-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Hole Truth: Via Integrity in an HDI World
From the drilled hole to registration across multiple sequential lamination cycles, to the quality of your copper plating, via reliability in an HDI world is becoming an ever-greater challenge. This month we look at “The Hole Truth,” from creating the “perfect” via to how you can assure via quality and reliability, the first time, every time.
In Pursuit of Perfection: Defect Reduction
For bare PCB board fabrication, defect reduction is a critical aspect of a company's bottom line profitability. In this issue, we examine how imaging, etching, and plating processes can provide information and insight into reducing defects and increasing yields.
Voices of the Industry
We take the pulse of the PCB industry by sharing insights from leading fabricators and suppliers in this month's issue. We've gathered their thoughts on the new U.S. administration, spending, the war in Ukraine, and their most pressing needs. It’s an eye-opening and enlightening look behind the curtain.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
14th Electronic Circuits World Convention
June 20, 2017 | Happy HoldenEstimated reading time: 10 minutes
Henry Utsunomiya is noted for his innovative ideas. This presentation was about semiconductor packaging trends and consisted of four parts:
Background and Motivation—data quantity is increasing exponentially, from 12 zetabytes in 2016 to 40 zetabytes by 2025, system trends in performance increasing exponentially also, while Moore’s Law is coming to an end. As wafer costs rise due to process complexity and yield. Only four companies can provide the most advanced technology: TSMC, Global Foundries, Intel and Samsung
Ending of CMOS—it is projected that semiconductor scaling will end by around 2020
More than Moore (heterogeneous integration)—process scaling will stop supporting diverse functionalities on a single die, instead for cost reasons, die will want to break into specialized components to maximize the value of new and existing process nodes. 3D and die stacking on interposers will generate the best prices for performance (Figure 15)
Summary—high performance will be wafer level packaging while lowest cost and size will be panel level packaging. The next generation of substrate technologies will be (Figure 16):
- Extensions of buildup substrates
- Thin film interposer plus buildup substrate
- Glass substrates
- Rough pitch silicon interposer
- Fine pitch silicon interposer
Figure 15: Next-generation substrate technology comparison. (Source: JPCA 2015 Roadmap and H. Utsunomiya.)
Figure 16: Substrate for mobile computing trends. (Source: Qualcomm, Mod by H. Utsunomiya.)
Closing
The closing was a solemn affair, with only about 20 of us left. Although the conference was well-planned, the unexpected Korean Peninsular tensions led many to leave the show early or avoid coming altogether. The WECC World Conference was officially closed and turned over to the next group to host the conference in 2020, Hong Kong PCA.
KPCA Show
The KPCA show had a good first-day attendance. But then the aisles thinned out over the next two days.
Figures 17 and 18 show an overview of the KPCA Exhibition.
Figures 17 and 18: KPCA exhibition held in conjunction with ECWC14.
Page 5 of 6
Suggested Items
Trouble in Your Tank: Can You Drill the Perfect Hole?
07/07/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankIn the movie “Friday Night Lights,” the head football coach (played by Billy Bob Thornton) addresses his high school football team on a hot day in August in West Texas. He asks his players one question: “Can you be perfect?” That is an interesting question, in football and the printed circuit board fabrication world, where being perfect is somewhat elusive. When it comes to mechanical drilling and via formation, can you drill the perfect hole time after time?
The Evolution of Picosecond Laser Drilling
06/19/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIs it hard to imagine a single laser pulse reduced not only from nanoseconds to picoseconds in its pulse duration, but even to femtoseconds? Well, buckle up because it seems we are there. In this interview, Dr. Stefan Rung, technical director of laser machines at Schmoll Maschinen GmbH, traces the technology trajectory of the laser drill from the CO2 laser to cutting-edge picosecond and hybrid laser drilling systems, highlighting the benefits and limitations of each method, and demonstrating how laser innovations are shaping the future of PCB fabrication.
Day 2: More Cutting-edge Insights at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/18/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The European Institute for the PCB Community (EIPC) summer conference took place this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 3-4. This is the third of three articles on the conference. The other two cover Day 1’s sessions and the opening keynote speech. Below is a recap of the second day’s sessions.
Day 1: Cutting Edge Insights at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/17/2025 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007The European Institute for the PCB Community (EIPC) Summer Conference took place this year in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 3-4. This is the second of three articles on the conference. The other two cover the keynote speeches and Day 2 of the technical conference. Below is a recap of the first day’s sessions.
Preventing Surface Prep Defects and Ensuring Reliability
06/10/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineIn printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication, surface preparation is a critical process that ensures strong adhesion, reliable plating, and long-term product performance. Without proper surface treatment, manufacturers may encounter defects such as delamination, poor solder mask adhesion, and plating failures. This article examines key surface preparation techniques, common defects resulting from improper processes, and real-world case studies that illustrate best practices.