PCB Basics

Positive film artwork with opaque traces beside negative film artwork with clear traces, both producing the same finished copper circuit

Positive Film vs Negative Film PCB: Pattern Plating and Print-and-Etch

Cross-sections of a drilled hole wall comparing an electroless copper seed layer with a carbon black direct metallization film before copper electroplating

Black Hole vs Electroless Copper: PCB Hole Metallization Compared

High-density multilayer PCB with resin plugged via fields under dense BGA pad arrays

PCB Via Plugging: Resin Plugging vs Solder Mask Ink Plugging

Balanced versus unbalanced 8-layer PCB stackup with mirrored copper weight and dielectric thickness around the symmetry axis

Balanced PCB Stackup Design: Symmetry, Copper Balance and Warpage Control

Eight-layer any-layer HDI stackup with stacked, filled and capped laser microvias on every adjacent layer pair — laser taper wide end up above the core and wide end down below it, 0.1 mm core with prepreg bonds

Any-Layer HDI Explained: ELIC Stackup, Process Flow and When to Use It

Four-layer high-speed PCB with controlled-impedance routing and a gold edge connector, 1097x491

What Is a High-Speed PCB? Design Rules, Stackup and Manufacturing Limits

Copper weight ladder showing plated copper thickness for 1 oz, 2 oz, 3 oz and 6 oz heavy copper PCB layers with mass production and sample build capability

Heavy Copper PCB: Copper Weight, Current Capacity and When to Spec It

Diagram comparing PCB aspect ratio examples of 4 to 1, 8 to 1 and 12.8 to 1 on boards of different thickness

PCB Aspect Ratio Explained: Hole Size, Plating Throw and Design Limits

The seven steps of PCB inner layer fabrication: incoming clean, dry film lamination, exposure, develop, etch, strip and AOI

PCB Inner Layer Fabrication: Dry Film, Etching and AOI

Diagram of the three PCB panel cutting levels: unit, set and panel with edge rail, tooling holes and fiducials

PCB Panel Cutting Explained: Unit, Set and Panel Sizing Basics

High-frequency PCB with dense RF microstrip routing, shielded ground stitching and exposed coplanar waveguide sections on a green soldermask board

High-Frequency PCB: Materials, Dk/Df and When to Spec Them

Exploded diagram of a PCB lamination press book: aluminum press plates, kraft paper, stainless steel sheets, copper foil, prepreg and a copper-clad core

PCB Lamination Process: How Multilayer Boards Are Pressed and Bonded

PCB drilling via types on an 8-layer 1-stage HDI build: cross-section with mechanical through-hole L1-L8, tapered laser blind vias L1-L2 and L8-L7, and buried via L2-L7

PCB Drilling Process: Mechanical vs Laser Drilling Explained

Multilayer PCB manufacturing panel with ENIG pads and dense traces before routing

How to Choose a Multilayer PCB Manufacturer: A 5-Step Checklist

Three controlled impedance structures on PCB artwork: single-ended, differential pair and coplanar waveguide

PCB Impedance Measurement Methods: TDR, VNA, Flying Probe and Coupons

Horizontal electroless copper deposition line in a PCB factory with enclosed process tanks and transfer racks

Electroless Copper Deposition in PCB: How the PTH Process Works

Backplane connector comparison for SATA, SAS and U.2 SFF-8639 NVMe drives with pin groups labelled

U.2 SSD PCB Design: SFF-8639 Carrier Board Layout and Build Rules

E1.S SSD PCB position inside the drive: the five EDSFF thickness classes, with the carrier PCB shown in green

E1.S SSD PCB Design: EDSFF Carrier Board Stackup and Fabrication Rules

POFV via-in-pad pads compared with standard drilled pads on a PCB

Via-in-Pad Technology for HDI and BGA Boards: Process and Rules

Cross-section comparison of stacked and staggered microvias on an HDI PCB

Stacked vs Staggered Vias in HDI PCB: Structures, Cost and Yield