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What is a Printed Circuit Board?

By: Judy Hall

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In the 1850s, the development in electronic network systems gave rise to the changes that resulted in the creation of printed circuit boards. Electrical elements that were large and taking up space were attached to one another by way of strips of metal, which were subsequently replaced by wires connected to screw terminals. The substrates on which these elements were placed were originally made from wood, and were later substituted by metal framework. Further advancement in the development of new designs necessitated the creation of miniature components to be arranged on an increasingly reduced area of the board. This lead to the increasing use of the circuit board assembly.

In the year 1925, Charles Ducas of the US made a patent application for a production process of making an electric trail directly onto an insulated substrate by stencil printing with electrically conductive pathways. Common use of Eislers technique did not arrive till the 1950s, when the transistor was introduced for commercial use. With the appearance of transistors the electronic parts became small, and manufacturers turned to made printed circuit boards to cut back the overall size of the electronic devices. The ensuing increase in element density and densely spaced electrical trails started a new trend in PCB design.

Single-sided boards have the elements on one side of the base. When the amount of parts becomes too exceeding for a single-sided board, a double-sided board could be used. The third typewhich is a multi- layered board, has a surface made from layers of revealed circuits separated by layers of insulation.

Electronic Elements on a printed circuit board are electrically attached to the circuits by two different techniques : the older through hole technology and the newer surface mount technology. With through hole technology, each electrical part has thin wires, or leads, that are pushed through small holes in the substrate and soldered to connection pads in the circuits on the other side. Gravity and mutual friction between the leads and the sides of the holes keeps the parts in place until they are soldered. With surface mount technology, stubby J-shaped or L-shaped legs on each element contact the printed circuits directly. A solder paste composed from glue, flux, and solder are applied at the contact point to hold the parts in place until the solder is liquified, or reflowed, in a cooker to make the final connection. Although surface mount technology requires greater care in the placement of the components, it saves the time-intensive drilling process and the space-consuming connection pads inherent with through hole technology. Both technologies are used today.

Two other models of circuit assemblies are in resemblance with the printed circuit board. An integrated circuit, also known as or termed as an IC or microchip, runs similar operation to a printed circuit board apart from the IC is consisted of many more circuits and components that are electrochemically positioned in place on the face of a small chip of silicon.

The miniaturization of electrical items continues to pave the way for printed circuit board designs towards tinier and more closely packed boards with more demanding electronic capabilities. Moving ahead beyond the boards listed here include three-dimensional moulded plastic PCB boards along with the increased use of integrated circuit chips. These and other advancements will keep the development of printed circuit boards a dynamic field for many years to come.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

The writer to this article is a factory manager of a firm engaging in PCB assembly and related electronics design expertise.

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