Rethinking Interconnects With VeCS Technology

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Nolan Johnson and Happy Holden chat with Joe Dickson of WUS about the work he’s done with VeCS, the continuing development of the technology, and the potential impact it can have on the manufacturing floor.

Nolan Johnson: Joe, you recently posted some information on interconnect strategies.

Joe Dickson: Yes. The last thing I posted on that topic was regarding HDI, VeCS, and other interconnects in one PCB, and that’s the evolution of VeCS. Happy can talk to the PCB, HDI, and the idea that HDI would be the replacement of vias early in the development. There were some PCBs; it did happen where through-hole connections were no longer required. But in many applications, HDI became a collaborative tool to be utilized in specific locations, and the rest of it maintained a relatively conventional product. And that’s where the highest level of benefits came, both from value engineering and the standpoint of cost reductions with performance.

That’s where WUS sees VeCS moving to now; initially, the thought was VeCS could somehow replace all types of interconnects in the early stages, and that’s what many people were considering. That’s not going to be the case, at least from what we see. That will be used as an application tool with HDI with through-hole and most likely in combination with those moving forward.

Johnson: Theoretically, a board could be using VeCS, HDI, and traditional at the same time— three different topologies—depending on what you need?

Dickson: I expect that. If you look at where the industry is going, as well as the roadmap of system-on-chip and FPGA-type technologies, you’re trying to do more and more on organic substrates outside of the PCB. That’s going to work well as an enabling process to leverage technology and get it to the forefront for performance now. Right behind that should be some level of value engineering, where those systems can be utilized and moved into the PCB. That’s where some of the transformational value engineering will come. You’ll enable it.

It’s the same type of evolution that’s happening with 400G, which is already out there. We’re building products to support it, initially using flyover optical cabling and even flyover copper cabling, because the interconnects and PCB technologies may not have been there to support that.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the July 2020 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.