A printed circuit board or PCB is usually composed of epoxy resin with reinforced woven glass fibers where electrical components and conducting layers are mounted. The PCB board and the components mounted in it should have identical coefficient of thermal expansion or CTE values to prevent thermal stresses and ensures a longer lifetime. The CTE of a material can be evaluated using the thermomechanical analysis or TMA and changes in CTE values are used not only to characterize the glass transition temperature of a material, but also as a very important parameter for assessing product stability. In this application, we compare the expansion behavior and CTE values of a decade old PCB and a new PCB using TMA with differential type compression loading attachment effective for measuring samples with <2 mm in thickness.
To read more, download the PDF below.