What is Halogen Free PCB? – Detail guide
While researching numerous varieties of PCB (Printed circuit board), you may have noticed Halogen-free PCB various times. Additionally, you may have so many questions regarding this matter, such as what is halogen-free PCB, or why manufacturers mostly prefer to us Halogen-free PCB, etc.
What is Halogen-free PCB?
We can frequently notice or learn about Halogen-free PCB when it comes to the topic of constructing PCB nowadays. Halogen Free PCBboard means a printed circuit board without halogen components. Halogen components mean Chlorine, Bromine, fluorine, iodine, and Astatine, which are extremely disastrous for life. If we want to contemplate a PCB as “Halogen-Free,” it’s essential to retain less than 900 parts per million of chlorine or bromine also a whole of fewer than 1500 parts per million of Halogen equipment.
In accordance with JPCA (Japan Circuit Association)-ES-01-2003 standard: The lamination of Copper-clad with bromine (Br)chlorine (CL) quantity of lower than 0.09% of (Weight-ratio), respectively, are described as halogen-free lamination of copper-clad (the same time BR and CL total ≤0.15% [1500PPM]). A halogen-free PCB is always generated with the help of a halogen-free lamination of copper-clad.
To know more about Halogen free PCB and get all your unknown answers regarding this matter, keep reading this article till the end.
Why was “Halogen” banned?
As we mentioned above, Halogen means fluorine (F), chlorine (CL), bromine (Br), iodine (I), Atastatium (At). Additionally, it gets famous as all the halogen elements have numerous advantages for the flame retardant period. Particularly chlorine (CL) and bromine (Br) are frequently utilized in flame retardant for electronics matters.
So many often used printed circuit boards like FR4 PCB, and CEM3 PCB comprise halogen-containing flame retardants. Some institutions researched and have shown us regarding this matter that halogen-containing flame retardant equipment are very harmful to us as it emits a huge quantity of highly destructive and toxic gas with the terrible smell during it gets burning, that has the capacity of affecting our beloved environment furthermore carcinogenic to human beings.
For example, Chlorine or bromine exposure is fatal as it can cause coughing or snoring, nausea, blurred vision, skin discomfort, breathing difficulties, and burning in the eyes. Chlorine-based elements can also incorporate with hydrocarbons to construct dioxin, and that is an extremely deadly carcinogen for us.
One evidence was that RoHS was decided to forbid the usage of two halogenated flame retardants on July 1, 2006.
1: Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB)
2: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).
Later two more got added in 2008, and they were:
1: Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) 2:Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD or HBCDD)
At that time, the usage of PBB, TBBPA, and PBDE were the most important things as flame retardants in PCBs.
Recently, European Union and China already banned PBB and PBDE from using it in any electronic equipment. For attaining serviceable improvement, it’s essential to ban halogen. Additionally, it’s equally essential to save our environment and ourselves anyhow.
With the evolution of technology, manufacturers are developing beneficial and useful PCBs without utilizing these disastrous chemicals.
What is the replacement for “Halogen”?
Nowadays, people mainly prefer to use phosphorus-nitrogen and phosphorus instead of using halogen-free PCBs.
While burning the phosphorus-containing resin, it has to be decomposed with the help of thermal decomposition to construct a polyphosphoric acid, which is exactly anhydrous. Additionally on the rear of the polymer resin, it constructs a carbonized film.
The insulating surface that exists in insulating resin makes a connection with the flatulence to extinguish the fire and attain a flame retardant impact. The polymer resin comprises a phosphorus-nitrogen composite that produces a non-combustible gas at the time of combustion so that it could help the resin mechanism during flame retardants.
Halogen-free PCB performance:
Insulation:
Since P or N replaces halogen, the polarity of the molecular bond of the epoxy resin gets decreased a bit; as a result, it enhances the insulation resistance and the break-down voltage.
Thermal durability:
The elements of nitrogen and phosphorus that occur in the halogen-free PCB are much greater than the traditional board; thereby, the grade of monomer molecular weight along with Tg are boosted.
The halogen-free PCB has a relatively low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) since, In the time of heating, the molecular mobility of a halogen-free PCB will exist less than the traditional epoxy resin board.
Water exploitation:
Just because the fairly poor electrons of P and N exist in the nitrogen-phosphorus oxygen-decreasing resin, it’s not that possible to hydrogen atoms with hydrogen bonding in water that would be possible with halogen. The exploitation of water of halogen-free PCB is lesser than the traditional board, which can influence the dependability to some extent.
Is Halogen-free PCB for you?
- Proper mechanical features, good appearance attributes, extra durable color and translucency, flame-retardant panels, signs, and other commodities can be ideal for using halogen-free circuit boards.
- Insulation is the most necessary thing for any power commodities, TV/Display, or any electronic product. Additionally, halogen-free PCB has nicer insulation and can be easily utilized in these commodities or items.
- The halogen-free board is full of better high-frequency performance. As a result, the halogen-free board can become a low expense preference for any high-frequency appliance.
- Green regulations consent, low settlement prices, halogen-free PCB can be utilized in every market.
- If we compare halogen-free boards with traditional PCBs, we can notice halogen is more costly than traditional PCBs as the equipment prices and other procedures are quite expensive.
Also read:-
