Toppan NEC has developed the world’s thinnest printed circuit board with embedded components. Using a unique processing method, Toppan NEC was able to eliminate a layer known as the base plate to which components are anchored inside a typical circuit board. As a result, the new product is just 0.34mm thick, 10-20% thinner than conventional printed circuit boards of this type. Conventional boards require embedded components to be soldered to the base plate in order for electricity to pass through them.
The new board has no base plate and does not require soldering, which is expected to help make mobile devices such as smartphones thinner and lighter.Electronic components compatible with the new processing method cost around 30% more than their typical counterparts, but manufacturing costs as a whole are reportedly lower because of the absence of the base plate.
