Technical Library | 2021-08-04 18:46:25.0
The process of printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) involves several machines, such as a stencil printer, placement machine and reflow oven, to solder and assemble electronic components onto printed circuit boards (PCBs). In the production flow, some failure prevention mechanisms are deployed to ensure the designated quality of PCBA, including solder paste inspection (SPI), automated optical inspection (AOI) and in-circuit testing (ICT). However, such methods to locate the failures are reactive in nature, which may create waste and require additional effort to be spent re-manufacturing and inspecting the PCBs. Worse still, the process performance of the assembly process cannot be guaranteed at a high level. Therefore, there is a need to improve the performance of the PCBA process. To address the aforementioned challenges in the PCBA process, an intelligent assembly process improvement system (IAPIS) is proposed, which integrates the k-means clustering method and multi-response Taguchi method to formulate a pro-active approach to investigate and manage the process performance.
Technical Library | 2009-05-28 18:15:46.0
Considerable effort is ongoing to improve the efficiency and to move towards high-volume manufacturing of photovoltaic cells. Much attention has been focused on developing in-line processes to replace the current batch processes. A critical process to improve the performance of solar wafers is the application of Dopants. The basic requirement for this process is an automated method for applying a very thin, uniform film of Dopant to the silicon wafer as part of an in-line manufacturing process.
Technical Library | 2022-10-04 16:43:10.0
In this paper I will discuss the different methods and equipment used to detect counterfeit electronic parts, specifically integrated circuits as well as demonstrate some of the "red flags" that help to identify a part as being suspected counterfeit. We will begin with the initial receipt of the parts and the examination of the outer packaging, the basic visual inspection of the parts, the visual inspection and documentation at high magnification, permanency marking, blacktop test, scrape test, XRF (RoHS), decapsulation, X-ray, basic electrical testing, C-SAM, full function testing and limited function testing.
Technical Library | 2013-02-14 12:54:29.0
Boundary-scan (1149.1) technology was originally developed to provide a far easier method to perform digital DC testing to detect intra-IC interconnect assembly faults, such as solder shorts and opens. Today's advanced IC technology now includes high-speed differential interfaces that include AC or DC coupling components loaded on the printed circuit assembly. Simple stuck-at-high/low test methods are not sufficient to detect all assembly fault conditions, which includes shorts, opens and missing components. Improved diagnostics requires detailed circuit analysis, predictive assembly fault simulation and more complex testing to isolate and accurately detect all possible assembly faults... First published in the 2012 IPC APEX EXPO technical conference proceedings
Technical Library | 2018-08-15 17:27:28.0
Smartphones and tablets require very high flexibility and severe bending performance ability of the flexible printed circuits (FPCs) to fit into their thinner and smaller body designs. In these FPCs, the extraordinary highly flexible, treated rolled-annealed (RA) copper foils have recently used instead of regular RA foil and electro deposited foils. It is very important to measure the Young's moduli of these foils predicting the mechanical properties of FPCs such as capabilities of fatigue endurance, folding, and so on. Even though the manufacturers use IPC TM-650 2.4.18.3 test method for measuring Young's modulus of copper foils over many years, where Young's modulus is calculated from the stress–strain (S–S) curve, it is quite difficult to obtain the accurate Young's modulus of metal foils by this test method.
Technical Library | 2021-09-21 20:20:22.0
The electronics industry has been using the epoxy puck for the processing of the vast majority of electronics microsections since the 1970s. Minimal advancements have been seen in the methods used for precision micro-sections of PCBs, PCBAs, and device packages. This paper will discuss different techniques and approaches in performing precision and analytical micro-sections, which fuse the techniques and materials common in preparation of silicon wafers and bulk materials. These techniques have not only been found to produce excellent optical results, but transfer effectively to SEM for high magnification inspection and further analysis with minimal post-lapping preparation needed. Additionally, processing time is reduced primarily due to a significant reduction of bulk material removal earlier in the preparation, therefore needing less removal at later lapping steps compared to traditional sectioning methods. Additional techniques are introduced that mitigate some classic challenges experienced by technicians over the decades.
Technical Library | 2021-11-03 16:36:36.0
Laser reflow soldering is an important technology in electronic components processing. In this paper, we presented a simple but efficient method to achieve reflow soldering process with gradient energy band created by just two parallel mirrors. The detailed influence of the variety of optical parameters on the soldering process has been analyzed by using the finite element method. And the modulation of the optical parameters on reflow soldering parameters also has been demonstrated. In our experiment, one HR mirror and one-mirror with transmissivity of 10% have been used to create a gradient energy band with an incident laser power of 50W. In summary, both the simulations and the experiments show that the typical reflow soldering profile has been acquired by the optical system. The high quality joints on both the front and rear surface of the capacitor can be acquired by just one surface radiation of the optical system.
Technical Library | 2014-05-12 09:24:11.0
With the advancement of the electronic industry, Package on package (POP) has become increasingly popular IC package for electronic devices, particularly in mobile devices due to its benefits of miniaturization, design flexibility and cost efficiency. However, there are some issues that have been reported such as SIR drop due to small gap between top and bottom components, difficulty underfilling and rework due to stacked IC components and process yield issues. Some suppliers have reported using some methods such as dipping epoxy paste or epoxy flux to address these issues, but so far, no customer has reported using these methods or materials in their mass production. In order to address these issues for POP assembly, YINCAE has successfully developed a first individual solder joint encapsulant adhesive.
Technical Library | 2014-06-02 11:03:45.0
With the advancement of the electronic industry, package on package (POP) has become increasingly popular IC package for electronic devices, particularly POP TMV (Through Mold Vials) in mobile devices due to its benefits of miniaturization, design flexibility and cost efficiency. However, there are some issues that have been reported such as SIR drop due to small gap between top and bottom components, difficulty underfilling and rework due to stacked IC components and process yield issues. Some suppliers have reported using some methods such as dipping epoxy paste or epoxy flux to address these issues, but so far no customer has reported using these methods or materials in their mass production. In order to address these issues for POP TMV assembly, YINCAE has successfully developed and commercialized the first individual solder joint encapsulant adhesive for mass production for years.
Technical Library | 2014-09-04 17:43:19.0
The counterfeiting of electronic components has become a major challenge in the 21st century. The electronic component supply chain has been greatly affected by widespread counterfeit incidents. A specialized service of testing, detection, and avoidance must be created to tackle the worldwide outbreak of counterfeit integrated circuits (ICs). So far, there are standards and programs in place for outlining the testing, documenting, and reporting procedures. However, there is not yet enough research addressing the detection and avoidance of such counterfeit parts. In this paper we will present, in detail, all types of counterfeits, the defects present in them, and their detection methods. We will then describe the challenges to implementing these test methods and to their effectiveness. We will present several anti-counterfeit measures to prevent this widespread counterfeiting, and we also consider the effectiveness and limitations of these anti-counterfeiting techniques.
