Structure of FPC
According to the number of layers of conductive copper foil, FPC can be divided into single layer circuit, double layer circuit, multi-layer circuit, double sided and so on.
Single-layer structure: the flexible circuit of this structure is the simplest structure of the flexible PCB. Usually the base material (dielectric substrates) + transparent rubber(adhesive) + copper foil is a set of purchased raw materials(semi-manufactures), the protective film and transparent glue are another kind of bought raw material. First, copper foil must be etched to obtain the required circuit, and the protective film should be drilled to reveal the corresponding pad. After cleaning, the two are combined by rolling. Then the exposed part of the pad electroplated gold or tin to protect. In this way, the big panel board will be ready. Generally also it’s stamped into the corresponding shape of the small circuit board. There is also no protective film directly on the copper foil, but printed resistance soldering coating, so that the cost will be lower, but the mechanical strength of the circuit board will become worse. Unless the strength requirement is not high and the price needs to be as low as possible, it is best to apply the protective film method.
Double layer structure: when the circuit is too complex to be wired, or copper foil is needed to shield the ground, it is necessary to choose a double layer or even a multilayer. The most typical difference between a multilayer and a single plate is the addition of a perforated structure to connect the layers of copper foil. The first process of transparent rubber + base material + copper foil is to make holes. Drill holes in the base material and copper foil first, clean and then plated with a certain thickness of copper. The subsequent fabrication process is almost the same as the single-layer circuit.
Double sided structure: both sides of the double sided FPC have pads, mainly used to connect other circuit boards. Although it and monolayer structure is similar, but the manufacturing process is very different. Its raw material is copper foil, protective film and transparent glue. The protective film should be drilled according to the position of the pad first, then the copper foil should be affixed, the pad and track lines should be etched and then the protective film of another drilled hole should be affixed.
Copper foil is available in two different types of copper: ED Copper and RA copper.
ED copper is an electro-deposited (ED) copper foil produced in the same way as the copper foil used for rigid printed circuit boards. This also means that the copper is “treated”, i.e., it has a slightly rough surface on one side, which ensures a better adhesion when the copper foil is bonded to the base material.
RA copper is a rolled and annealed copper foil produced from electrolytically deposited cathode copper, which is melted and cast into ingots. The ingots are first hot-rolled to a certain size and milled on all surfaces. The copper is then cold-rolled and annealed, until the desired thickness is obtained.
Copper foil is available in thickness of 12, 18, 35 and 70 μm.
The most common available for dielectric substrate and coverlay is polyimide films. This material can also be used as coverlay. Polyimide is best suited for flexible circuits because of its characteristics as stated below:
High temperature resistance allows soldering operations without damaging the flexible circuits
Very good electrical properties
Good chemical resistance
Polyimide is available in thicknesses of 12.5, 20, 25 and 50 μm.
Base laminates for rigid printed circuit boards are copper foils laminated together with the base materials, the adhesive coming from the prepreg material during lamination. Contrary to this is the flexible circuit where the lamination of the copper foil to the film material is achieved by means of an adhesive system. It is necessary to distinguish between two main systems of adhesive, namely thermoplastic and thermoset adhesives. The choice is dictated partly by the processing, and partly by the application of the finished flexible circuit.
FPC Case: Double Sided Flexible PCB board With 0.15mm thick and Immersion Gold
(FPC’s are custom-made products, the picture and parameters shown are just for reference)
General description
This is a type of flexible printed circuit for the application of GPS tracking systems. It’s a 2 layer board at 0.15mm thick. The base laminate is from ITEQ, It’s fabricated per IPC 6012 Class 2 using supplied Gerber data. Polyimide stiffener is applied on the inserting part.
Parameter and data sheet
| Number of Layers |
2 |
| Board Size |
160 x 165mm=1PCS |
| Board Type |
Flexbile cirucit |
| Board Thickness |
0.15mm +/-10% |
| Board Material |
Polyimide (PI) 25um |
| Board Material Supplier |
ITEQ |
| Tg Value of Board Material |
60℃ |
| |
| PTH Cu thickness |
≥20 um |
| Inner Iayer Cu thicknes |
N/A |
| Surface Cu thickness |
35 um (1oz) |
| |
| Coverlay Colour |
Yellow |
| Number of Coverlay |
2 |
| Thickness of Coverlay |
25 um |
| Stiffener |
NO |
| |
| Type of Silkscreen Ink |
NO |
| Supplier of Silkscreen |
NO |
| Color of Silkscreen |
NO |
| Number of Silkscreen |
NO |
| |
| Mininum Trace (mil) |
4 mil |
| Minimum Gap(mil) |
4 mil |
| |
| Surface Finish |
Immersion Gold |
| RoHS Required |
Yes |
| Famability |
94-V0 |
| |
| Thermal Shock Test |
Pass, -25℃±125℃, 1000 cycles. |
| Thermal Stress |
Pass, 300±5℃,10 seconds, 3 cycles. No delamination, no blistering. |
| Function |
100% Pass electrical test |
| Workmanship |
Compliance with IPC-A-600H & IPC-6013C Class 2 |
Features and benefits
Excellent flexibility
Reducing the volume
Weight reduction
Consistency of assembly
Increased reliability
Controllability of electrical parameter design
The end can be whole soldered
Material optionality
Low cost
Continuity of processing
Quick and on-time delivery
Make delivery on time. We keep higher than 98% on-time-delivery rate.
Application
Keypad FPC, Industrial control computer soft board, consumer ETC (Electronic Toll Collection ) soft board,
About Us
Bicheng PCB, a unique printed circuit board supplier based in Shenzhen China serves worldwide customers since it’s born in 2003. At Bicheng, every batch of PCB goes through electrical test, AOI inspection, high voltage test, Impedance control test, micro-section, solder-ability test, thermal stress test, reliability test, insulation resistance test and ionic contamination test etc. Finally it is like a beautiful gift to be delivered to your hands.
Different plant scale to suit for your requirements
16000 square meter factory building
30000 square meter month capability
8000 types of PCB per month
ISO9001, ISO14001, TS16949, UL Certified
Variety of PCB technology to meet the market demands
HDI board
Heavy copper board
Hybrid material board
Blind via board
High frequency board
Metal core board
Immersion gold board
Multilayer board
Backplane board
Gold finger board
Comprehensive sales service presale, in sale and after sale.
Quick CADCAM checking and free PCB quotation
Free-of-charge PCB panelization
Prototype PCB capability
Volume Production capability
Quick turn-around samples
Free-of-charge PCB test
Solid carton packing
