Embedded Passive Components in PCB Substrate for Parasitic Inductance Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electronic product manufacturing faces challenges in cost savings, size reduction, and electrical performance due to the incremental PCB area required for noise filtering and external components, often resulting in sub-optimal component placement and compromised design quality.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pre-drilled holes in a printed circuit board to embed passive components, such as resistors or capacitors, with conductive terminals, allowing for zero additional area usage by connecting them directly between the board's surfaces with conductive lines, eliminating the need for surface mount devices and minimizing wire lengths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If surface mount devices are used to reduce footprint area, then PCB area is decreased, but component placement becomes sub-optimal and design quality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional surface mounting to three-dimensional embedding by drilling holes through the PCB substrate. Components are placed within the substrate volume rather than on the surface, utilizing the third dimension (depth) to resolve the area vs. placement optimization contradiction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds passive components within the PCB substrate itself, nesting them inside the board structure. This allows components to be housed within the PCB volume rather than occupying external surface area, achieving compact integration without compromising placement quality.
2Reliability
If passive components are placed close to power and ground terminals to improve noise filtering, then electrical performance is improved, but additional PCB area is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses vertical embedding through substrate holes to achieve close proximity connections. The through-hole structure allows decoupling capacitors to be positioned immediately adjacent to power and ground terminals in three-dimensional space, minimizing trace length and parasitic inductance without requiring additional lateral PCB area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-drills holes and prepares conductive pathways before component insertion. This preliminary preparation enables optimal positioning of passive components near power/ground terminals during the embedding process, ensuring minimal interconnect length and optimal electrical performance from the outset.
3Reliability
If through-hole plating is used to create conductive pathways, then electrical connection is established, but electrical shorts may occur between layers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies selective plating only in specific locations where electrical connections are required, rather than plating the entire through-hole. This localized approach ensures conductive pathways are created only where needed, maintaining electrical connection reliability while eliminating the risk of unintended shorts between PCB layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the plating function from being a continuous through-hole coating and applies it only where electrical connection is needed. By removing unnecessary plating from non-conductive regions, the patent maintains reliable electrical connections while preventing harmful electrical shorts between layers.
Data Source
AI summary
A pre-drilled hole, providing a passageway between an upper and a lower surface of a printed circuit board layer, receives a passive component, for example a resistor or a capacitor. In one embodiment the component is cylindrical, with an electrically conductive contact point at each end. The hole diameter is approximately the same as the diameter of the cylindrical component. The hole is similar to a via in a printed circuit board, except that the hole is not plated through (such would cause an electrical short). Electrically conductive lines are provided to the openings of the hole on the upper and the lower surfaces of the PCB. The area of the exposed end of the cylindrical component and the termination of the conducting line is less than the area of a surface mounted component equivalent to the cylindrical component. In some embodiments the hole and inserted component are located directly below a pin pad for a surface mounted device, for example an integrated circuit, providing the equivalent of zero wire and line lengths with no net increase in printed circuit board area.