{"id":2658,"date":"2023-02-02T06:33:49","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T06:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcbblog\/?p=2658"},"modified":"2023-02-02T07:18:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T07:18:48","slug":"4-layer-pcb-stackup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcbblog\/4-layer-pcb-stackup\/","title":{"rendered":"Standard 4-Layer PCB Stack-up: Design, Fabrication, and the cost of manufacturing!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With miniaturized electronic products becoming ubiquitous, the need for small circuit boards is on the rise. Multilayer circuit boards are therefore the order of the day. A <strong>4-layer PCB stackup<\/strong> is becoming increasingly common. Let us look at the 4-Layered PCB in detail.<\/p>\n<h2>What is 4-layer PCB Stackup?<\/h2>\n<p>As its name suggests, a 4-layered PCB comes with 4 layers, these include a top layer, a bottom layer &amp; 2 inner layers.<\/p>\n<p>Of these 4 layers, <strong>2 are signal layers, one VCC &amp; the other GND<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Typically, the inner layers are used as power &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/definition\/11566\/ground-gnd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">GND<\/a>, while the outer layers are used for routing of signals as well as for component placement. With the inner layers used as power and GND planes you can be sure that EMI emissions will be less, and the quality of signal will be robust.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"h4\">4 Layer PCB Advantages<\/h3>\n<p>The 4-layered PCB offers several advantages, including but not limited to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Improved routing of signals<\/li>\n<li>Better EMI shielding<\/li>\n<li>Improved thermal control<\/li>\n<li>High assembly density<\/li>\n<li>Lends itself to compact designs and to miniaturization<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcbblog\/single-layer-vs-multilayer-printed-circuit-boards-who-wins-the-ultimate-battle\/\">Single Layer VS Multilayer PCB<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Structure of standard 4-Layer PCB design stack up<\/h2>\n<p>There can be 3 ways in which these can be stacked up<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"h4\">Option 1<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Top Layer \u2013 Signal Layer<\/li>\n<li>Inner Layer 1- Power Layer<\/li>\n<li>Inner Layer 2 \u2013 Ground Layer<\/li>\n<li>Bottom Layer \u2013 Signal Layer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It is important to note that the less the distance between the power and the ground layer, the less will be the impedance.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"h4\">Option 2<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Top Layer \u2013 Power Layer<\/li>\n<li>Inner Layer 1- Signal Layer<\/li>\n<li>Inner Layer 2 \u2013 Signal Layer<\/li>\n<li>Bottom Layer \u2013 Ground Layer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In this option, the power and the ground layer acts as a shield for the inner signal layers. However, on account of the distance between the power and ground layer, the plane impedance tends to increase.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"h4\">Option 3<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Top Layer \u2013 Signal Layer<\/li>\n<li>Inner Layer 1- Ground Layer<\/li>\n<li>Inner Layer 2 \u2013 Power Layer<\/li>\n<li>Bottom Layer \u2013 Signal Layer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>While this stack-up is like the first one, here the key signal layer is the top layer.<\/p>\n<h2>4-Layer PCB Stackup Thickness (Core and Prepreg Thickness)<\/h2>\n<p>4-Layer PCBs come with two types of <strong>Core &amp; Prepreg thickness<\/strong>. The standard thickness is 1.6 mm (about 0.06 in) although 1.2 mm (about 0.05 in) is also commonly used.<\/p>\n<p>We have already published article where you can check <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcbblog\/the-top-difference-between-pcb-core-and-prepreg-materials\/\">difference between PCB core and prepreg<\/a> .<\/p>\n<p>With a 1.6 mm (about 0.06 in) PCB, the core material is 1.2 mm (about 0.05 in) thick while the prepregs are 0.2 mm (about 0.01 in) each.<\/p>\n<p>With 1.2 mm (about 0.05 in) thickness, there is a core material of 0.8mm (about 0.03 in), o.2 mm (about 0.01 in) of prepreg with coil and 0.2 mm (about 0.01 in) of prepreg with copper.<\/p>\n<h2>4 Layer PCB Manufacturing Process<\/h2>\n<p>Broadly the steps involved in manufacturing are as below:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>#1. Clean up using the chemical method<\/li>\n<li>#2. Lamination of the dry film<\/li>\n<li>#3. Exposing and developing the image of the Inner Layers<\/li>\n<li>#4. Copper Etching<\/li>\n<li>#5. Strip Resist<\/li>\n<li>#6. Layer up as well as bond with prepreg<\/li>\n<li>#7. Layer up with Copper Foil<\/li>\n<li>#8. Drilling<\/li>\n<li>#9. Plating &amp; deposition of copper<\/li>\n<li>#10. Imaging of Outer Layer<\/li>\n<li>#11. Copper Plating<\/li>\n<li>#12. Tin Plating<\/li>\n<li>#13. Etching<\/li>\n<li>#14. Application of Solder Mask<\/li>\n<li>#15. Applying the appropriate Surface Finish<\/li>\n<li>#16. Application of Sun Screen<\/li>\n<li>#17. Electrical Testing<\/li>\n<li>#18. Profiling as well as V-Scoring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>4 Layer PCB Cost<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to the cost of a 4-layer PCB, there is not a standard cost as it depends on several factors. Some of these factors include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>size<\/strong> of the board.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Material<\/strong> used. Here there can be variations from a standard FR-4 board to a high Tg material, which is more expensive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Complexity<\/strong> involved in manufacturing. Typically, when the PCB has buried and blind holes, the complexity increases and so does the cost.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Thickness<\/strong> of copper.<\/li>\n<li>Choice of <strong>Surface Finish<\/strong>. Typically, if finishes like Immersion Gold are chosen, the cost will increase.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcbblog\/simple-ways-to-reduce-pcb-assembly-cost\/\">Ways to reduce PCB assembly cost<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Sum up<\/h2>\n<p>It is important to make the right choice of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/electronics-contract-manufacturer.html\">PCB contract manufacturer<\/a> who will be able to understand your bespoke requirements and fabricate your board according to your needs.<\/p>\n<p>Technotronix is equipped with industry best practices. As a professional manufacturer with 40 years of experience who ensure that you do not have to reinvent the wheel. Technotronix provides <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcb-assembly.html\">PCB assembly<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcb-fabrication.html\">PCB fabrication service<\/a>. Besides that, the cost and the turnaround time are also optimized so you will get a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With miniaturized electronic products becoming ubiquitous, the need for small circuit boards is on the rise. Multilayer circuit boards are&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[96],"tags":[1336,1337,1335,9,47],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.14 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>4 Layer PCB Stackup: Thickness, Cost &amp; Manufacturing Process<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore our full guide on standard 4-Layer PCB stackup to learn in detail about 4-layer PCB thickness, cost, advantages, and full PCB manufacturing process.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.technotronix.us\/pcbblog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" 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