Technical Library | 2016-04-21 14:10:55.0
The world of electronics continues to increase functional densities on products. One of the ways to increase density of a product is to utilize more of the 3 dimensional spaces available. Traditional printed circuit boards utilize the x/y plane and many miniaturization techniques apply to the x/y space savings, such as smaller components, finer pitches, and closer component to component distances.This paper will explore the evolution of 3D assembly techniques, starting from flexible circuit technology, cavity assembly, embedded technology, 3 dimensional surface mount assembly, etc.
Technical Library | 2021-03-10 23:57:29.0
Latent short circuit failures have been observed during testing of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) for power distribution of spacecraft of the European Space Agency. Root cause analysis indicates that foreign fibers may have contaminated the PCB laminate. These fibers can provide a pathway for electromigration if they bridge the clearance between nets of different potential in the presence of humidity attracted by the hygroscopic laminate resin. PCB manufacturers report poor yield caused by contamination embedded in laminate. Inspections show ...
Technical Library | 2020-08-13 00:59:03.0
The paper will discuss the integration of 3D printing and inkjet printing fabrication technologies for microwave and millimeter-wave applications. With the recent advancements in 3D and inkjet printing technology, achieving resolution down to 50 um, it is feasible to fabricate electronic components and antennas operating in the millimeter-wave regime. The nature of additive manufacturing allows designers to create custom components and devices for specialized applications and provides an excellent and inexpensive way of prototyping electronic designs. The combination of multiple printable materials enables the vertical integration of conductive, dielectric, and semi-conductive materials which are the fundamental components of passive and active circuit elements such as inductors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors. Also, the on-demand manner of printing can eliminate the use of subtractive fabrication processes, which are necessary for conventional microfabrication processes such as photolithography, and drastically reduce the cost and material waste of fabrication.
Technical Library | 2016-09-12 10:16:04.0
It is hard to open an Industry newsletter or visit an equipment manufacturer’s website without coming across a mention of the Internet of Things (IoT), Industry 4.0, SMART Manufacturing or ‘big data’. The accessibility to obtain data will only increase and this information and its real-time processing will become one of the most important resources for companies in the future. Production machinery will no longer simply processes the product, but the product will communicate with the machinery to tell it exactly what to do. Industry 4.0 has the vision to connects embedded system technologies and SMART production processes to drastically transform industry and production giving way to the SMART factory development. Future development in oven technology will allow machines to be controlled more intelligently and remotely resulting in the lowest cost model for manufacturing flow.
Technical Library | 2021-06-21 19:34:02.0
In this era of electronics miniaturization, high yield and low-cost integrated circuit (IC) substrates play a crucial role by providing a reliable method of high density interconnection of chip to board. In order to maximize substrate real-estate, the distance between Cu traces also known as line and space (L/S) should be minimized. Typical PCB technology consists of L/S larger than 40 µ whereas more advanced wafer level technology currently sits at or around 2 µm L/S. In the past decade, the chip size has decreased significantly along with the L/S on the substrate. The decreasing chip scales and smaller L/S distances has created unique challenges for both printed circuit board (PCB) industry and the semiconductor industry. Fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP) is a new manufacturing technology that seeks to bring the PCB world and IC/semiconductor world even closer. While FOPLP is still an emerging technology, the amount of high-volume production in this market space provide a financial incentive to develop innovative solutions in order to enable its ramp up. The most important performance aspect of the fine line plating in this market space is plating uniformity or planarity. Plating uniformity, trace/via top planarity, which measures how flat the top of the traces and vias are a few major features. This is especially important in multilayer processing, as nonuniformity on a lower layer can be transferred to successive layers, disrupting the device design with catastrophic consequences such as short circuits. Additionally, a non-planar surface could also result in signal transmission loss by distortion of the connecting points, like vias and traces. Therefore, plating solutions that provide a uniform, planar profile without any special post treatment are quite desirable.
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