1. Base Material for Printed Circuit Boards
IPC Part: 3
Base Material for Printed Circuit Boards
A PWB is born and
develops into an unruly teenager.

2. IPC-2221B IPC-2222A IPC-2581 IPC-7351B IPC-7095C IPC-7525B IPC-7527
Product spec
Component data
Gerber files
Drill files
Bare Board
Spec
Electronic scheme
Routing
Net list
BOM
Footprints
IPC-2141A
Component placement
Program for:
-Laser Plotter
-Drilling
-Routing
-AOI
-Electric test
IPC-2251
IPC-2152
IPC-7093
To Bare
Board
Production
IPC-7094
IPC-2221B
J-STD-609A
IPC-2222A
IPC-1752A
IPC-2581
IPC-2610
IPC-7351B
IPC-7095C
IPC-7525B
IPC-7527

5. FR4 Please fill in!! ? IPC-9691A IPC-4562A IPC-4563 IPC-4121 IPC-4101D
FR4 IL
FR4
BFR Free
DATA from
CAM
FR4
High Tg
FR4
Please fill in!!

6. IPC Standards Base Material Standards. IPC-4101D Rigid Boards.
IPC-9691A CAF.
IPC-4562A Metal Foil for Board Applications.
IPC-4563 RCC Foil for Board Guideline.
IPC-4121 Guideline for Selecting Core
Construction for Multilayer Applications.

7. IPC-4101D Material Composition Keywords
All Appropriate Specification Sheets
BT / Epoxy / Woven Glass 30
Cyanate Ester / Woven Aramid 54
Cyanate Ester / Woven Glass 71
Cyanate Ester / Woven S-2 Glass 70
Cyanate Ester / Woven Quartz 61
Epoxy / Cyanate Ester / Woven Glass 29
Epoxy / Non-Epoxy / Nonwoven Aramid 58
Epoxy / Non-Epoxy / Nonwoven Glass 28
Epoxy / Nonwoven Aramid 55
Epoxy / Paper 04
Epoxy / PPO / Woven Glass
25, 103
Epoxy / Woven Aramid 50
Epoxy / Woven Glass
20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 82, 83, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 99, 101, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131

8. IPC-4101D Material Composition Keywords
All Appropriate Specification Sheets
Epoxy / Woven Glass / Nonwoven Glass
12, 16, 81
Epoxy / Woven Glass / Paper
10, 15, 80
Phenolic / Paper
00, 01, 02, 03, 05
Polyester / Glass 13
Polyester / Woven Glass / Nonwoven Glass 11
Polyimide / Epoxy / Woven Glass 42
Polyimide / Nonwoven Aramid 53
Polyimide / Woven Glass
40, 41
Polyimide / Woven Quartz 60
PPE / Woven Glass
90, 91, 96, 102

9. Description or Application Keywords
IPC-4101D
Description or Application Keywords
All Appropriate Specification Sheets
Additive / Semi-Additive
80, 81, 82, 83
Composite
10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16
Consumer Electronics
00, 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 80, 81, 82, 83
Crossplield Unidirectional
27, 54
Double-Sided
12, 14, 16, 81
Heatsink Application
31, 32, 33
Lead-Free FR-4
99, 101, 121,122, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131
Lead-Free Non-FR-4
16, 102, 103
Microvia
53, 55, 58
RoHS

10. IPC-4101D ANSI or Military Keywords
All Appropriate Specification Sheets
CEM-1
10, 15, 80
CEM-3
12, 14, 16, 81
CRM-5 11
FR-1 02
FR-2
03, 05
FR-3 04
FR-4
21, 24, 26, 27, 82, 83, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98
FR-5 23
G-10 20
G-11 22
XPC 00
XXXPC 01
GFN 21
GFT
26, 28
GPY
30, 40, 41, 42

11. IPC-4101D RoHS RoHS RoHS Material Property Keywords
All Appropriate Specification Sheets
CAF Resistance
29, 30, 61, 70, 71, 102, 126, 129, 130, 131
High Td (Decomposition Temp)
99, 124, 125, 126, 128, 129, 130, 131
High Reliability
40, 41, 42
Hot Flex Strength
22, 23
Low Dk / Df
13, 25, 50, 53, 54, 55, 58, 61, 70, 71, 90, 91, 96, 102, 103
Low Halogen Content
05, 14, 15, 58, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 122, 125, 127, 128, 130, 131
Low X / Y CTE
50, 53, 54, 55, 58, 60, 61, 70
Low Z-axis CTE
99, 101, 102, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126, 127, , 130, 131
Non-Flame Retardant
20, 22
Thermally Conductive
31, 32, 33
RoHS
RoHS
RoHS

12. IPC-4101D RoHS Material Modifier Keywords
All Appropriate Specification Sheets
Fillers
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 31, 32, 33, 40, 41, 42, 80, 81, 82, 83, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 126, 127, 128, 130
Multifunctional Epoxy
24, 55, 83, 94, 95, 98
RoHS

13. Early & New Curing Agents
Dicy
Dicyandiamide.
Cure system for epoxy launched in 1970s.
Replaced ”Novolac” Phenolic cure system .
The reason was that ”Novolac” miss colored the laminate.
Used in standard FR-4 base material. 13

14. Early & New Curing Agents
Non-Dicy
The “old” Phenolic (Novolac) cure system.
Reintroduced due to RoHS!
Improves the Thermomechanical parameters for the laminate:
Higher Tg and Td.
Lower Overall CTE.
Used in FR-4 base material suitable for Lead Free processes.
RoHS 14

15. Early & New Curing Agents
Filler
Talc [Mg3Si2O10(OH)2]
But can be something else; often proprietary
Fillers more heavily used due to RoHS!
Improves the Thermomechanical parameters for the laminate:
Lower overall CTE
Higher Td
Used in FR-4 base material suitable for Lead Free processes.
RoHS 15

17. IPC-4101D Specification for Base Material Cupper foil thickness.
Thickness tolerances.
Overview Tables.
Specification Sheets for Base Laminates (66 separate base Materials) 17

18. IPC-4101D

20. Important Parameters for Base Materials
Tg = Glass transition temperature
Td = Degradation temperature
T260 = Time to delaminating at 260˚ C
T288 = Time to delaminating at 288˚ C
CTE = Coefficient of Thermal Expansion 20

21. Tg = Glass Transition Temperature

24. Glass Transition Temperature Tg ( PCB Laminates)
Z-axis Expansion
280 ppm
Effects of Entrapped Moisture in PCB !!!
Expans
Ion P/ P M Z Tg Tg a1
Tg Reduction from 10 to 30°C depending on PCB material, fabric,Cu % a1
Glass Epoxy Laminate FR4
Tg ~125˚C
Warping of PCB and Substrate of P-BGA
< 60 ppm
0˚C
50˚C
100˚C
150˚C
200˚C
250˚C
300˚C

25. PCB Moisture Absorption – Additional issue
Since moisture acts as a plasticizer, it reduces the Glass Transition Temperature Tg (- 10 to 30°C), effects on CTEz, which in turn increases stresses on PCB features such as Plated Tthrough-Holes (PTH), and the same for P-BGA substrate (ie. FR4, BT), etc..
Room Temperature
Expansion After Tg

26. CTE = Coefficient of Thermal Expansion

27. RoHS

28. Temp over Tg gives high CTE
CTE Cu = 15 ppm/ºC
Nu har ett pläterat hål färdigt för montering och lödning skapats.
CTE FR-4 in z-axis  ppm/ºC over Tg
CTE FR-4 in z-axis  ppm/ºC under Tg 28

30. Influence of CTE
SAMPLE A

31. How many PTH do you
have in your PCB?

32. What is the Result? What is the consequence of the
Base material in the Reflow process?
What is
the Result?

33. FR4 ? IPC-9691A IPC-4562A IPC-4563 IPC-4121 IPC-4101D DATA from CAM
FR4 IL
FR4
BFR Free
DATA from
CAM
FR4
High Tg
FR4

37. CAF Conductive Anodic Filament

38. How does it look like in the real world?
Regarding CAF

39. CAF – Example RoHS? Conductive Anodic Filament =
Electrochemical reaction between copper anode and cathode
Formation of copper filaments (Electro migration)
RoHS?

40. Resin
Bonding zone Cu Cu
Glass fabrics

41. Resin Glass fabrics Humidity is absorbed in the PCB
Bonding zone Cu Cu
Glass fabrics
After some time a humidity layer is formed by time

42. Conductive Anodic Filament CAF
Bad Drilling, Bad Hole Metallization, PTH Voids, Laminate Blistering, ecc, together with Moisture and DC Power, easy to have CAF Formation
 Power DC 
Cathode (-)
Anode (+)
CAF
Cu salts
OH- ions
H+ions
H2O
PTH - PTV Walls Cu Cu
Fabric Fiber Glass plus Resin
Moisture (H2O) and Ionic Impurities - pH

43. CAF Formation and Growing Mechanism
Anode (+)
DC Power
Catode (-) Cu Cu
H2O Moisture
H+ions
OH- ions
Cu salts
CAF
Fiber Glass
Epoxy resin

44. A SEM micrograph illustrating the type of catastrophic failure that can be caused by CAF
+ 20 Volt Power Plane
Component Through Hole
CAF

45. PCB Moisture Absorption
Moisture can cause :
Interfacial degradation resin-fiber glass (and
moisture).can result in a reduced Time To
Failure (TTF) due to ..Conductive Anodic
Filament Formation (CFF) (CAF).
Demand for laminate and PCB material
CAF Resistant is Growing as the Lead
Free and HDI Technology has an
increased market .

46. IPC User Guide for the IPC-TM-650 IPC-9691A
Conductive Anodic Filament (CAF) Resistance Test (Electrochemical Migration Testing)

48. FR4 ? IPC-9691A IPC-4562A IPC-4563 IPC-4121 IPC-4101D DATA from CAM
FR4 IL
FR4
BFR Free
DATA from
CAM
FR4
High Tg
FR4

49. Practical Advice
You need an
IPC Checklist!!