The difference between thick copper PCB and ordinary PCB

With the continuous development of electronic technology, printed circuit board (PCB) is an indispensable part of electronic equipment, and its types and applications are constantly expanding. Among them, thick copper PCB is widely used in many important fields such as new energy, aerospace and so on because of its high conductivity, high bearing capacity and excellent heat dissipation performance. However, it should be noted that the design skills of ordinary PCB can not be applied to thick copper PCB. This paper will introduce several key skills of thick copper PCB in the whole process of design, layout and simulation, hoping to help friends.

1. What is the difference between thick copper PCB and ordinary PCB?

Generally speaking, the biggest difference between thick copper PCB and ordinary PCB lies in the increase of copper foil thickness. The thickness of copper foil of common PCB is between tens and hundreds of microns, but the thickness of thick copper PCB copper foil is as high as several millimeters, so compared with common PCB, thick copper PCB needs special treatment, such as etching and electroplating, to ensure the uniformity and conductivity of copper layer.

2. What should I pay attention to when designing thick copper PCB?

① Heat dissipation design

Thick copper PCB has better thermal conductivity because of its thick copper layer, but the heat dissipation design cannot be ignored, and the layout of components and heat dissipation channels must be paid attention to to avoid local overheating.

② Mechanical strength

Thick copper PCB has high mechanical strength, but it is easy to deform during processing, so we must think about how to reduce stress and maintain the flatness and stability of PCB during design.

③ Electrical performance

The introduction of thick copper layer will affect the electrical performance of PCB, such as impedance, capacitance, etc. In PCB design, we must consider the changes of these values and adjust these parameters as much as possible to minimize the impact.

3. Design skills of thick copper PCB

① Optimize the wiring strategy.

Due to the good conductivity of thick copper PCB, the line width and line spacing can be appropriately increased, and at the same time, too long wiring can be avoided to reduce signal attenuation and interference.

② Rational layout of components

In the layout of components, high-power components should be dispersed as far as possible to reduce local temperature rise. At the same time, we should also consider the connection relationship between components and heat dissipation requirements;

③ Considering process constraints.

When designing thick copper PCB, we also need to consider the constraints of manufacturing process.

Such as: etching depth, electroplating uniformity, so we should communicate closely with manufacturers to ensure the design is correct;

④ Simulation verification

In the design of thick copper PCB, simulation software should be used as much as possible to simulate the layout and wiring, so as to reduce human error.

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