-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSales: From Pitch to PO
From the first cold call to finally receiving that first purchase order, the July PCB007 Magazine breaks down some critical parts of the sales stack. To up your sales game, read on!
The 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.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Unique Look Behind the Scenes of AT&S Research
May 23, 2024 | AT&SEstimated reading time: 3 minutes

The technology leader AT&S already holds almost 800 patents and is giving an insight into its R&D departments in Leoben at the “Long Night of Research” on May 24. But some things remain top secret: the new research center and Europe’s first substrate plant recently installed a high-tech machine that is unique in the world. It allows the exposure of substrate structures that are 14 times thinner than a human hair.
“No photography” and “Restricted Area” – as if these signs weren’t enough, the high-tech machine is also concealed behind a plastic screen. What stands here in the protective yellow light of the clean room is the pride and joy of the R&D team at the new substrate research center “HTB3” in Leoben.
From the outside, the cube-shaped machine is inconspicuous. And yet: there is no other machine like it in the world and it would cost several million euros to buy – but AT&S has been provided with it by the manufacturer as a prototype for six months for testing purposes. This provides the production company with practical data to make the device ready for series production, and the AT&S engineers have a special tool to carry out invaluable R&D analyses in parallel with production.
The inner workings are spectacular: the machine is an exposure tool for lithography, a so-called Direct Imager, which can expose extremely fine structures in substrate production. In microtechnology, the micrometer is the measure of all things: 1 micrometer (1 μm) is a thousandth of a millimeter. The conductor tracks that can be produced using this exposure device are only 5 μm wide (0.005 mm). By comparison, a human hair is around 70 μm thick (0.07 mm) – and therefore 14 times wider.
The team led by Leoben R&D expert Timo Schwarz has been testing the Direct Imager since May and has carried out countless analyses. The new R&D tool enables a high resolution in combination with greater depth of field, generally more configuration options, unlimited design variations and a faster, more flexible and resource-saving test phase compared to other technologies. “For the first time in Europe, we are researching the further development of our IC substrate technology under near-production conditions, creating added value for us and our partners,” Schwarz is proud of the development in Leoben.
What are substrates?
In simple terms, substrates are reduction couplings from printed circuit boards to the chip. They connect the tiny inputs and outputs of powerful microchips (such as in graphics cards) with the much larger structures of the printed circuit board. Today, substrates are an important basis for all forms of data processing. AT&S already holds almost 800 patents for the manufacture of IC substrates and high-tech printed circuit boards. More than a fifth of the company’s turnover is the result of the innovative strength of AT&S research. “The fact that we not only support top customers with AT&S, but are even development partners for many of them, shows the trust and appreciation that we enjoy with our technological excellence,” says AT&S Head of Research Hannes Voraberger. “Especially in Europe, a focus on research and development of highly complex microelectronics is essential to avoid becoming economically and technologically dependent.”
AT&S CTO Peter Griehsnig also emphasizes the aspects of sustainability: “AT&S’s R&D activities contribute to sustainable development in two ways: Firstly, innovative tools in research work save valuable amounts of time, costs and materials, and secondly, the products created with them ensure more efficient data transmission and smart, green energy efficiency for our end customers.”
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Global PCB Connections: Let the Spec Fit the Board, Not Just the Brand
07/17/2025 | Jerome Larez -- Column: Global PCB ConnectionsIf you’ve ever seen an excellent PCB quote delayed, or worse, go cold because of a single line on the fab print, you’re not alone. Often, that line reads something like, “Use 370HR only,” or “IT-180A required.” These and other brand-name materials are proven performers, but unless your design needs that specific resin system (say, for RF performance, thermal reliability, or stringent CAF resistance), you may inadvertently be holding your job hostage.
'Air Sovereignty' for AT&S: Gold Status Underpins Highest Aerospace Competence in Leoben
06/19/2025 | AT&SThe systems that control modern aircraft are subject to the strictest requirements in the electronics industry. Suppliers to aviation companies must therefore have their production facilities and processes inspected annually by independent auditors as part of the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (Nadcap).
Leonardo DRS Awarded $41 Million Contract to Provide Combat Management System Hardware for U.S. and Allied Navies
06/11/2025 | BUSINESS WIRELeonardo DRS, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a $41 million contract from the Naval Sea Systems Command to continue delivering critical combat management system hardware for U.S. Navy surface combatants, allied naval forces, and the U.S. Coast Guard.
IPC Hall of Fame Spotlight Series: Highlighting Bob Neves
06/11/2025 | Dan Feinberg, I-Connect007Many IPC members who have contributed significantly to IPC and our industry have been awarded the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame (HOF) Award. This Hall of Fame spotlight features industry veteran Bob Neves, who joined IPC in 1986 and was inducted into the IPC Hall of Fame in 2007.
Elementary, Mr. Watson: PCB Routing: The Art—and Science—of Connection
06/11/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonMany people who design circuit boards love the routing part of the design. This is partially because we want to stop looking at the annoying rat's nest of connections, which seem to have no rhyme or reason at first glance. We want to get to something more exciting. Routing is the ultimate part of solving the puzzle. You take all the messy lines from the schematic and turn them into neat, organized paths.