Technical Library | 2024-03-19 15:53:34.0
Underfill is a composite material usually made of an epoxy polymer that fills gaps between a chip and its carrier or a finished package and the PCB substrate to connect the chip to the board.
Technical Library | 2023-09-07 14:54:10.0
A global manufacturer of a broad line of electronic interconnect solutions worked with us to dispense conductive adhesive EpoTek H20E-FC. EpoTek H20E-FC is a two-component, electrically conductive, snap curing epoxy for photovoltaic thin film module stringing, semiconductor packaging and PCB circuit assembly. The primary goal was filling a rectangular cavity on a connector. The epoxy needed to fill the connector to the top of the walls in less than three seconds.
Technical Library | 2019-06-21 10:39:15.0
Recently, an ACI Technologies (ACI) customer called to discuss failures that they had observed with some through-hole capacitor parts. The components were experiencing failures following vibration and accelerated stress testing. Upon receipt of the samples, ACI performed three levels of inspection and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) testing to investigate the root cause of the failures. These analyses enabled ACI to verify the elements comprising the solder joints and make the following recommendations in order to prevent future occurrences. The first inspection was to investigate the capacitor leads using optical microscopy, and no anomalies were found that could indicate bad parts from the vendor or improper handling prior to assembly. However, vertical fill in the barrel of the plated through-holes was too close to the IPC-A-610 minimum specification of 75% to determine a pass/fail condition, and therefore required further investigation.
Technical Library | 2020-07-15 18:49:03.0
Via Filling • Through Hole Vias - IPC-4761 – Plugging – Filling – Filled & Capped • MicroviaFilling and Stacked Vias
Technical Library | 2007-11-01 17:16:07.0
This paper discusses micro-filled epoxy-based conducting adhesives modified with nanoparticles, conducting polymers, and low melting point (LMP) fillers for z-axis interconnections, especially as they relate to package level fabrication, integration,
Technical Library | 2019-06-26 23:21:49.0
Copper-filled micro-vias are a key technology in high density interconnect (HDI) designs that have enabled increasing miniaturization and densification of printed circuit boards for the next generation of electronic products. Compared with standard plated through holes (PTHs) copper filled vias provide greater design flexibility, improved signal performance, and can potentially help reduce layer count, thus reducing cost. Considering these advantages, there are strong incentives to optimize the via filling process. This paper presents an innovative DC acid copper via fill formulation, for VCP (Vertical Continues Plating) applications which rapidly fills vias while minimizing surface plating.
Technical Library | 2008-08-28 22:50:11.0
The increasing use of lead-free solder has introduced a new set of process parameters when setting up wave solder equipment for effective soldering. Determining the proper flow characteristics of the solder wave for adequate hole fill is an essential step in achieving a reliable process. A variety of solder waves exist in the industry; each with advantages and disadvantages when performing lead-free wave soldering. One way to ensure adequate hole-fill is by increasing contact time at the Chip Wave.
Technical Library | 2022-01-26 15:26:56.0
In this work an attempt is made to improve the fracture toughness and electrical conductivity of epoxy/glass fiber based laminates by the inclusion of carbon nanotube (CNT) fillers. The fiber orientation of the epoxy/ glass fiber (GF) fabric laminates was optimized based on estimation of mechanical properties. The carboxylic acid functionalized CNTs were incorporated into epoxy matrix by ultra-sonication method. The nano filled epoxy resin was used to prepare laminates with 30/45 GF fabric orientation. The CNT content was varied and its effect on the tensile properties was determined. The fracture toughness of multiphase composites was estimated using single edge notch bend (SENB) test. The presence of CNTs improved the fracture toughness by a crack bridging mechanism. The volume resistivity of multiphase composites was found to be superior to the conventional epoxy/CNT composite. The presence of glass fabric reduces the number of inter-tube contacts contributing to the reduction in volume resistivity.
Technical Library | 2019-07-17 17:56:34.0
The increased demand for electronic devices in recent years has led to an extensive research in the field to meet the requirements of the industry. Electrolytic copper has been an important technology in the fabrication of PCBs and semiconductors. Aqueous sulfuric acid baths are explored for filling or building up with copper structures like blind micro vias (BMV), trenches, through holes (TH), and pillar bumps. As circuit miniaturization continues, developing a process that simultaneously fills vias and plates TH with various sizes and aspect ratios, while minimizing the surface copper thickness is critical. Filling BMV and plating TH at the same time, presents great difficulties for the PCB manufactures. The conventional copper plating processes that provide good via fill and leveling of the deposit tend to worsen the throwing power (TP) of the electroplating bath. TP is defined as the ratio of the deposit copper thickness in the center of the through hole to its thickness at the surface. In this paper an optimization of recently developed innovative, one step acid copper plating technology for filling vias with a minimal surface thickness and plating through holes is presented.
Technical Library | 2019-10-10 00:26:28.0
Voids are a plague to our electronics and must be eliminated! Over the last few years we have studied voiding in solder joints and published three technical papers on methods to "Fill the Void." This paper is part four of this series. The focus of this work is to mitigate voids for via in pad circuit board designs. Via holes in Quad Flat No-Lead (QFN) thermal pads create voiding issues. Gasses can come out of via holes and rise into the solder joint creating voids. Solder can also flow down into the via holes creating gaps in the solder joint. One method of preventing this is via plugging. Via holes can be plugged, capped, or left open. These via plugging options were compared and contrasted to each other with respect to voiding. Another method of minimizing voiding is through solder paste stencil design. Solder paste can be printed around the via holes with gas escape routes. This prevents gasses from via holes from being trapped in the solder joint. Several stencil designs were tested and voiding performance compared and contrasted. In many cases voiding will be reduced only if a combination of mitigation strategies are used. Recommendations for combinations of via hole plugging and stencil design are given. The aim of this paper is to help the reader to "Fill the Void."
