-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueMechatronics
Our expert contributors discuss the advent of mechatronics in PCB design, the challenges and opportunities this creates for circuit board designers, and the benefits—to the employee and the company—of becoming a mechatronics engineer.
Creating a Culture of Collaboration
PCB designers could learn quite a bit from NASA and the private companies that develop spacecraft: Every one of these vehicles is a testament to the value of collaboration among disparate stakeholders. Without a collaborative culture, the rocket might never get off the ground.
Breaking High-speed Material Constraints
Do you need specialty materials for your high-speed designs? Maybe not. Improvements in resins mean designers of high-speed boards can sometimes use traditional laminate systems. Learn more in this issue.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Zuken and CSA Catapult Present Results of R&D Collaboration
December 8, 2022 | ZukenEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Zuken, a global leader in the area of software and solutions for electronic and electrical engineering, and Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult are announcing an important milestone in their R&D collaboration aimed at building a development environment for state-of-the-art compound semiconductor products.
CSA Catapult is a UK government-funded non-profit organization headquartered in South Wales that was founded to help the UK become a global leader in compound semiconductors. Working with both large companies and start-ups, CSA Catapult develops and commercializes new semiconductor technology applications.
Collaborating with Zuken on a project to bring a power module layout from a graphical concept to a 3D model, CSA Catapult has identified several requirements and optimizations to Zuken’s CR-8000 Design Force chip, package and PCB co-design software that will provide designers of power electronic products with the ability to co-develop mechanical and electrical design in unison. The integration with industry simulation tools enables the efficient design iteration needed to effectively explore the design envelope for new compound semiconductor products.
As a result of the collaboration, an intuitive function was created to generate interconnections between chips and copper layers in a substrate or a printed circuit board, as well as a function to export a CAD model in a format compatible with FEM software. These advanced features will help designers significantly decrease the time required to generate a 3D model of the power module substrate, chip layout, and chip-to-chip, as well as chip-to-copper interconnections.
Dr. Alejandro Villarruel Parra, senior power electronics engineer at CSA Catapult, said, “The creation of a 3D model of the substrate, chip layout, and chip interconnections is an important part of the early-stage power module design process. Zuken’s advanced design solutions have helped to provide a preview of the module performance, which in turn makes our decision-making process faster when several concepts are being compared or helps to steer the refinement of the module geometry if a concept has already been selected.”
The new capability is included in the 2022 release of CR-8000 Design Force.
Suggested Items
Trouble in Your Tank: Materials for PWB Fabrication—Drillability and Metallization
07/16/2024 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankLaminate materials are the building blocks on which printed circuit boards are manufactured. Circuit board designers rely on the critical electrical properties of the materials to design the interconnects, and with the drive toward IoT (internet of things), autonomous driving, and virtual and augmented reality, material properties take on a very high level of importance.
Beyond Prepreg: The Glassless ‘Revolution’
06/25/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineAs our industry rallies around the call to action for HDI and UHDI, we find unparalleled and myriad laminate options. This abundance is rivaled only by the question surrounding them: Can they measure up to the high technology packaging demands required in our near future? Unsurprisingly, recent developments in FR-4-esque materials for high-speed and high-density designs, as well as newer, glassless technology for replacing traditional glass-impregnated laminates and prepreg, are garnering much interest. I caught up with Alun Morgan, technology ambassador for Ventec International Group, to ask about the impending “glassless revolution” and how it’s poised to solve some of our manufacturing challenges.
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Lamination and Materials
06/19/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsAs many of you have likely figured out, I am quite passionate about the subject of designing PCBs for the reality of manufacturing. I wrote a book about it and I participate in an I-Connect007 On the Line with… podcast series dedicated to the subject. This companion article will focus on multilayer lamination, keeping the bigger picture in mind: Realistic PCB designs should prioritize manufacturability and reliability of the PCB as well as meet the other design requirements. So, one must account for the production variables associated with individual manufacturing partners.
Day 2: A Full Day at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/19/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Editor's note: This is the third and final report from the EIPC Summer Conference. It was a bright and early start to the second day of the 2024 EIPC Summer Conference at the European Space Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, June 4-5. A short journey by bus from the hotel in Leiden and our security passes from the day before got us through the gate and to our seats in the Newton Room for Session 4, “Material Studies,” moderated by Martyn Gaudion.
Looking Into Space: EIPC Summer Conference, Part 2
06/17/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007“Innovative Development of PCB Technology and Design” was the theme of the second session of the 2024 EIPC Summer Conference, June 4-5, at the European Space Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.