PCB Design Solid Copper and Hatched Copper Difference

What is the difference between solid copper and hatched copper in PCB design? Solid Copper and Hatched Copper are two different ways of laying copper in PCB design, and there are some differences in electrical performance, thermal management, processing technology and cost:

1. Electrical performance:

Filled copper: provides a continuous conductive layer and therefore has low resistance and a small voltage drop, suitable for high current applications. It can provide good shielding effect and reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI).

Grid copper: Due to the gap between the copper wires, the resistance is relatively high and the voltage drop is also large. However, it provides a certain impedance control, which is advantageous for high-frequency signal transmission.

2. Thermal Management:

Filled copper: A continuous copper layer helps evenly distribute heat, but it can also cause PCB deformation due to thermal expansion.

Grid copper: Because the copper layer is not continuous, the influence of thermal expansion is small, which helps to reduce the thermal deformation of the PCB.

3. Processing technology:

Filling copper: Processing is relatively simple, but requires precise control of the thickness and uniformity of the copper layer to avoid short circuits.

Grid copper: Precise control of line width and spacing is required during processing to ensure the uniformity and continuity of the grid.

4. Cost:

Filling copper: Usually the cost is lower because the processing is relatively simple.

Grid copper: The cost may be slightly higher because more refined processing is required.

5. Design flexibility:

Copper filling: The continuity of the copper layer needs to be considered when designing, and more design adjustments may be required to avoid short circuits and dead copper.

Grid copper: The line width and spacing of the grid can be adjusted more flexibly during design to adapt to different design needs.

6. Signal integrity:

Filled copper: For low frequency signals, filled copper can provide better signal integrity.

Grid copper: For high frequency signals, grid copper can reduce signal reflection and attenuation and improve signal integrity.

7. Maintenance and commissioning:

Filled copper: Because the copper layer is continuous, it may be difficult to identify and isolate the fault point.

Grid copper: The grid copper layer makes it easier to identify and isolate fault points for easy maintenance and commissioning.

Fill copper and grid copper each have advantages and disadvantages, and the choice depends on the specific application needs, cost budget and design goals. In the actual PCB design, the designer will choose the most appropriate copper laying method according to the characteristics and requirements of the circuit.

The PCB design software supports two Copper laying methods, namely Solid Copper and Hatched Copper. The following is the drawing method of these two copper laying methods:

Filled Copper (Solid Copper) :

a. Filled copper is commonly used in low-frequency circuits that require larger currents because it provides a continuous layer of copper that helps reduce resistance and voltage drop.

b. In Weixin PCB design software, you can click the "drawing" option in the menu bar, select a rectangle, and select the appropriate parameters in the copper laying option on the right side to lay copper.

c. In the dialog box on the right, you can select solid to carry out static copper painting, and set the link between the copper sheet and the pad and the hole to lay a complete copper sheet.

d. You can set up a copper-coated network, usually connected to the GND network, and select the option to remove dead copper (island) to avoid unnecessary isolated copper areas.

e. After setting up, draw the copper paving area along the border of the Keepout layer, and then confirm, the software will automatically complete the drawing of the filled copper.

Hatched Copper:

Grid copper is suitable for high frequency circuits because it provides good shielding while avoiding thermal expansion problems due to large copper layers.

In the PCB design software, you can also click the "drawing" option in the menu bar, then select rectangle, and select grid copper style in the style on the right.

It is also necessary to set up a copper-coated network, usually connected to GND, and choose whether to remove dead copper. After the copper area is drawn, the software will automatically generate a grid of copper layers according to the grid parameters set.