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UHDI Fundamentals: Talking UHDI with John Johnson, Part 3
March 7, 2024 | Steve Williams, The Right Approach Consulting LLCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Editor’s note: This is the final installment in a three-part series. View Part 1 and Part 2.
American Standard Circuits is an early adopter of Averatek’s A-SAP process for its ultra high density interconnect (UHDI) products. In this final part of my interview with industry veteran John Johnson, vice president of business development at American Standard Circuits, we use photos, slides, and materials to discuss what he learned from his previous role at Averatek.
Steve Williams: John, let’s talk about the design benefits of UHDI technology.
John Johnson: It’s really amazing what you can do with UDHI technology. There are some things you have to watch out for in a design and because you can do the ultra-fine lines and spaces, a designer has a lot of things in their toolkit. You have via-in-pad plated over microvias, stacked and staggered microvias, and other different structures. But when designing with A-SAP, you first need to focus on using that ultra-fine line and then going to the other design aspects. Maybe use staggered microvias or several levels of staggered microvias and then use a stacked microvia if you really have to. That removes some reliability traps we've had to deal with because we couldn't reach those ultra-fine lines.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the February 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
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American Standard Circuits Manufactures IC Substrate Designs Featuring 5–7 Stacked Microvias
02/13/2026 | American Standard CircuitsAmerican Standard Circuits (ASC), a leading U.S. manufacturer of advanced printed circuit board solutions, has successfully manufactured and shipped multiple IC substrate designs incorporating 5 to 7 stacked microvias using the company’s advanced Ultra High Density Interconnect (UHDI) manufacturing platform.
Fresh PCB Concepts: Choosing Via Types—A Practical Guide for PCB Engineers
12/18/2025 | Team NCAB -- Column: Fresh PCB ConceptsWhen you first learn PCB routing, vias look like plumbing: holes that let signals pass between layers. As designs become denser and products shrink, vias develop from simple interconnects into deliberate engineering choices. Selecting between through-hole, blind, buried, microvia, or advanced options like skip vias is a balancing act between electrical performance, manufacturability, cost, and long-term reliability. In HDI boards, via strategy is as consequential as the stackup, material selection, or component placement.
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Technology and Automated Inspection
11/03/2025 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsFollowing up on the last article on integrating ultra high density interconnect (UHDI) PCB technologies and Quality 5.0, here we will do a deeper dive into the automated inspection component. UHDI applications demand extreme precision, with line/space dimensions below 25 µm and microvias below 30 µm. Automated inspection systems are essential to achieving the defect-free fabrication required at these scales, and legacy automated inspection systems are becoming obsolete and ineffective.
UHDI Fundamentals: UHDI Technology and Industry 4.0
09/03/2025 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsUltra high density interconnect (UHDI) technology is rapidly transforming how smart systems are designed and deployed in the context of Industry 4.0. With its capacity to support highly miniaturized, high-performance, and densely packed electronics, UHDI is a critical enabler of the smart, connected, and automated industrial future. Here, I’ll explore the synergy between UHDI and Industry 4.0 technologies, highlighting applications, benefits, and future directions.
Connect the Dots: Sequential Lamination in HDI PCB Manufacturing
07/31/2025 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsAs HDI technology becomes mainstream in high-speed and miniaturized electronics, understanding the PCB manufacturing process can help PCB design engineers create successful, cost-effective designs using advanced technologies. Designs that incorporate blind and buried vias, boards with space constraints, sensitive signal integrity requirements, or internal heat dissipation concerns are often candidates for HDI technology and usually require sequential lamination to satisfy the requirements.