Printed Circuits—Origins and Development

This study reviews the development of printed circuit technology from its origins before the Second World War until the present day. Various inventions appeared before the war for producing circuits on a flat surface, but it was not until Dr Paul Eisler had the idea of utilising the long established arts of the printing industry that viable methods of production were established. Stimulated by the release of an American official secret of the use of a printed circuit in a proximity fuse, and the first Technical Symposium in 1947, government and industries researched into the best ways of producing planar circuits. Dr Eisler's etched foil method emerged as the most practical technique. The first decade of the technology was spent learning and refining print and etch techniques, during which time printed circuits gradually became accepted by the consumer industry, as well as by industry and government bodies. Most of the major advances were made during the second decade, such as plated‐through hole, multilayer and additive processes. Since then manufacturing technique has been consolidated and refined, affected by the continuing demands of the electronics industry for increasing miniaturisation and packaging densities.