Printed Circuit Board Industry Glossary Description
The Printed Circuit Board Industry Glossary provides clear definitions of key PCB and PCBA manufacturing terms, helping engineers and customers better understand processes, materials, and technologies.
FR4 PCB
The most common grade of PCB base material made from woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder that is flame resistant.
Blind Via PCB
A copper-plated hole that connects an outer layer to one or more inner layers but does not go through the entire board.
Buried Via PCB
A copper-plated hole that connects two or more inner layers, with no connection to any outer layer.
ENIG PCB
Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold; a two-layer metallic surface finish that offers excellent solderability and oxidation resistance.
HASL PCB
Hot Air Solder Leveling; a surface finish where the board is dipped into molten solder and then leveled with a hot air knife.
Impedance Controlled PCB
A PCB designed to ensure that the characteristic impedance of signal traces stays within a specified tolerance to maintain signal integrity.
Gold Finger PCB
Gold-plated connectors along the edge of a PCB, used for plugging the board into a slot (e.g., RAM or GPU).
FR4 PCB
The most common grade of PCB base material made from woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder that is flame resistant.
Castellated Holes PCB
Plated-through holes on the edge of a PCB that are cut through to create semi-circular indentations, often used for mounting one PCB onto another.
Carbon Ink PCB
A PCB where conductive carbon ink is printed onto the board, typically used for keypads, remote controls, or shielding.
Backplane PCB
A thick, heavy-duty PCB that acts as a backbone to connect several other PCB modules together, often found in servers or telecommunications.