You Asked .We Answered! - JUNE 2021 - I-Connect007
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Distinctly different.
Our books are written by recognized industry experts.
At around 8,000 words, they are unique in that they are able
to be incredibly focused on a specific slice of technology.
“I-007ebooks are like water in the desert
…it’s up to you to drink it in order to survive!”
Stephen V. Chavez
PCEA Chairman, MIT, CID+
VISIT OUR LIBRARY
JUNE 2021 • FEATURED CONTENT
Just Ask...
This month, with our “Just Ask…” issue, we bring in the experts. We opened a virtual Q&A
session, you asked the questions, and the experts answered them. Part of continuous
improvement methodologies, after all, is to leverage the expertise of others.
FEATURE QUESTIONS FEATURE QUESTIONS
14 Supply Chain— 24 What channels are most PCB
An Industry Veteran’s assemblers using to educate
Perspective themselves on the latest process
Answered by Richard Crowe improvements and equipment?
Answered by Leo Lambert
16 How long is the copper
shortage anticipated to last? 26 How can PCB fabricators
Answered by Michael Coll achieve finer lines and spaces using
current moderately priced substrates?
Answered by Eran Lipp and Yaad Eliya
18 Is it possible to use another
material as a substitute for
heavy copper with different 28 What marketing techniques are
best suited to engage with PCB
characteristics and the
assembly engineers in 2021/2022?
same performance?
Answered by Dan Beaulieu
Answered by Kim Sauer
20 Beyond solder, what’s the FEATURE COLUMNS
next best interconnection 10 Responding to Questions About the
between the components Future of Electronics Manufacturing
and the PCB? by Dr. John Mitchell
Answered by Charles Bauer
32 A Simple Question Can Save
22 Also Answered by Joe Fjelstad You Time and Money
by John Steinar Johnsen
4 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021
JUNE 2021 • ADDITIONAL CONTENT
ARTICLE
40 40 TLPS Z-Axis Interconnect Solutions
for Thermal Transfer and Electrical
Connection in PCBs
by Catherine Sheerer and Gary Legerton
COLUMNS
56 8 Just Ask... and More
Tailor-Made Content
by Nolan Johnson
56 DIG: The Next Generation
by George Milad
68 62 Meet Mr. Henry and Don’t Blow a Fuse
by Todd Kolmodin
68 Leadership 101—The Laws of Navigation,
Addition, and Solid Ground
by Steve Williams
DEPARTMENTS
SHORTS 77 Career Opportunities
9 I-Connect007 ‘Just Ask’ Q&A 90 Educational Resource Center
Compilation 2020 Edition 91 Advertiser Index & Masthead
30 Book Review: Dan’s Biz Bookshelf—
Winning the War for Talent HIGHLIGHTS
by Dan Beaulieu 38 EIN007 Industry News
60 MilAero007
72 Driving in the Snow is a Team Effort 66 PCB007 Suppliers
for AI Sensors 74 Top 10 from PCB007
6 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021
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Just Ask… and More
Tailor-Made Content
Nolan’s Notes
by Nolan Johnson, I-CONNECT007
The year of X = Xc – 1 continuous improve- sion and, I have to say, there’s still plenty to talk
ment rolls ever onward; this June issue marks about on this topic!
the halfway point. Our dive into this theme This month, though, we take a slightly dif-
has uncovered some insightful and sometimes ferent approach, with our “Just Ask…” issue.
poignant stories. I’m personally touched by If you subscribe to our Daily Newsletter then
all the industry folks we’ve talked to—they you’ve seen our periodic newsletter feature,
continue to be lifelong learners, continue to “Just Ask…” In that feature, we conducted a
grow, and tackle knowledge and expertise as a virtual Q&A session with a specific industry
continuous improvement exercise. expert and published the results. For this issue,
On the editorial team, we’re already plan- we flipped the script a bit, in that we asked you
ning the October magazine content. July, Au- for questions and then we went out to find the
gust, and September issues are in their re- experts who could provide the answers. The
spective stages of development and planning. questions ranged from global and strategic, to
For us, we’re over 75% of the way through tactical and technical. The “Just Ask…” issue
steering the continuous improvement discus- allows us all to benefit from questions and
8 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021
answers that our colleagues shared. Part of tal texts for electronics courses.
continuous improvement methodologies is to Of course, if you’re an expert on a topic, and
leverage the expertise of others, after all. your company or institution wishes to pub-
This brings up another opportunity to lish on that topic, we invite you to talk with us
leverage the expertise of others. If you about how to get started.
haven’t already subscribed to I-Connect007’s The process of building up this issue was
Educational Resource Center, inside the fun for us. We all hope you find value in the
my I-Connect007 portal, I-007e, you really “Just Ask…” conversations. Let’s keep this
should. You will find so much useful informa- ball rolling; if you find this issue inspired
tion with which to cultivate your expertise. questions or ideas for you, we’d like to hear
Our topic-focused books, webinars, work- from you. PCB007
shops and roundtables offer plenty of strong
Nolan Johnson is managing
content for those seeking further educa-
editor of PCB007 Magazine.
tion. In fact, some of our readers have shared Nolan brings 30 years of career
with us that our materials are used as com- experience focused almost
pany desk references and employee training entirely on electronics design
materials. Some universities, we’ve learned, and manufacturing. To contact
are using our technical library as supplemen- Johnson, click here.
I-Connect007 ‘Just Ask’ Q&A Compilation 2020 Edition
Throughout 2020, we asked our readers to send
in their questions for Happy Holden, John Mitch-
ell, Joe Fjelstad, Tara Dunn, and Heidi Barnes. We
gathered an array of questions for these industry
experts.
These five luminaries have seen it all. Happy,
also known as “Mr. HDI,” pioneered many of today’s
PCB design and fabrication processes while work-
ing at Hewlett-Packard. John Mitchell is president
and CEO of IPC, and he co-founded the Alpine
Electronics research company that introduced nav-
igation systems into the U.S. Joe Fjelstad founded
Silicon Pipe and Verdant Electronics, and he has
over 185 patents issued or pending related to
electronic interconnect and packaging technolo-
gies. Tara Dunn is the VP of marketing and busi-
ness development for Averatek and founder of
Omni PCB, and she specializes in additive process-
es, flex and rigid-flex, and RF/microwave applica-
tions. And Heidi Barnes is a signal integrity engi-
neer with Keysight Technologies. She was named
2017 DesignCon Engineer of the Year, and Heidi
also won NASA’s coveted Silver Snoopy Award.
Click to download the Just Ask! Compilation.
JUNE 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 9
Responding to Questions
About the Future of
Electronics Manufacturing
One World, One Industry
Feature Column by Dr. John Mitchell, IPC PRESIDENT AND CEO
The questions I receive most frequently de- How long will the supply chain
pend upon the individual or group asking
the questions. For this column, I will focus on
pressures last which have been
the different questions coming from the manu- exacerbated by COVID-19?
facturing industry and media. This question is very dependent upon the in-
The industry often asks questions about busi- dustry segment that is asking, but right now
ness, such as: there is a cascading effect that will likely last
through the end of the year, if not into mid-
• How long will the supply chain 2022. A shortage in one segment of the supply
pressures last? chain can often lead to additional shortages as
• What government impacts do you substitutes are sought and modifications are
expect? made to try to meet demand.
• What can we do to solve our workforce The steep nature of the recession, followed
issues? by bounce-back, wreaked havoc with supply
chains in several areas—largely because they
The media often asks about the future, did exactly what they were supposed to do.
such as: When an industry drops demand significantly
• What is the next thing that will take (like the automotive industry did in going from
us to new capabilities? 900,000 vehicles manufactured in a month to
6,000), the prudent thing to do is to move your
• How can global manufacturing processes to a different segment where you
companies continue to meet the can make sales. This was done. What has never
challenges presented to them? happened before was the meteoric rise back to
Here are a few high-level answers to those higher levels of sales in such a short period of
questions. time. Sadly, I expect the aftershocks to contin-
ue to ripple for a while.
10 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021What government impacts do you What is the future ‘next thing’ that will
expect on the manufacturing industry? take us to new capabilities?
Every time there is a change in a major na- We are finding ways to improve and use the
tion’s government, this question comes up. In latest technologies in our manufacturing facili-
2013, the question was about how Xi Jin- ties. The drive to modernize and transform fac-
ping would change things now that he was tories will lead to more innovation. There are
in charge in China. Today, what changes can tremendous capabilities that are available today,
you expect under the Biden administration? but the challenge is that manufacturing is a
These are tricky ones to answer because, capital-intensive business. You don’t just toss
obviously, we are not in the inner circle of the away a half million-dollar piece of equipment
administrations of any country. The best we because it is last year’s model—like you might
can offer is based on prior actions and contin- with a cellphone.
ual inquiries to those who work with and influ- Finding ways to leverage the best techniques
ence these leaders. If the latest actions are any and tools is the key to accelerating to the
indication, I expect the Biden administration future. Once you have those, you next need
to continue to attempt to invest in strength- people who know how to use them and who
ening the U.S. industrial base. Because of this, understand the fundamentals behind why
we at IPC are looking to make sure the elec- they are performing the tasks they are in the
tronics manufacturing ecosystem is not lost in larger manufacturing picture.
the glare of spotlight focused on the semicon-
ductor industry. How can global manufacturing
companies continue to meet the
What can we do to solve our challenges presented to them?
workforce issues? The answer to this question varies with the
The world is changing rapidly, and no- time and the issues the industry in a particular
where do we understand that better than region is facing. Over the past couple of years,
in the electronics industry. The shortage of my answers have centered around strengthen-
skilled workers has been an issue for a de- ing your local/regional industrial base. If you
cade or more. IPC is assisting with this chal- have 100% reliance upon any other region—you
lenge through our workforce education pro- are at risk. This doesn’t mean you need to have
grams. These programs are designed by in- every capability 100% sourced locally, but you
dustry experts and build in collaboration with do need to have options should relations break
organizations around the world. The IPC down. This also provides more local know-how,
Education Team utilizes the latest educational which is always a good thing. PCB007
techniques to ensure the maximum level
of learning retention, while simultaneously Any additional questions
reducing training times as much as pos- not addressed here?
Feel free to contact me at
sible. These programs help organizations
johnmitchell@ipc.org.
address specific skill gaps in their existing
workforce, upskill existing workers and, per- Dr. John Mitchell is presi-
haps more importantly, provide a solid foun- dent and CEO of IPC.
dation for those who are not yet, but can To read past columns or
contact him, click here.
rapidly become, a contributing part of the
manufacturing workforce.
12 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Welcome to the Summit
Interconnect Family!
WELCOME TO THE
SUMMIT
SUMMIT ACQUIRES EAGLE ELECTRONICS
R EA D T H E P R E SS R E L E ASE H E R E
summit-pcb.com eagle-elec.comSupply Chain: An Industry Veteran’s Perspective In earlier times, economists said the con- computer) but in the software that operat- sumer should always opt to purchase items ed the box.” His presentation, “The Winds of from the lowest-priced supplier, regardless of Change,” was correct; computer company af- origin. This policy always benefitted the con- ter computer company moved their manu- sumer. Tariffs and regulations were designed facturing “offshore.” IBM is a good example to enforce fair and equal access in an economic of a successful computer product—the Think world that once was a great deal simpler than Pad—that was sold off to Lenovo, a Chinese today. company. Other companies followed—Dell, Now, the world economy is a great deal Compeq, Gateway, and more. Highly trained more complex and intertwined than ever be- engineers and workers lost their jobs and were fore. The theory that developing countries told to re-educate themselves into other types could prosper and provide jobs to help ensure of employment. This is just one of the reasons peace and to rebuild economies after war was a why our economic policy should address this major part of the thinking after World War II. offshore/onshore issue. Europe and Asia rebuilt their economies, pro- But there are other aspects of trading with viding workers with income and a bright and a single source supplier. The recent world- successful future. The United States prospered wide pandemic illustrated the fragile nature of as well with a segmentation of staples that bal- “putting all of one’s eggs in one basket.” How anced trade and access to lower-cost goods. dangerous is it for electronics companies to The list of items that fit this theory included design in the United States, but build else- toys, consumer goods (like electronic items), where? and high value luxury items like exotic, high Asian suppliers responded quickly to the quality cars. “pandemic shutdowns” and it seemed as if no In more recent times, American industry has company was endangered by a lack of sup- been burdened with regulations that increased ply. However, medical, personal protection cost, but have been ignored by other nations. equipment, and medicine were purchased The printed circuit board industry struggled to offshore and there was a supply issue for some maintain a world manufacturing position and time. Now we see a shortage in semiconduc- nearly collapsed in the beginning of the cur- tor chips used in cars and trucks. CBS’s news rent century. I remember well a TMRC pre- show, 60 Minutes, recently interviewed U.S. sentation by Bill Loeb who correctly said that Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where there was “no money in the box (meaning the he discussed this subject and highlighted the 14 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021
danger of using China as the sole supplier of This article hasn’t even addressed the issue
many components. of industrial espionage, reverse engineering,
Another issue concerning our offshore trade disregard for intellectual property, spying, and
balance is the number of container ships sitting the alleged implanting of devices that in some
offshore in Southern California. I routinely see fashion are able to keep track and disseminate
20–30 cargo ships every week out on the wa- private and confidential information. Proper
ter. Not only is the economic impact more vis- business ethics and regard for human values
ibly striking, but the delays in unloading these are paramount.
ships creates a supply chain problem. Certainly I am not qualified to address this
Politics aside, I believe there is a slippery complex subject with the same vast knowledge
slope in the West if we don’t encourage busi- of others, but at my age, I have seen how we
nesses to invest and bring some manufactur- as a country have placed profit over the issue
ing home, particularly those that are high of fair trade. We must address excessive regu-
technology and/or military related. We are lations, tax issues, and investment encourage-
in an economic contest that we cannot afford ment to allow our manufacturing industry to
to lose. I believe in free and fair trade where compete fairly and more competitively. PCB007
we all play and abide by the same rules. Those
that don’t should not enjoy the benefits of our Richard Crowe is chairman of
market. Burkle North America.
Q How long is the copper shortage anticipated to last?
A
I think that this is going to be a tough in other regions. The U.S. exports scrap wire
question for anyone to answer. We do not to Asia so the ongoing delays in ocean freight
really see a “shortage” in the market, but may be contributing to some additional delays
rather a tightening of supply as copper pric- in the foreign markets. This may impact cop-
es continue to increase. ED foil is made from per cathode availability as well. PCB007
scrap copper wire, which is still plentiful in
the U.S. I cannot comment on the availability Michael Coll is COO at Denkai America Inc.
16 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Unrivaled Test Speed
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klaus.koziol@cohu.com • www.atg-lm.com A Cohu CompanyQ Is it possible to use another material as a substitute
for heavy copper with different characteristics and
the same performance?
(For example: Instead of using FR-4 with 4-ounce base copper, use a material
with other characteristics with 1- or 2-ounce copper.)
A
The simple answer is a guarded yes. Cop- This is a constant for any given material and
per is usually chosen for its superior all- equivalent to the resistance of a sample having
round characteristics compared to oth- unit cross-sectional area and length. Mathe-
er metals: product designers appreciate qual- matically, ρ = RA/l (R = resistance; A = cross-
ities such as its low resistivity, easy formabil- sectional area; l = length), expressed in MKS
ity, broad compatibility with other processes units as Ohm-meter (sometimes Ohm-centi-
and materials, stability over time and temper- meter). The resistivity of copper is 1.77 × 10-6
ature, low cost, and relatively easy availability, ohm-centimeter.
to name a few. In practice, alternatives are un- From this, R = ρl/A, which suggests that
likely to deliver the advantages designers are you could replace a 4-ounce copper conductor
usually looking for: better performance, small- with 1-ounce copper of four times the width.
er size, lower power, lower cost. Clearly, this would occupy more space on the
If you want to design your PCB with 1- or PCB. You could consider changing the con-
2-ounce copper instead of 4 ounces, the obvi- ductive material. However, copper is difficult
ous solution is to use wider conductors. The to beat when everything is considered, such as
price is that a larger PCB area is required, cost, environmental characteristics, and com-
which may not be an acceptable compromise. patibility with other electronic materials and
Obviously, copper is not the only conductor manufacturing processes.
available to electronics designers. An alterna- Aluminum is sometimes used in applications
tive may be sought to overcome various issues, such as large inverters and power converters in
either commercial or technical. These may in- e-mobility and green energy applications. Alu-
clude price and availability, or there may be a minum, at around half the price or less per kilo
requirement for certain mechanical properties than copper, can be more economical when
or corrosion resistance. In some cases, the ap- very large conductors are required. Howev-
pearance of any visible conductors may be a er, the resistivity is higher than that of cop-
consideration. per, hence demanding a larger cross-section—
Regarding the design of PCB traces, in par- effectively, thicker or wider traces—to achieve
ticular, the first aspect to consider is the resis- the same electrical performance.
tivity, ρ (Greek, rho), of the chosen conductor. You also need to consider the effect of
18 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Innovation + Precision + Reliability
In-house customer lab
Available to assist every Chemcut customer with:
• R&D process development
• Producing an initial prototype
• Small pilot production runs
• Feasibility studies
• Producing scale-up data
Contact Matt
• Operator training and education
To learn more about our lab, contact Matt Erlichman
at merlichman@chemcut.net
www.chemcut.nettemperature on resistance. Reducing the tem- also extend the window by helping with heat
perature allows the conductor to carry more dissipation. However, this is not always a suit-
current in relation to the cross-sectional area. able solution.
However, there is self-heating proportional to A serious shortage of copper, for any reason,
I2R. It is normal to use a lookup table of ac- could change things by driving up prices. Then
ceptable temperature increase related to cur- you need to consider the cost and practicalities
rent and conductor area. of introducing the alternative material to your
The use of special thermally conductive di- manufacturing processes, and how soon the
electrics such as Ventec VT-5A2 or VT-4A2H copper price may return to normal. PCB007
could help to reduce the temperature and in-
crease your traces’ maximum current capabil- Kim Sauer is global marketing communications of
ity. Going a step further, IMS materials could Ventec International Group.
Q Beyond solder, what’s the next best interconnection
between the components and the PCB?
A
I would like to add a brief comment re- onto ceramic substrates in these applications,
garding one additional option available, Thomas Brunschwiler at IBM Zurich picked
albeit on a limited basis and for specific up on the idea and extended it to PWB assem-
application areas. Herb Neuhaus and I devel- bly employing Cu nano-particle formulations
oped a technique based on nano-particle ther- developed in Europe. I have not spoken with
mo-compression to mount optical compo- Thomas recently, but he did present a keynote
nents with very high I/O counts on pitches as talk at the Pan Pacific Microelectronics Sym-
fine as 12–15 microns. In our program we em- posium in 2017 in which he briefly described
ployed various nano-Ag compositions devel- their work. I believe that the work was com-
oped/targeted for die attach applications, the pleted in late 2018 or early 2019, but I have not
most useful of which was a formulation from followed up or searched for any publications.
Nihon Superior out of Osaka, Japan. They did I do know that the work was part of a doctor-
do some customization of the particle size mix al dissertation for a student being advised by
and distribution, but the process is quite stable Thomas. PCB007
in these high pin count applications.
While our approach was developed and de- Charles Bauer works for TechLead Corporation in
ployed specifically for mounting bare chips Portland, Oregon.
20 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Over 1,900
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sales@usamicrocraft.comQ Beyond solder, what’s the next best interconnection
between the components and the PCB?
A
This is a relatively simple question but one of interconnecting components to a printed cir-
which conjures up some technically diverse cuit without solder but sockets add expense and
potential answers, each of them necessarily typically are soldered to the board themselves.
weighted by several qualifying questions to make A method I have been promoting for more
certain they will meet the end product’s require- than a dozen years through my company, Ver-
ments. This is a seemingly small but very impor- dant Electronics, is solder alloy-free electron-
tant detail and thus precludes the notion of being ic (SAFE) assembly which seeks to obviate the
able to offer up a universal “next best” solution. need for solder. This objective is accomplished
That said, there are several historical choices for using a novel reverse approach to manufactur-
making electrical connections between compo- ing where components are first attached to a
nents and PCBs without relying on traditional sol- carrier with planar leads facing up and circuits
der. The most common is arguably a conductive are built up by directly plating copper to lead
adhesive, both isotropic and anisotropic types, terminations using familiar printed circuit man-
which have been in use in electronics for many ufacturing processes. The elimination of solder
years. Their limitations are that they are generally precludes the need for numerous process steps.
less conductive and do not generally provide the Concerns have been expressed about the need
kind of bond strength that solder does; thus, they for rework and repair, but it is arguable that
may not be as resistant to shock and vibration as the need for rework and repair is evidence of a
solder. The components are often “glob topped” process that has intrinsic control issues, mak-
to hold them in place and this, unfortunately, ing rework and repair a necessity. My credo has
makes rework problematic and makes them more evolved to, “If we seek to make the best prod-
susceptible to overheating in operation. ucts possible, we must first do all the right things
More recent years have seen the rise of low and then do all those things right.” For more de-
temperature sinterable alloys enabled by nan- tail, please read my May 2021 column and/or my
otechnology. Included among these is a na- free I-007 eBook, Solderless Assembly For Elec-
no-copper “solder” from Kuprion. These show tronics—The SAFE Approach. PCB007
promise and are finding some traction, but wide
acceptance is not yet here. Joe Fjelstad is founder and CEO of Verdant Elec-
Another historical method that has been large- tronics and an international authority and innovator
ly reserved for connectors is press fitting of leads in the field of electronic interconnection and
into plated through-holes. When intelligently packaging technologies with more than 185
designed and assembled, press-fit connections patents issued or pending. To read past columns
can be quite reliable and provide a gas-tight seal or contact Fjelstad, click here. Download your free
between lead and component. Obviously, the copy of Fjelstad’s book Flexible Circuit Technology,
method precludes the use of most SMT devices. 4th Edition, and watch his in-depth workshop
Socketing of components is another method series “Flexible Circuit Technology.”
22 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Ma
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comWhat channels are most PCB assemblers using to
Q educate themselves on the latest process
improvements and equipment?
A
The opportunity for education on process fications to be used.
improvements requires an open mind as At this point, PCB assemblers have a variety
to the avenues available and the support of of options for training their employees in both
management to offer those opportunitiesto their skills and knowledge-based programs. IPC has
employees. Sounds simplistic enough, however, many online programs available to introduce
the resources need to be sought out for the ap- the operators to the electronic assembly oper-
propriate programs as to whether they are virtu- ations, covering items from component identi-
al, online, self-paced, specific classes, on-site, or fication to assembly techniques and quality re-
attended at various locational training centers. quirements. These documents are adapted for
Process improvements come in many forms, internal usage for skills and knowledge devel-
whether it’s learning about newly acquired opment and internal training programs.
equipment, or understanding the software and Many of the manufacturers are mandated
hardware operational specifications of the equip- by contract that the employees building their
ment. Process improvements also include the products are to be certified to various manu-
introduction of new materials, components, and facturing specifications. They want the em-
designs while also working with the engineering ployees building their product to know what
staff as to what is needed to provide the ability they are doing prior to initiating the contract.
to manufacture a quality product within a given These certification classes are available
period of time. At times, the industry identifies through various training centers around the
these as manufacturability meetings where all globe and are offered as in-house programs, on-
aspects of a product and process are discussed. line programs with an instructor, or at a train-
Basically, the goal is to review cost and return on ing site with an instructor. These instructor-
investment on the value of the product, which based programs are the most efficient methods
includes materials, equipment, staff and space to of imparting the information, as they offer the
create a process to manufacture the product, be opportunity to have question and answer peri-
it in-house or subcontracted. ods during the sessions to explain, clarify, and
Once the design is complete and ready for emphasize certain points of importance.
release to manufacturing, industrial standards Increasing the knowledge base of the em-
are adapted to control the manufacturing tech- ployees is mandatory in the ever-changing
nology. Additionally, this includes defining electronics assembly environment. PCB007
how the contracts and master drawings are to
be written to include the manufacturing speci- Leo Lambert is vice president of EPTAC Corp.
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RFX - High-precision (Q How can PCB fabricators achieve finer lines and spaces
using current moderately-priced substrates?
A
Indeed, reaching fine line technology processing. Average thickness between
below ~2/2 mil L/S is a nontrivial task, lots should be maintained to variations
since reliable and robust etching of un- below 1 µm.
der-2-mil lines requires well controlled copper
thickness and small variations within a board as 2. Keeping copper thickness variation
well as lot-to-lot. High-volume PCB manufac- to values below about ±1 µm across the
turers, specifically those in the Far East, have board.
the production volume and technological need 3. Applying appropriate thin resists for line
to go as low as even 5-µm lines, and choose to etching, resist thickness, etc., should match
transfer their process into PVD-based (phys- the required etched thickness. The resist
ical vapor deposition) copper coating. In this should be thick enough to protect the
process, which is known as semi-additive pro- desired lines, yet thin enough to enable
cessing (SAP), copper thickness is well con- stable lithography and prevent high aspect
trolled in a process borrowed from the semi- ratio during etching.
conductor industry. After etching of the thin
PVD-coated copper, the final copper thickness To support these requirements, special at-
can be reached by electroplating. tention should be given to copper plating
This method, although reliable, involves sig- stages. Lowering variation at these processes
nificant investments that may not be justifiable may require thinking about agitation, throw-
for low-volume or specialty manufacturers like ing power, and anode shapes as well as usage
PCB Technologies. For those companies, the of current thieves. In addition, one should be
demand for sub-1-mil technology is not that aware of copper etching processes along the
pressing. To reach the 1-mil line/space ball- process flow. Any copper etching process will
park, subtractive approaches are adequate, al- adversely affect the total variation and will
though they pose several limitations: result in poor L/S definition. PCB007
1. Keeping copper thickness to the lowest Eran Lipp is head of R&D and
values possible. Copper thickness above Yaad Eliya is CTO at PCB Technologies.
~20 µm will not enable subtractive
26 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Ucarnce _. Market leader in
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■Q What marketing techniques are best suited to engage
with PCB assembly engineers in 2021 / 2022?
A
Marketing your company is like planting tion. Writing a good, solid, interesting, and in-
seeds in your garden—with time and care, formative monthly column highlighting your
your business will grow and flourish. The expertise in a specific technology will put you
most successful marketers generally find that at the top of the list of experts in your field.
a strategy combining consistent branding and
content marketing is the most effective way to Technical expert pages on your website:
engage with their target market. Your website should be where people come
Engineers today are starved for informa- to learn about technology. There should be in-
tion. Whether you are providing young engi- dividual pages for each of your technologies.
neers with very basic PCB 101 information or Promote your engineers as “experts” in their
appealing to experienced engineers with infor- specific technology. Include links to your col-
mation about cutting edge technology, engi- umns, articles, and white papers. Include live
neers and designers are always looking for ac- discussion resources. Make your website a
curate technical information. true resource for engineers to come and learn.
Here are some of the most effective ways to
engage with engineers: Webinars: Using Zoom and other confer-
encing tools, many companies are provid-
Technical articles and white papers: Noth- ing informative webinars to audiences eager
ing shouts “technology expert” louder than a to learn. How much time, money, and effort
groundbreaking paper or article about your would it take to show customers your presen-
specific technology. Be sure to present them at tation the old-fashioned way, one at a time?
industry trade shows and conferences as well.
I-007eBooks: The most effective way to
Branding ads: Even if your company is al- promote your company as the true expert in
ready well-known, daily branding to your tar- your field is through I-Connect007’s book pro-
get market reinforces your strength and posi- gram. Writing and publishing one of these tar-
tion in the context of people’s daily work lives. geted technology books will put your compa-
Spend time developing your messaging. Avoid ny and your experts at the very top of the tech-
tropes like, “on time delivery” and “excellent nology ladder. Nothing gives your company
quality”; create unique, memorable messaging more credibility than a third-party published
that is consistent with your brand identity. book, especially with I-Connect007. They put
their mighty editing and promotional powers
Monthly technical columns: Publish a tech- behind the packaging and distribution of your
nical column in a respected industry publica- book. Everything about this unique program
28 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021is designed to get your name in front of the grown a whopping 75% since they wrote their
right customers. One of my clients has written first I-007 eBook two years ago.
and published three of these informative books The best and most efficient way a PCB com-
and, as a result, they are marketing to a data- pany can market to engineers is by finding
base of over 11,000 qualified, content-hungry, ways to show off their technological knowl-
grateful engineers. These are all engineers who edge, experience, and prowess. Try it for
signed up for the free downloads of these books yourself… it works. PCB007
and voluntarily gave up their contact informa-
tion. My client is now considered the expert For more information on the above-mentioned
programs, visit I-007e.com.
and industry leader for each of the technolo-
gies their books cover. Best of all, they are now Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management
furnishing these 11,000 engineers with sought- Group. To contact Beaulieu, or read past
after technical information. Their business has columns click here.
BOOK REVIEW
Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: Winning the War for Talent
by Dan Beaulieu
Winning the War for Talent: Recruit, Retain, and Develop the Talent
Your Business Needs to Survive and Thrive
In the first chapter of his book on hiring, author This profile must include not only the job descrip-
Chris Czarnik discusses the differences between tion but the things the ideal candidate is interested in
boomers and millennials: boomers wanted security outside of the company. Companies must develop a
while millennials want purpose and social conscious- career profile to show the right candidates not only
ness. Boomers wanted to support their family while what the job will entail but where it will lead as well.
millennials want work that they are passionate about. The author completes the book with a detailed de-
Back when the boomers were first looking for jobs, scription of what must be done to develop the next
they were at the severe disadvantage of there being generation of leaders for the future.
too many of them and too few jobs; today, there are This is a very important and timely book. It is per-
too many jobs and too few millennials. fect for the time we are ex-
These details are combined with what the author periencing as we struggle
calls the “Silver Tsunami.” Boomers are aging out, to replace our aging work
which has caused the current issues of bringing new force with a new wave of
young people not only into our industries but into our vibrant, educated, talent-
companies as well. This is what we are facing today, ed, and passionate young
and this book answers what we can do about it. people.
Czarnik rightfully points out that our HR depart- This book is a valu-
ments must be in “sales mode”; they must be out able handbook for build-
there selling to young people about joining their com- ing the future of your com-
panies. They have to make positions in their compa- pany. Buy it and read it. It
nies and overall industries appealing to the people will be the best investment
they are trying to hire. He suggests that we create a you’ve made this year.
“Target Employee Profile” describing exactly the right
people we want to hire. Find on Amazon.com.
30 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Achieve Digital Transcendence Get ready to transcend the norm as you transform through education, innovation and collaboration at North America’s largest gathering of electronics industry professionals. See you in San Diego at IPC APEX EXPO 2022!
A Simple Question Can
Save You Time and Money
The PCB Norsemen
Feature Column by John Steinar Johnsen, ELMATICA
A PCB is a component like any other elec- can be high. My experience is that the earli-
tronic component, except for the fact that it is er involvement, the better the product. When
not on the shelf waiting for you to buy it, but possible, involve the right team from when
will be produced from scratch when you order the idea for a product or printed circuit is
it. In my eyes, it’s the most important compo- hatched. When you have the right knowledge
nent, as it is the carrier or foundation in any of PCBs onboard, you can make decisions
electrical product connecting most other com- based on knowledge and experience. This
ponents. With this responsibility on “its” shoul- helps make sure the PCB process is as flawless
ders you might want to go that extra round be- as possible.
fore production, to make sure all data is cor-
rect and the design feasible. Poor design might Get Another Set of Eyes
lead to poor connection and failures—not the Design reviews allow others to check the
result you want. features and function of the PCB design and
Questions about PCB design are a “never- inspect the interconnection of the various cir-
ending story.” Strangely, after years of PCB cuits. Don’t assume that everything is fine until
production and development, lots of the you’ve had someone double-check your work.
questions and issues are still the same, just When a qualified official design review is per-
only affected by the changes related to PCB formed, you might discover errors early in the
technology. process—ones that you might not have discov-
ered until later in the production process, or
Rather Too Much Than Too Little even worse, not discovered at all.
PCB designers and engineers who are not
frequently designing might find it not only Communicate and Look
helpful, but crucial, to seek help one time too Outside Your Box
many rather than too little. PCB design is a long and collaborative pro-
The consequences and costs of not asking cess, but when engineers get so focused on
32 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021Su
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comtheir part of the puzzle and forget to share a) b)
information, errors and frustration might
develop. Designers should be careful to
communicate constantly, and above all, not
just share thoughts and improvements with
each other, but include every member of the
project.
If you can avoid these common mistakes of
narrowing down the involvement, you might Figure 1: a) Rectangular pad;
be able to shave time and money off of your b) Same pad with rounded corners.
PCB design, and generate a more consistently
high-quality project with a clear path from de-
sign to production.
These initial basic phases are usually relat- Here Are Some of My Related Tips
ed to function, technology, choice of mate- Some of these choices may be in your
rials, organization of layers and stackup, and CAD software library. For example, how you
electrical design requirements. The cost have defined SMT pads in your pad-stack?
factor is not to be forgotten either. I have I recommend that square/rectangular pads
mentioned all this earlier in various contexts, shall be defined with rounded corners
and I am sure I will mention it hundreds of (Figure 1). It is electrically good, as well as
times in the future. beneficial for PCB production, assembly, and
soldering.
Search for Mistakes Like the Eagle
Searches for Prey What to Look Out For
However, here’s a small sidestep focusing Improved Routing—How?
on the fact that when you as a designer have Improved routing by increasing the distance
placed the last connection on a design, suc- between conductors, vias, and pads where
cessfully ran a design rule check (DRC) with- possible. Move the connections so they are
out any error messages, and your design is still centered (Figure 2). Figure 3 shows more sam-
not optimized for production. ples where it is possible to increase distance
I have explained this numerous times. At this between pads and traces, also between differ-
phase in the project, it’s time to bring out the ential pairs. In all the samples, traces are too
eagle eyes and study your masterpiece. Search close to the mechanical drilled hole.
for improvements and mistakes, as the eagle
searches for its prey, to clean up your layout.
This clean-up aims to improve the design for a) b)
production and thus also improve the board it-
self and provide a better production yield. Bet-
ter yields save time and money.
As a designer, it is important to know the
most critical processes, and understand the
consequences of your choices at each step, as
these are crucial to obtain the best possible
conditions for a successful PCB production. It
will benefit and generate a more consistently Figure 2: a) Before moving the traces;
high-quality project. b) After moving the traces.
34 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021a) b)
Figure 6: a) Signals are missing the reference
plane; b) Signals have the reference plane.
Figure 3: Samples where it’s possible to
increase distance between pads and traces,
also between differential pairs. Prevent Unwanted Flow of Solder
Paste During Soldering/Vias That Are
a) b) Not Covered With A Solder Mask
Move the via further away from the SMD
pad, so you ensure that there is room for
a solder mask in between the SMD pad
and via pad. An alternative is to reduce
the solder mask opening to be slightly
bigger than the drilled via hole. Consult
the IPC document IPC-4761 Design Guide
for Protection of Printed Board Via Struc-
tures, to find the solution for your design. Or
Figure 4: a) Do not short pads like this; just ask.
b) This is the way to do it.
Critical Signals That Require a Reference Plan
Make sure the connections are sufficiently
How Do You Connect Neighboring Pads? far from neighboring pads so that they really
It should not look like a short circuit on the get the desired reference copper plane below
finished board (Figure 4). or above them (Figure 6).
a) b) c)
Figure 5: a) No solder mask web between SMT pad and via-pad. Solder paste will flow into via hole;
b) Solder mask opening has been reduced to cover via pad, but is slightly bigger than the via hold;
c) Via hole has been moved away from the SMT pad, so solder mask web can be kept.
JUNE 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 35Uneven—Unbalanced Copper Distribution
Can Give Bow and Twist
Layer-to-layer copper coverage: Within sev-
eral layers causing low pressure areas through
the bonding process of the board. In Figure 7,
all features in red are balancing patterns on the
inner layers. On this 14-layer board there were Figure 8: In the sample, the same net distance
a total of eight nearly similar layers. is below 45 µm.
Some Parameters Can Be Set and Taken Care
of During Post-Processing
Do you keep or remove unused pads and
vias? There is no rule without exceptions, but
my general recommendation is to keep pads
on all layers for through-hole components and
screw holes.
Allow unused via pads to be removed if there
is no risk for low pressure area. Do not remove
all unused via pads in local areas where there is
a high proportion of vias, such as typical BGA
Figure 7: All features in red are balancing areas. BGA areas may require higher tempera-
patterns on the inner layers. tures during soldering. This can promote de-
lamination.
Same Net Spacing Teardrops or Snowmen?
Electrically nothing is wrong with this (Fig- My general recommendation is to enable
ure 8), but during automatic optical inspec- this feature.
tion (AOI) this will cause problems and delay I have been working with PCBs for decades.
in production. In the sample, the same net dis- In the past year, I have held numerous semi-
tance is below 45 µm. nars and webinars, talked to customers, im-
proved designs, scrapped designs, helped stu-
Unwanted Angles—Causing Acid Traps dents, made hundreds of drawings, explained
In these sharp angles, chemicals from the the basics, experienced advanced technology
processes can remain and cause reduced or and materials, and pushed the PCB design to
broken connections over time (Figure 9). its limits.
a) b)
Figure 9: a) The original; b) The routing has changed a bit and the SMT corners have also
been rounded. A possible problem solved.
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021a) b)
Figure 10: a) All via pads are kept; b) All non-functional via pads are gone.
Figure 11: Enable this feature: teardrop or snowmen.
However, even as advanced as the technol- John Steinar Johnsen is
ogy might currently be, sometimes it’s great senior technical advisor at
to get back to the basics, ask the simple ques- Elmatica. To read past
columns or contact The
tions, and before thinking about the cool and PCB Norsemen, click here.
advanced features, make sure that what you are
thinking of designing, actually is designable.
Just ask, and you will get an answer. And make
sure the source is reliable, because that’s what
you expect from your PCB. PCB007
JUNE 2021 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 37AIStorm’s AI-in-Imager Solutions Fujitsu Signs Strategic Collaboration
Use Tower Semiconductor’s Hi-K VIA Agreement with AWS E
Capacitor Memory E Fujitsu announced a Strategic Collaboration
AIStorm and Tower Semiconductor announced Agreement with Amazon Web Services, Inc.
that AIStorm’s new AI-in-imager products (AWS), an Amazon.com company, to acceler-
will feature AIStorm’s electron multiplication ate the digital transformation (DX) of the mo-
architecture and Tower’s Hi-K VIA capaci- bility industry.
tor memory, instead of digital calculations, to
perform AI computation at the pixel level. GENERA, Henkel to Drive End-use
Production in Additive Manufacturing E
WIMI Hologram Cloud’s AI, AR Builds GENERA recently joined Henkel’s Open
5G Holographic Cloud Ecosystem E Materials Platform with the intention of pro-
MobiusTrend, the fintech market research or- viding additive manufacturing solutions at
ganization, recently released a research report production scale.
“WIMI Hologram Cloud’s AI and AR Builds a
5G Holographic Cloud Ecosystem, Apple and PsiQuantum, GLOBALFOUNDRIES to
Facebook Accelerate the Development of AR Build World’s First Full-scale
Devices on the Consumer Market.”
Quantum Computer E
PsiQuantum, the leading quantum comput-
Yageo, Hon Hai to Form Semiconductor ing company focused on delivering a 1 mil-
Joint Venture, XSemi E lion-plus qubit quantum computer, and GLO-
Yageo Group and Hon Hai Technology Group BALFOUNDRIES (GF), a global leader in
announced to enter into a joint venture agree- feature-rich semiconductor manufacturing,
ment to form XSemi Corporation. The goal of announced a major breakthrough in their
this newly established joint venture is to extend partnership to build the world’s first full-scale
the businesses into the semiconductor indus- commercial quantum computer.
try, including product development and sales.
Silicon Wafer Shipments Edge Higher in
Researchers Develop New Graphene- Q1 2021 to Set New Record E
based Sensor Technology for Wearable Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in-
Medical Devices E creased 4% to 3,337 million square inches
Researchers at AMBER, the SFI Centre for in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the
Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Re- fourth quarter of 2020, topping the previous
search, and from Trinity’s School of Physics, historical high set in the third quarter of 2018,
have developed next-generation, graphene- according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers
based sensing technology using their innova- Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the
tive G-Putty material. silicon wafer industry.
38 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021www.emctw.com | EMC.INFS@mail.emctw.com
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TECHNICA, U.S.A. 1-800-909-8697 • www.technica.comTLPS Z-Axis Interconnect Solutions for Thermal
Transfer and Electrical Connection in PCBs
Article by Catherine Shearer this problem by using plated through-holes in-
and Gary Legerton troduce undesirable resonance structures and
EMD ELECTRONICS, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA consume precious real estate that could other-
wise be used for routing.
Abstract Transient liquid phase sintering (TLPS)
The electronic packaging industry is un- paste vias can be used to either augment or re-
dergoing a revolutionary convergence be- place sequentially formed plated microvia in-
tween the printed circuit board segment and terconnects, which necessitate multiple lami-
the semiconductor packaging segment. New, nation cycles, as well as plated through-holes
streamlined and hybrid package architectures (PTHs) with their attendant loss of routing
are emerging to meet future product require- density and lossy stubs. TLPS-filled Z-axis in-
ments—particularly for mobile electronics terconnect layers can be fabricated in parallel
and infrastructure to support industry mega- with individual X-Y trace layers or PCB sub-
trends like 5G. There are new challenges for constructions of multiple layers with PTH, in-
forming electrical interconnections between terleaved, and laminated in a single cycle. The
different types of package elements while circuit layers thus electrically joined through
maintaining high volume manufacturability the Z-axis can be of the same or different mate-
and reliability. rials, complexity, and native construction. The
In particular, the use of high speed and high adhesive surrounding the TLPS interconnects
frequency dielectric materials complicates and mechanically joining the circuit layers can
the PCB fabrication process. Generally, these be prepreg or film adhesive and be selected for
low-loss and low Dk materials are not amena- its adhesive, dielectric, and mechanical char-
ble to multiple lamination cycles due to the na- acteristics. With an appropriate adhesive lay-
ture of their chemistry; however, convention- er, the TLPS Z-axis interconnect concept is
al PCB fabrication techniques that circumvent extendable to applications outside of PCB
40 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2021You can also read
