Thick film Hybrid Circuit Glossary
96 Alumina: The aluminum oxide content in the ceramic substrate is higher than 96%. Also see Alumina.
Active
Components:
Semiconductor devices, such as transistors and diodes, that can change its basic
characteristics in an powered electrical circuit, such as amplifiers and
rectifiers.
Alumina: Aluminum Oxide
Analog
Circuit:
An electrical circuit that provides a continuous quantitative output as a
response from its input.
Annular
Ring:
The width of the conductor pad surrounding a drilled hole.
Artwork:
Thick film circuit design.
Aspect
Ratio:
The ratio of the board thickness to the smallest-hole diameter of the thick
film circuit.
Assembly
File: A
drawing describing the locations of components on a thick film circuit.
Automated
Test Equipment (ATE):
Equipment that automatically tests and analyzes functional parameters to
evaluate performance of the tested electronic devices.
Ball
Grid Array (BGA):
A SMD package in which solder ball interconnects cover the bottom surface of the
package.
Bare
substrate:
An unpopulated thick film circuit.
Built-In
Self Test: An
electrical testing method that allows the tested devices to test itself with
specific added-on hardware.
CAD:
Computer
Aided Design.
CAM:
Computer
Aided Manufacturing.
CAM
Files: The
files used for manufacturing thick film circuits including Gerber file, NC Drill file and
Assembly Drawings. We also accept AutoCad files.
Ceramic
Ball Grid Array (CBGA):
A ball grid array package with a ceramic substrate.
Chip:
The individual circuit or component of a silicon wafer, the leadless form
of an electronic component.
Component
Side: The
Side of a thick film hybrid circuit on which most of components are mounted.
Coefficient
of Thermal Expansion (CTE):
The ratio of dimensional change of an object to the original dimension
when temperature changes, expressed in %/ºC or ppm/ºC.
Contact
Angle (Wetting Angle):
The angle between the contact surfaces of two objects when bonding. The contact
angle is determined by the physical and chemical properties of these two
materials.
Curing:
The irreversible process of polymerizing a thermosetting epoxy in a
temperature-time profile.
Curing
Time:
The time needed to complete curing of an epoxy at a certain temperature.
Die:
Integrated circuit chip as diced or cut from a finished wafer.
Die
Bonder:
The placement machine bonding IC chips onto a chip-on-board substrate.
Die
Bonding:
The attachment of an IC chip to a thick film substrate.
Dielectric:
An
insulating medium between conductors.
DIP:
Dual
in-line package with two rows of leads from the base in standard spacing between
the leads and row. DIP is a through-hole mounting package.
Double-Sided
Assembly:
Thick film hybrid circuit
assembly with components on both sides of the substrate.
DRC:
Design rule check.
Edge
Connector:
A connector on the circuit-substrate edge in the form of gold plated pads or
lines of coated holes used to connect other circuit board or electronic device.
Edge
Clearance:
The smallest distance from any conductors or components to the edge of the thick
film circuit.
Electroless
Deposition: The
chemical coating of a conductive material onto a base material surface by
reduction of metal ions in a chemical solution without using electrodes compared
to electroplating.
Electroplating:
The
electrochemical deposition of reduced metal ions from an electrolytic solution
onto the cathode by applying a DC current through the electrolytic solution
between two electrodes, cathode and anode, respectively.
Fine
Pitch:
Fine pitch is more commonly referred to surface-mount components with a
lead pitch of 25 mils or less.
Functional
Test:
The electrical testing of an assembled electronic device with simulated
function generated by the test hardware and software.
Gerber
File:
Data file used to control a photoplotter.
Ground
Plane: A
conductive plane as a common ground reference in a multilayer thick film circuit
substrate for current
returns of the circuit elements and shielding.
HDI:
High Density Interconnect.
Hermetic:
Airtight sealing of an object.
In-Circuit
Test:
Electrical test of individual component or part of the circuit in a thick
film hybrid circuit instead of testing the whole circuit.
Hole
Density: The
number of holes per unit area on a thick film substrate.
Interstitial
Via Hole: An
embedded through-hole with connection of two or more conductor layers in a
multilayer thick film circuit.
Leakage Current: A small amount of current that flows across a dielectric area between two adjacent conductors.
Legend:
A
format of printed letters or symbols on the thick film substrate or the surface
of a thick film hybrid package, such as part numbers and
product number or logos.
Minimum
Conductor Width:
The smallest width of any conductors, such as traces, on a thick film substrate.
Minimum
Conductor Space:
The smallest distance between any two adjacent conductors, such as
traces, on a thick film substrate.
Multilayer
Thick Film Circuit: Circuit
substrate consisting three or more layers of thick film circuits separated by laminate
ceramic layers and bonded together with internal and external interconnections.
Layer Drill: Numeric Control layer drill machine used to drill holes at exact locations of a thick film circuit specified in laser drill File.
Netlist: List of parts and their connection points which are connected in each net of a circuit.
Node:
A
pin or lead to which at least two components are connected through condcuctors.
NPTH:
Non-plated
trough-hole.
Pad:
The
portion of a conductive pattern for connection and attachment of electronic
components on the thick film circuits.
Also called Land.
PCMCIA:
Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.
PEC:
Printed Electronic Component.
Pick-and-Place:
A manufacturing operation of assembly process in which components are
selected and placed onto specific locations according to the assembly file of
the circuit.
Pitch:
The center-to-center spacing between conductors, such as pads and pins,
on a substrate.
Plastic
Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC):
A component package with J-leads.
PTH
(plated-through Hole):
A
plated hole used as a conducting interconnection between different layers or
sides of a thick film circuit either used as connection for through-hole component or as a via.
Route
(or Track): A
layout or wiring of an electrical connection.
Screen
Printing:
A process for transferring an image from a patterned screen to a
substrate through a paste forced by a squeegee of a screen printer.
Silk Screen (Silk Legend): Epoxy-ink Legend printed on a thick film circuit.
Small
Outline Integrated Circuit (SOIC):
An integrated circuit with two parallel rows of pins in surface mount
package.
SMD:
Surface Mount Device.
SMT:
Surface
Mount Technology.
Temperature
Coefficient (TC):
The ratio of a quantity change of an electrical parameter, such as resistance or
capacitance, of an electronic component to the original value when temperature
changes, expressed in %/ºC or ppm/ºC.
Test Point: A specific point in a circuit board used for specific testing for functional adjustment or quality test in the circuit-based device.
UL:
Underwriter’s
Laboratories. A popular safety standard for electrical devices supported by many
underwriters.
Via:
A
plated-through hole used for interconnection of conductors on different sides or
layers of a thick film circuit.
Wave
Soldering:
A manufacturing operation in which solder joints are soldered
simultaneously using a wave of molten solder.
