Technical Library | 2023-11-20 17:36:58.0
With PCB complexity and density increasing and also wider use of 3D devices, tougher requirements are now imposed on device inspection both during original manufacture and at their subsequent processing onto printed circuit boards. More complicated and dense packages have more opportunities to exhibit defects both internal to the package as well as to the PCB. As components increase in complexity their cost increases, making counterfeiting them a potentially lucrative business for unscrupulous individuals and organizations.
Technical Library | 2001-04-24 10:38:38.0
Many PCB designers are interested in taking advantage of Multichip Modules, but are unfamiliar with the technology. While the design process is very much the same, MCM manufacturing processes vary dramatically. MCM routing requirements are dictated by the manufacturing process and types of components. Components mounted on MCM substrates are predominantly, if not exclusively, bare chips. As a result, the component body and I/O pins are no longer constrained to industry standard pin counts and form factors as are packaged components...
Technical Library | 2011-06-09 13:29:17.0
Flatness measurement of electronic parts and assemblies, or PCB’s, has become increasingly critical as geometries become smaller: finer pitches, smaller solder ball volumes, thinner substrates, etc. Additionally, processing temperatures vary and can pla
Technical Library | 2010-09-16 18:45:06.0
With PCB complexity and density increasing and also wider use of 3D devices, tougher requirements are now imposed on device inspection both during original manufacture and at their subsequent processing onto printed circuit boards. More complicated and de
Technical Library | 2009-12-23 16:55:08.0
Leading up to the development of lead-free soldering alloys, Horizontal Convection* was developed for the reflow process. Getting the correct temperature profile, with the narrow process window in lead-free applications, is now more important than ever. In each chamber or zone, air is circulated toward one side of the oven above the PCB and toward the opposite side of the oven below the PCB, forming a cyclone around the board. The forced air circulation results in a uniform temperature profile along the entire circuit board assembly. This technology is ideal for the precise profiles needed for lead free soldering.
Technical Library | 2023-05-02 18:50:24.0
Surface-mount PCB components are smaller than their lead-based counterparts and provide a radically higher component density. They are available in a variety of shapes and sizes designated by a series of standardized codes curated by the electronics industry. Of these PCB components, the 0201-sized are the smallest, measuring 0.024 x 0.012 in. (0.6 x 0.3 mm) – that's 70% smaller than the previous 0402 level! The 0201 components are designed to improve reliability in space-constrained applications such as portable electronics like smartphones, tablets, robotics and digital cameras, but require delicate handling during the assembly process. Given the miniaturized dimensions of an 0201 package, it is crucial that the mounting process abide by a series of guidelines regarding the design of the PCB mounting pads and solderable metallization, PCB circuit trace width, solder paste selection, package placement and overages, solder paste reflow, solder stencil screening, and final inspection. It's advisable that one review this information when procuring the services of a PCB assembler.
Technical Library | 2020-09-02 22:14:36.0
The demand for miniaturization and higher density electronic products has continued steadily for years, and this trend is expected to continue, according to various semiconductor technology and applications roadmaps. The printed circuit board (PCB) must support this trend as the central interconnection of the system. There are several options for fine line circuitry. A typical fine line circuit PCB product using copper foil technology, such as the modified semi-additive process (mSAP), uses a thin base copper layer made by pre-etching. The ultrathin copper foil process (SAP with ultrathin copper foil) is facing a technology limit for the miniaturization due to copper roughness and thickness control. The SAP process using sputtered copper is a solution, but the sputtering process is expensive and has issues with via plating. SAP using electroless copper deposition is another solution, but the process involved is challenged to achieve adequate adhesion and insulation between fine-pitch circuitries. A novel catalyst system--liquid metal ink (LMI)--has been developed that avoids these concerns and promotes a very controlled copper thickness over the substrate, targeting next generation high density interconnect (HDI) to wafer-level packaging substrates and enabling 5-micron level feature sizes. This novel catalyst has a unique feature, high density, and atomic-level deposition. Whereas conventional tin-palladium catalyst systems provide sporadic coverage over the substrate surface, the deposited catalyst covers the entire substrate surface. As a result, the catalyst enables improved uniformity of the copper deposition starting from the initial stage while providing higher adhesion and higher insulation resistance compared to the traditional catalysts used in SAP processes. This article discusses this new catalyst process, which both proposes a typical SAP process using the new catalyst and demonstrates the reliability improvements through a comparison between a new SAP PCB process and a conventional SAP PCB process.
Technical Library | 2008-01-16 18:25:55.0
The consumer's interest for smaller, lighter and higher performance electronics products has increased the use of ultra fine pitch packages, such as Flip Chips and Chip Scale Packages, in printed circuit board (PCB) assembly. The assembly processes for these ultra fine pitch packages are extremely complex and each step in the assembly process influences the assembly yield and reliability.
Technical Library | 2023-06-12 19:00:21.0
The SMT print process is now very mature and well understood. However as consumers continually push for new electronic products, with increased functionality and smaller form factor, the boundaries of the whole assembly process are continually being challenged. Miniaturisation raises a number of issues for the stencil printing process. How small can we print? What are the tightest pitches? Can we print small deposits next too large for high mix technology assemblies? How closely can we place components for high density products? ...And then on top of this, how can we satisfy some of the cost pressures through the whole supply chain and improve yield in the production process! Today we are operating close to the limits of the stencil printing process. The area ratio rule (the relationship between stencil aperture opening and aperture surface area) fundamentally dictates what can and cannot be achieved in a print process. For next generation components and assembly processes these established rules need to be broken! New stencil printing techniques are becoming available which address some of these challenges. Active squeegees have been shown to push area ratio limits to new boundaries, permitting printing for next generation 0.3CSP technology. Results also indicate there are potential yield benefits for today's leading edge components as well. Stencil coatings are also showing promise. In tests performed to date it is becoming apparent that certain coatings can provide higher yield processing by extending the number of prints that can be performed in-between stencil cleans during a print process. Preliminary test results relating to the stencil coating technology and how they impact miniaturisation and high yield processing will be presented.
Technical Library | 2021-07-06 21:18:02.0
A new PCB surface finish has been developed that offers outstanding performance and excellent environmental protection. This finish has the potential to replace more common finishes such as ENIG, ImAg, ImSn, ENEPIG, or OSP with a chemically resistant plasma deposited coating. The substitution of the wet processes with this dry plasma process offers significant advantages e.g. lower quantities of chemicals used, environmental benefits and improved operator safety.
Products, services, training & consulting for the assembly, rework & repair of electronic assemblies. BGA process experts. Manufacturers Rep, Distributor & Service Provider for Seamark/Zhuomao and Shuttle Star BGA Rework Stations.
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1750 Mitchell Ave.
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