How are PCB's made?

Feb 13, 2005 3 Replies

Hi guys:



How are copper clad pc boards made? Is the copper somehow electrodeposited onto them, or is it a glued down foil of some sort?



Thanks for any replies.



Don


There are several different technologies. The most common way hobbyists make them is to purchase board laminated with one or both sides covered with copper. An etchant resist pattern is created is made with a resist pen, or by several other techniques, or by buying boards that are also covered with a photo resist layer. That later has ot be exposed to UV through a pattern to make some areas soluble. The board is then treated to an alkaline bath (or some versions of resist use an organic solvent ot remove part of the resist). Then the board is bathed in an etchant that dissolves the unprotected parts of the copper layer. Holes are then drilled through the board and some people add brass eyelets through the holes to connect the copper on one side ot the other side.

The processes used commercially are quite a bit more varied and complicated.

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John Popelish

electrodeposited

I think the question was how the "raw material pcb's" are constructed, thus what one buys to start scribbling and etching

to answer it: the copper can be as well glued as electrolytically deposited on the 'carrier' (be it epoxy or FR4 or any other)

Peel strength would be terrible if one used seeded electro deposited or "glued" copper foil on raw PCB material. Manufactures get treated copper foil (one side is very rough and may also be red oxided, Cu2O) and laminate to the substrate material under heat and pressure.

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