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Maria Mejias and her team at Intel work on the cutting edge of rework techniques. Tasked with characterizing rework processes for Intel’s boards and packages, Maria’s work is on the vanguard. We spoke to Maria about how her team works, what it’s like to be on the cutting edge of rework, and what contract manufacturers should expect.
Nolan Johnson: We're exploring rework and the associated costs. What is your involvement with it?
Maria Mejias: I have been with Intel for 24 years, with my last nine in Oregon as part of the Test and Platform Technology Development (TPTD) group. I have been involved in rework as a module engineer, a program manager, and as an engineering manager. My group oversees the rework development for Intel’s new products, and we create and define the rework process recommendations. Before I joined this team, I was part of the engineering team at Assembly and Test group in Intel Costa Rica where I had different roles during my 15 years there.
Johnson: What are the emerging trends from the semiconductor sector?
Mejias: We are seeing a trend where space is very important; we try to optimize the space and the functionality as much as we can. There are a lot of challenges where there are more limitations in space, which could induce the risk to create defects on the board and adjacent components during the component repair.
The range of packages sizes varies and on one side you have small packages with small ball pitch and on the other side we have large form factor packages. We work with both tendencies in package sizes and designs to develop robust rework processes that meet the product requirements.
Read the rest of this article, which appeared in the January 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
