2.3 HDI Printed Circuit Boards
There is no IECHigh-Density Interconnect (HDI) Printed Circuit Boardsstandards.
IPC has the following standards:
IPC/JPCA "High-Density Interconnect (HDI)"Design Guide for Micro-Vias," published in 2000;
IPC-2226 "High-Density Interconnect (HDI) Printed Circuit Board Design Specification," 2003;
IPC/JPCA-4104 "Specifications for High-Density Interconnect (HDI) and Micro-Vias," 1999;
IPC-6016, “Specifications for the Qualification and Performance of High-Density Interconnect (HDI) Layers and Interconnect Boards,” 1999.
In addition to the joint standards listed above, the JPCA previously published JPCA-HD01-2003, “HDI Printed Circuit Boards,” which was later incorporated into JPCA-UB01-2014 (see 2.2).
The CPCA has issued CPCA/JPCA-HD01—2007, “HDI Printed Circuit Boards,” which has not yet been updated.
2.4 High-Frequency, High-Speed Printed Circuit Boards
The IEC only has IEC 61188-1-2:4998, “Design and Use of Printed Circuit Boards and Printed Circuit Board Assemblies—Part 1-2: General Requirements—Controlled Impedance”;
IPC has the following standards: IPC-2141A, “Design Guide for High-Speed Controlled-Impedance Printed Circuit Boards,” 2004;
IPC-2251, *Guidelines for the Design of High-Speed Electronic Circuit Packages*, 2003;
IPC-2252, “Guide to the Design of RF/Microwave Printed Circuit Boards,” 2002;
IPC-4103A "Specifications for Substrates for High-Speed, High-Frequency Applications," 2011;
IPC-6018B, “Inspection and Testing of Finished Microwave Printed Circuit Boards,” 2011.
2.5 Printed Circuit Boards with Embedded Components
IPC standards include: IPC-2316, “Design Guide for Printed Circuit Boards with Embedded Passive Components,” 2007;
IPC-4811, “Specification for Resistor Materials for Embedded Passive Components in Rigid and Multilayer Printed Circuit Boards,” 2008;
IPC-4821 "Specification for Capacitor Materials for Embedded Passive Components in Rigid and Multilayer Printed Circuit Boards," 2006;
IPC-6017, “Specifications for the Qualification and Performance of Printed Circuit Boards Containing Embedded Passive Components,” 2009.
The JPCA’s JPCA-EB01, *Terminology and Reliability of Electronic Circuit Boards with Embedded Components*, first published in 2008, was adopted by the IEC as IEC/PAS 62326-14:2010, *Terminology, Reliability Testing, and Design Guidelines for Substrates with Embedded Components*. From 2009 to 2012, the JPCA revised the standard annually; the fifth edition was renamed “Scope, Structure, Terminology, Testing, Inspection, and Design Guidelines for Embedded Component Printed Circuit Boards,” and its content was significantly expanded. It was later merged with JPCA-EB02-2011 “Data Formats for Embedded Component Printed Circuit Boards” and other standards to become JPCA-UB01-2014 “Scope, Structure, Terminology, Testing, Inspection, and Design of Embedded Component Printed Circuit Boards (Embedded Component Boards).”
China has the following standards: SJ-20857—2002 “Specifications for Resistive Composite Foil Materials” and CPCA/JPCA-EB01—2009 “Terminology and Reliability Test Methods for Printed Circuit Boards with Embedded Components.”
2.6 Optoelectronic Printed Circuit Boards
IEC Technical Committee 86 (TC86) on Fiber Optic Technology has collaborated with Technical Committee 91 (TC91) to develop standards for optoelectronic printed circuit boards. Since 2008, they have published 10 standards, including the IEC 62496 series on optical circuit boards.
IPC has released the following:
—IPC-0040, “Optoelectronic Assemblies and Packaging Technology,” published in 2003;
—IPC-8413-1, “Specifications for Carriers Used in the Handling of Optical Fibers During Manufacturing,” published in 2003
—IPC-8497-1, “Cleaning Methods and Contamination Evaluation for Optical Assemblies,” published in 2005.
From 2003 to 2011, the JPCA published a total of 27 standards, including 9 for optical printed circuit boards, 8 for optical connectors, and 10 for optical modules.
2.7 Printed Circuit Boards for LEDs
LED lighting is developing rapidly; high brightness requires high power, which places new demands on printed circuit boards.
In 2010, the JPCA published the JPCA-TMC-LED01S—Test Methods for Printed Circuit Boards for High-Brightness LEDs—and the JPCA-TMC-LED02T—Test Methods for Printed Circuit Boards for High-Brightness LEDs.
In 2011, these two standards were published as IEC/PAS 62326-20 and IEC/PAS 62289-3-913, respectively.
The CPCA developed CPCA 6041—2014 and CPCA 5041—2014, respectively, based on these two standards.
2.8 Printed Electronic Circuits
Printed electronics is a rapidly developing field; the IEC has established Technical Committee TC119 to begin standardization activities.
IPC and JPCA have jointly released the following for substrates used in printed electronics:
IPC/JPCA-2291 (2014), “Design Guidelines for Printed Electronics”;
IPC/JPCA-4591 (2012), “Requirements for Conductive Materials in Printed Electronics”;
IPC/JPCA-4921 (2012) “Technical Requirements for Substrates (Circuit Boards) for Printed Electronics.”
The Japanese versions of the three standards mentioned above have codes beginning with "JPCA/IPC" and have the same serial numbers.
3. Test Methods
The IEC test methods for interconnection structures are the various parts of IEC 61189, "Test Methods for Electrical Materials for Interconnection Structures and Assemblies."
Part 1 of IEC 61189-1 covers general test methods and methodology; Amendment No. 1 was published in 2001.
Part 2 of IEC 61189-2 specifies test methods for materials used in interconnection structures; 2nd edition, 2006.
Part 3 of IEC 61189-3 specifies test methods for interconnect structures (printed circuit boards); 2nd edition, 2007.
IPC primarily follows the IPC-TM-650 *Manual of Test Methods*, Part 2 of which currently contains nearly 300 test methods covering printed circuit board substrates and their raw materials, finished printed circuit boards, printed circuit board assemblies, and tools and materials used in assembly. Each test method is published and updated separately.
IPC also has other test method standards for printed circuit boards:
J-STD-003, “Solderability Testing of Printed Circuit Boards,” updated to Version C in 2013;
IPC-9252, "Electrical Test Requirements and Guidelines for Unassembled Printed Circuit Boards," Edition A, 2008.
Test methods for printed circuit board materials in Japan include:
JIS-C6471-1994 "Test Methods for Copper-Clad Laminates for Flexible Printed Circuit Boards";
JIS-C6481-1996 "Test Methods for Copper-Clad Laminates for Printed Circuit Boards";
JIS-C6521-1996 "Test Method for Adhesive Sheets for Multilayer Boards."
The JPCA has published the following test method standards:
JPCA-ES-01-2003 “Test Methods for Halogen-Free Copper-Clad Laminates,” which specifies only the method for determining halogen content;
JPCA-FCL01-2006/ JFIA-FP001-2006 “Test Methods for Microwave Dielectric Properties of Fluororesin-Coated Copper-Clad Laminates”;
JPCA-TM001-2007 “Test Methods for Copper-Clad Laminates for Printed Circuit Boards—Relative Permittivity and Tangent of Loss (500 MHz to 10 GHz)”;
JPCA-TM-02-2009 "Test Methods for Copper-Clad Laminates for Flexible Printed Circuit Boards."
The JIS test methods for printed circuit boards are JIS-C5012-1993, “Test Methods for Printed Circuit Boards,” and JIS C 5016-1994, “Test Methods for Flexible Printed Circuit Boards.”
In 2007, the JPCA published nine environmental test methods for printed circuit boards.
The 2010 JPCA-TMC-LED02T-2010 standard, “Test Methods for Electronic Circuit Boards for High-Brightness LEDs,” proposes two methods for determining thermal conductivity parameters. This standard has been adopted by the IEC as an IEC/PAS.
China’s GB/T 4722—1992, “Test Methods for Copper-Clad Laminates for Printed Circuits,” and GB/T 13557—1992, “Test Methods for Flexible Copper-Clad Materials for Printed Circuits,” are adopted by reference.
GJB 1651—1993 “Test Methods for Metal-Clad Laminates for Printed Circuit Boards,” GB/T 4677—2002 “Test Methods for Printed Circuit Boards,” which is equivalent to IEC 60326-3:1991.
QJ832B—2011 "Test Methods for Multilayer Printed Circuit Boards for Aerospace Applications."
4. Comments
Generally speaking, IEC standards are the only international standards in the field of electronics and electrical engineering. The development of printed circuit standards falls primarily under the purview of IEC Technical Committee 91 (TC91), the Electronic Assemblies Committee. Additionally, Technical Committee 86 (TC86), the Optical Fiber Technology Committee, and the newly established Technical Committee 119 (TC119), the Printed Electronics Technology Committee, are also involved in the development of printed circuit standards. The IEC’s standardization work is rigorous, and standards are developed in accordance with ISO/IEC Directives; China’s GB/T 1.1 was prepared with reference to Part 2 of the ISO/IEC Directives. The IEC’s printed circuit board standards have a long history, but they are relatively weak in certain areas, such as printed circuit board design.
The U.S.-based IPC, which stands for “Association Connecting Electronics Industries,” has nearly 3,700 members, including printed circuit board manufacturers, electronics assemblers, suppliers, and original equipment manufacturers, more than one-third of whom are based outside the United States. The standards it develops cover electronic components, printed circuit boards, and assemblies. IPC carries out standardization work through more than 20 technical committees and over 200 subcommittees and working groups. It has comprehensive operating procedures, a large number of participants, and strong representativeness. The standards it develops are numerous and cover a wide range of areas, giving it a clear lead in the industry.
Japan's JPCA is also an industry association primarily composed of companies. The printed circuit board standards it establishes supplement those of the JIS standards. It excels in areas such as optical circuit boards and boards with embedded components.
China’s printed circuit board standards originated in the 1980s, with a number of national and industry standards established; by the 1990s, nearly all of them had been updated. Most of these standards were based on IEC standards. In 2002 and 2004, IEC Technical Committee 91 (TC91) successively withdrew IEC 60249 “Substrates for Printed Circuits,” IEC 60321 “Supplementary Information for Printed Circuit Boards,” and IEC 60326 “Printed Circuit Boards”—a total of more than 30 standards—which were closely related to many of China’s printed circuit board standards. However, since the beginning of the 21st century, the pace of standardization has slowed significantly: following the publication of GB/T 4588.3—2002 and GB/T 4766—2002 in 2002, there has been little progress, and it was not until 2012 that national standards for auxiliary materials, such as GB/T 28248—2012 “Carbide Drill Bits for Printed Circuit Boards,” were published or updated.
China’s GB/T 2036–1994, “Terminology for Printed Circuits,” is now more than twenty years old. Work on revising the standard began in 2006 under project number 20063392-T-339. According to information from the Standardization Administration of China, the standard is still under review (stage code 40.20). Nine years have passed, and it is unclear how much longer we will have to wait.
In early 2006, with the European RoHS Directive set to take effect, the electronics industry faced the enormous challenge of transitioning to lead-free manufacturing. The draft version of the U.S. IPC-4101B standard included provisions addressing lead-free requirements, which attracted widespread attention within the industry. In March of that year, standardization experts from China’s printed circuit board industry convened to discuss how to revise the series of Chinese standards for copper-clad laminates used in printed circuits as quickly as possible to meet the new requirements. Subsequently, they divided responsibilities to draft the relevant standards and conducted multiple rounds of review and discussion. However, nine years have passed. IPC-4101B has been published and revised twice—in 2009 and 2014—becoming IPC-4101D, yet not a single national standard in our series for copper-clad laminates has been released.
Regarding testing methods for printed circuit boards, GB/T 4677—2002, “Testing Methods for Printed Circuit Boards,” was issued in 2002 but was not printed for the first time until March 2004. At the 2004 National Academic Conference on Printed Circuits, a paper titled “A Discussion on the New National Standard ‘Test Methods for Printed Circuit Boards’” was presented at the plenary session, pointing out that the standard contained numerous errors. For example, normative references were incorrectly cited in several places, and there were also many translation errors. However, no errata or amendments have ever been issued for this standard, and it was still endorsed in 2010, causing inconvenience to users.
The Standardization Working Committee of the China Printed Circuit Association (CPCA) was established in 2004. Over the past decade or so, it has published a number of standards in collaboration with IPC and JPCA, while the standards it has developed independently have primarily focused on substrates and other auxiliary materials, such as CPCA4105—2010.
In March of this year, the State Council issued the “Plan for Deepening Reforms in Standardization,” which includes a provision to “foster the development of group standards.” We hope to fully implement this reform plan so that China’s printed circuit board standards can develop better and faster, and quickly approach and catch up with global standards.
