PCB Fab Troubleshooting and Defect Analysis

In the competitive printed circuit board fabrication industry, high reliability and high yields are crucial for profitability. That's why process and manufacturing engineers involved in fabrication, assembly, and procurement need to have the necessary knowledge and skills to produce and evaluate top-quality printed circuit boards. This includes understanding materials, chemical processes, equipment parameters, and their impact on board quality.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

  • Identify and correct control processes that negatively affect circuit board quality
  • Establish the root cause of potential defects to minimize and prevent loss of quality
  • Recognize the interrelationships of PCB materials, processes, and equipment and how these relationships affect PCB and PCA quality
  • Identify the root cause and corrective action for PCB defects, such as interconnect separation, delamination, wedge voids, plating folds, microvoids, surface pitting, and hole wall pull-away
  • Identify the root cause and corrective action for electrodeposition defects, such as mouse bites, pitting, and domed or crown plating
  • Identify the root cause and corrective action for solderability and assembly-related issues, such as outgassing, black pad, creep corrosion, and blow holes
     
Member Price
700,00 $
Non-member Price
935,00 $
Access
90 Days From Enrollment

  • Course Level: Erweitert

  • Training Time

    8 modules (16 hours)

  • Certificate of Completion

  • Continuous Enrollment

    Access for 90 Days

Questions

Need to know more? Send us your questions and we'll get you an answer.

Download the syllabus.

MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF MATERIALS AND COPPER FOILS 

  • Course Overview
  • Introduction to Troubleshooting: 
    • Plan-Do-Check-Act
    • Use of Fishbone Diagrams
  • How PCBs are Made: 
    • Process flow
    • Innerlayer  fabrication and lamination
    • Outerlayer  fabrication
    • Acceptance
  • Materials and Copper Foils:
    • Raw material factors
    • Construction factors
    • Glass weave
    • Unwoven glass
    • Resign systems and properties:
      • CTE
      • Tg
      • Td
      • Impedance
      • Dk/Df
  • Copper foils and glass styles: 
    • How these are manufactured
    • Different copper foil types
    • Raw material and construction factors

Assignment: Module 1 Quiz

MODULE 2: INNER PROCESS FLOW, SURFACE PREP, AND PHOTORESIST LAMINATION

  • Innerlayer  Prep and Dry Film Lamination: 
    • Surface preparation: 
      • Mechanical vs. chemical surface prep
      • Issues related to surface preparation
  • Dry film lamination mechanics: 
    • Hot roll laminator
    • Condition of the rollers
  • Critical lamination parameters: 
    • Temperature
    • Pressure
    • Exit temperature
  • Defects related to surface preparation and resist lamination

Assignment: Module 2 Quiz

MODULE 3: EXPOSURE, DEVELOPMENT, AND IMAGING DEFECTS 

  • Dry Film Resist Exposure: 
    • Exposure basics
    • Contact and off contact
    • Exposure energy
    • Use of step tablets
    • Laser direct imaging
  • Resist Developing: 
    • Process control
    • pH
    • Resist loading
    • Equipment considerations
    • Concept of break point
    • Defect analysis

Assignment: Module 3 Quiz

MODULE 4: INNERLAYER RESIST STRIPPING AND ETCHING 

  • Etching
    • Alkaline ammoniated
    • Cupric chloride
    • Process controls
    • Over etching
    • Line width reduction
    • Undercut vs. etch factor
    • Other etching-related defects
  • Resist Stripping: 
    • Mechanism 
    • Filtration methods
  • Defects Related to Stripping: 
    • Scumming
    • Over exposure
    • Other defects
  • Other Topics: 
    • Resist lock-in
    • Incomplete etching and stripping
    • Effects on downstream processes

Assignment: Module 4 Quiz

MODULE 5: OXIDE, LAMINATION AND MATERIALS

  • Laminate, Copper Foils, and Material Selection: 
    • Material properties
    • Electrical properties
  • Innerlayer  Adhesion Promotion: 
    • Interlaminar bond strength
    • Treatment methods and process variables
  • Lamination: 
    • Lay-up and tooling
    • Press parameters
    • Temperature controls
  • Common MLB Issues:
    • Delamination
    • Misregistration
    • Break-out
    • Resin recession
    • Other
  • Drilling/Via Formation: 
    • Drill machine variables
    • Critical drilling concepts (feeds, speed, chip load)
    • Drill bit mechanics and design
    • Common drilling-related defects
    • Drilling rules of thumb

Assignments: Module 5 Quiz

MODULE 6: DRILLING, DESMEAR, AND PTH METALIZATION

  • Hole and Via Preparation: 
  • Desmear/Etchback  Options:
    • Alkaline permanganate
    • Plasma
    • Etchback vs. desmear
    • Effect of different materials
  • Defects Related to Desmear/Etchback: 
    • Incorrect desmear parameters
    • Wedge voids
    • Plating voids
    • Lack of plating adhesion/blisters
    • Inadequate smear removal and effect on plating quality
    • Other anomalies related to desmear/etchback
  • PTH Metallization:
    • Process overview
    • Operating variables and effect on plating
    • Control parameters
  • Defect Discussion: 
    • Voids
    • Hole wall pullaway 
    • Interconnect defect
    • Other plating anomalies related to PTH processing

Assignments: Module 6 Quiz

MODULE 7: ELECTROPLATING, PATTERN DEFINITION, AND STRIP-ETCH-STRIP 

  • Electroplating Key Variables: 
    • Mechanics 
    • Chemistry
    • Electrical
  • Pattern and Panel Plating: 
    • Lamination, exposure, and developing
    • Image and developing defect
    • Proper exposure and developing parameters
    • Surface prep issues 
  • Plating Distribution and Throwing Power
  • Pulse Plating vs. DC
  • Special Topics:
    • Copper via fill plating
    • Copper wrap
  • Electroplating-Related Defects: 
    • Poor plating distribution
    • Corner and barrel cracking
    • Grain structure changes
    • Non-uniform plating
    • Peeling copper
    • Blisters
    • Weak knee
    • Dog boning
  • Strip-Etch-Strip:
    • Resist Removal problems
    • Resist entrapment
    • Resist lock-in
    • Over- and under-etching
    • Etch factor vs. undercut
    • Etch resist attack/copper oxidation
    • Metal stripping issues
    • Extraneous Copper

Assignments: Module 7 Quiz

MODULE 8: SOLDERMASK  AND SOLDERABLE FINISHES

  • Liquid Photoimageable Soldermask : 
    • Application methods
    • Critical parameters:
      • Wet mask thickness
      • Tack dry
      • Exposure
      • Development
      • Final Cure
  • Soldermask  Defects: 
    • Mask peels
    • Mask is dull
    • Over and under develop/exposure
    • Poor coverage over plated circuits
    • Incompatibility with solderable finishes
    • Other soldermask -related defects
  • Solderable Finishes: 
    • Solderability characteristics
    • Final finish overview (what types and where best used)
    • Solderability defects related to final finishes
    • Other defects (black pad, brittle fracture, microvoids, and creep corrosion)
    • Trench-etch
    • Copper corrosion
    • Other

FINAL  EXAM
Participants must complete the Final Exam with a passing score of 80% to access and download their Advanced Troubleshooting & Defect Analysis of Printed Circuit Boards Certificate. Students may attempt the exam up to three (3) times. Please note that a third and final attempt is permitted after 24 hours of the second attempt.
 

This course is designed for engineers, technicians, operators, and other staff members directly involved in the fabrication, assembly, or purchasing of printed boards. 

IPC offers different instructional modalities to suit participants with different needs and preferences. This program is available in the following modalities:

Online-self-paced: Participants can access course materials on the IPC EDGE Learning Management System at any time and complete them at their own pace. However, organizations may set completion deadlines, as well as monitor the progress of the participants they register for a course.