The epoxy glass contains polymers, which are melded down to create the base of many circuit boards. During this process, a certain temperature is recorded. This temperature is called “glass transition temperature,” also known as Tg levels. Different Tg levels are assigned to different epoxy glass laminates, and this all depends on how much heat an electronic device transfers throughout its circuits.
Any electronic device that transfers more than 130 degrees celsius of heat within its circuits will require materials for circuit boards that can withstand higher Tg levels. In this theory, high-temperature PCBs are any PCB containing materials that can withstand 170 degrees celsius of transferred heat. If you try to assemble boards from materials that can’t withstand higher Tg levels, they’ll begin to melt over time. It can cause electrical and mechanical properties to decline.
High-temperature PCBs are in high demand because higher Tg levels in high-temperature PCBs allow electronics to be much more effective than electronics with traditional PCBs installed. Many electronics manufacturers are beginning to understand that high-temperature PCBs can cost just as much as traditional PCBs, and therefore learning about high-temperature PCBs is very useful. Before learning about high-temperature PCBs themselves, it is also useful to understand the role of heat itself in a PCB.
How to choose material for high-temperature PCB?
FR-4 and polyimide are the two most common materials that PCBs use to base their other components. When dealing with higher temperatures, PCBs created from these two base materials will not last. They are certainly not optimal for any device that contains more currents that warrant a PCB that can resist higher temperatures.
It raises the question: How can materials like these be upgraded to withstand the amount of heat that high-temperature PCBs can withstand? And a better question is this: How can these materials be acquired without using too many resources?
It is what you should be thinking about when coming up with materials for high-temperature PCBs. Unless you have the kind of budget where you can purchase new materials to create high-temperature PCBs, you’ll want to explore ways to customize your current materials to where they can be compatible with high-temperature PCBs.
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