical testing and TGlass
ratings.
Delamination – Insulation peels from foil layer along weak resin bond lines.
Impedance Shifts – Trace impedance values change from resin richness, voids,
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about PCB inner layer
insulation:
A: Wider separation increases overall PCB thickness too much. High density
designs keep layer pitch low using thin dielectric pads for isolation.
thicker layers?
A: Thinner layers improve capacitance and heat transfer but require more
lamination cycles. Determine the optimal layer count and thickness balance for
lamination?
inspection.
replacement?
A: Most properly processed internal insulation lasts for decades. External layers