-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
Getting to Know Your Designer
In this issue, we examine how fabs work with their design customers, educating them on the critical elements of fabrication needed to be successful, as well as the many tradeoffs involved. How well do you really know your customer? What makes for a closer, more synchronized working relationship?
Economic Headwinds
In this issue, the biggest names in PCB manufacturing share their economic outlook for the upcoming year and beyond. As you will see, they were all bullish on our industry, but there was some apprehension as well. No one wants to get burned by another the supply chain disruption.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
NCAB Advocates for Advanced Technologies
May 17, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
At the SMTA Atlanta Expo and Tech Forum, I spoke with NCAB Group Field Application Engineer Ramon Roche, who gave a presentation at the show titled, “Technical Trends in the Global PCB Industry.” Ramon and I discussed his presentation, the emerging technologies that have NCAB’s focus over the next few years, and why semi-additive processes may be the key to succeeding with ultra HDI technology.
Andy Shaughnessy: Nice to meet you, Ramon. Why don’t you start off by telling us about your presentation?
Ramon Roche: Nice to meet you too, Andy. Sure. I came to Atlanta today to talk about emerging technologies in the PCB industry, and really take a deeper dive into ultra HDI and how we see this disrupting the industry. We touched on some of the market trends and some current applications, and some challenges that we're seeing in sourcing and on the manufacturing side. Basically, for this new technology, what do we have to do to be prepared to make ultra HDI a reality?
Shaughnessy: What are some of the steps that that you all need to take to ramp up for ultra HDI?
Roche: We’re partnering with our customers to take small steps forward into this unchartered territory. During the presentation, we talked about IPC’s HDI spec, which only goes down to 50 microns, while ultra HDI goes well below 50 microns—down to 30 microns and even 20 microns in some cases. There’s no standard in place for ultra HDI just yet. We’re working with our customers to not only design, appropriate applications for this, but also asking ourselves, “How do we as an organization work with our manufacturing partners as well to succeed at that level?”
Shaughnessy: So, if you’re going to move into ultra HDI, do you have to use additive processes like A-SAP or m-SAP? Subtractive processes aren’t practical or even possible at that level, correct?
Roche: Absolutely. The first thing you have to do is put your cowboy hat on, because there’s a lot to learn about the design aspect of it. And then on the manufacturing side, you have to work with your local reps or FAE and have a conversation. Once you get below 50 or 40 microns, your traditional subtractive manufacturing methods are starting to reach their capacity, so we have to utilize different manufacturing methods to accomplish this. Below 40 microns, it’s time to consider semi-additive processes—A-SAP or m-SAP—for these very fine lines.
Shaughnessy: What was the reaction to the presentation attendees? Did you have any good questions?
Roche: Yes, we had a very interactive class, and a lot of really great questions, really pushing the boundaries as engineers. A lot of the questions and concerns that came up were about the robustness and reliability of these boards as they continue to get smaller and smaller. And those are things that we're still gathering data on because we want to improve our yields while making sure that we're building robust boards. We talked about some of the different considerations involving materials with semi-additive processes. And we discussed advanced embedded trace substrates, which can take you below 20 microns, and some different manufacturing processes that allow us to condense all of this into a small footprint. It’s exciting stuff.
Shaughnessy: Do you think semi-additive will eventually make up a big chunk of the market?
Roche: Yes. Semi-additive is a much cleaner and greener process than subtractive etch. There's a lot of pressure from governments and society in general to embrace sustainability, and semi-additive is a huge improvement over etched copper in that regard. And there are cost reductions as well, just with photoresists and electricity, to name a few. All of this makes this process more impactful as we incorporate this in the future.
Shaughnessy: Sounds good. Thanks for speaking with me, Ramon.
Roche: Thank you, Andy.
Suggested Items
AT&S Shines with Purest Copper on World Recycling Day
03/18/2024 | AT&SThe Styrian microelectronics specialist AT&S is taking World Recycling Day as an opportunity to review the progress that has been made in recent months at its sites around the world in terms of the efficient use of resources:
Matrix to Exhibit at IPC APEX EXPO 2024 in Anaheim, CA
03/05/2024 | MatrixMatrix will be exhibiting at IPC APEX EXPO 2024, to be held on April 9-12, 2024, at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA.
The Chemical Connection: Getting to Know Your Vendor
02/16/2024 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionAfter working for a capital equipment supplier for almost 50 years, I’ve found that the most important part of getting to know your vendor is good communication among all parties. While contact between fabricators of a constantly changing product line and the designers of those products may occur daily or weekly, conversations between you and your equipment supplier may be years apart. That lengthy gap often means that previous contacts may have been promoted, retired, or moved on to other opportunities. You may have also migrated to a new supplier with whom you have little or no history. In either case, you will be interacting with someone you are unfamiliar with (as they are with you). Therefore, it is essential for both sides to communicate clearly so expectations will align.
EIPC Winter Conference 2024, Day 2: A Closer Look at Global Trends
02/14/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The opening session of the second day’s conference proceedings focused on global PCB trends and was introduced and moderated by Dr. Michele Stampanoni, vice president of strategic sales and business development at Cicor Group in Switzerland. He opened the session with Dr. Hayao Nakahara’s knowledgeable and enlightening video presentation on the IC substrates industry.
EIPC Winter Conference 2024, Day 1: A Grab-bag of Technical Topics
02/12/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The 2024 Winter Conference of the EIPC took place January 30 and 31 at the IHK Academie in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. The keynote session will be reported separately. Here is my review of the first day’s conference proceedings.