Electronics Manufacturing Technical Articles

Miniaturizing IoT Designs

Nov 23, 2016 | Tom Nordman, Pasi Rahikkala

As we wirelessly connect more and more devices to the Internet, electronics engineers face several challenges, including how to package a radio transmitter into their existing device real estate and how to make increasingly smaller devices. They’re also striving to meet consumer demand for Internet of Things (IoT) products that are ergonomically easy to use and unobtrusive to the environment.

This whitepaper explores the challenges that come with designing connected devices into increasingly smaller products, specifically antenna integration, and how system-inpackage modules can help....

Publisher: Silicon Labs

How Mitigation Techniques Affect Reliability Results for BGAs

Nov 17, 2016 | Greg Caswell, Melissa Keener

Since 2006 RoHS requirements have required lead free solders to take the place of tin-lead solders in electronics. The problem is that in some environments the lead free solders are less reliable than the older tin-lead solders. One of the ways to solve this problem is to corner stake, edge bond or underfill the components. When considering what mitigation technique and material to use, the operating conditions must be characterized. The temperature range is important when selecting a material to use since the glass transition temperature (Tg) and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are important properties. If improperly chosen, the mitigation material can cause more failures than an unmitigated component....

Publisher: DfR Solutions (acquired by ANSYS Inc)

A High Thermal Conductive Solderable Adhesive

Nov 17, 2016 | Dr. Mary Liu and Dr Wusheng Yin

With increasing LED development and production, thermal issues are becoming more and more important for LED devices, particularly true for high power LED and also for other high power devices. In order to dissipate the heat from the device efficiently, Au80Sn20 alloy is being used in the industry now. However there are a few drawbacks for Au80Sn20 process: (1) higher soldering temperature, usually higher than 320°C; (2) low process yield; (3) too expensive. In order to overcome the shortcomings of Au80Sn20 process, YINCAE Advanced Materials, LLC has invented a new solderable adhesive – TM 230. Solderable adhesives are epoxy based silver adhesives. During the die attach reflow process, the solder material on silver can solder silver together, and die with pad together. After soldering, epoxy can encapsulate the soldered interface, so that the thermal conductivity can be as high as 58 W/mk. In comparison to Au80Sn20 reflow process, the solderable adhesive has the following advantages: (1) low process temperature – reflow peak temperature of 230°C; (2) high process yield – mass reflow process instead of thermal compression bonding process; (3) low cost ownership. In this paper we are going to present the die attach process of solderable adhesive and the reliability test. After 1000 h lighting of LED, it has been found that there is almost no decay in the light intensity by using solderable adhesive – TM 230. ...

Publisher: YINCAE Advanced Materials, LLC.

Corrosion Resistant Servers for Free-Air Cooling Data Centers

Nov 10, 2016 | Qiujiang Liu; Baidu, Inc., Prabjit Singh; IBM

The demand for compute capability is growing rapidly fueling the ever rising consumption of power by data centers the worldwide. This growth in power consumption presents a challenge to data center total cost of ownership. Free-air cooling is one of the industrial trends in reducing power consumption, the power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio, and the total cost of ownership (TCO). Free-air cooling is a viable approach in many parts of the world where the air is reasonably clean. In Eastern China, the poor quality of air, high in particle and gaseous contamination, is a major obstacle to free-air cooling. Servers exposed to outside air blowing in to data centers will corrode and fail at high rate. The poor reliability of hardware increase TCO dramatically.

This paper describes a corrosion resistant server design suitable for reliable operation in a free-air cooling data center located in Eastern China where the indoor air quality can be as poor as ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) severity level G3. An accelerated corrosion test method of verifying hardware reliability in the ASHRAE severity level G3 environment is also described....

Publisher: IBM Corporation

The Impact of LV 214-4 – The German Automotive OEM Connector Test Specification

Nov 10, 2016 | Rob Boyd, Senior Product Manager, Schleuniger, Inc.

It goes without saying that every manufacturer wants to ensure they are producing a quality product. Standards and specifications from various organizations provide a guideline from which manufacturers can measure different areas of quality, while also providing the end user with the reassurance that they are purchasing a trustworthy, long-lasting product. Within the wire processing industry there are many standards that manufacturers may choose or be required to adhere to. These standards and specifications are constantly evolving and increasing in detail, especially as monitoring technology improves. ...

Publisher: Schleuniger, Inc.

Is coating adhesion a problem?

Nov 09, 2016 | Dave Selestak, Alex Berlin, and Carla Loeffler

Nordson MARCH found a solution for a manufacturer of PCBAs used in ruggedized environments. Read how plasma prior to conformal coating reduced defects and virtually eliminated coating-related failures....

Publisher: MARCH Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

How can you tell the differences between revisions of the same board?

Nov 08, 2016 | Simon Garrison

Over time most PCB designs need to change – a mistake is found, or a part becomes obsolete, etc. Typically once the changes are complete, a new set of manufacturing files (Gerbers, NC Drill files, BOM, Pick and Place, etc) are generated, and the updated design is stored as separate version within a version control system. Using a version control system makes it possible for design teams to go back later and compare differences between design versions. ****** http://www.numericalinnovations.com/blogs/news/gerber-comparisons-between-revisions-of-the-same-board *****...

Publisher: Numerical Innovations

A Novel Method for the Fabrication of a High-Density Carbon Nanotube Microelectrode Array

Nov 03, 2016 | Adam Khalifa, Zhaoli Gao, Amine Bermak, Yi Wang, Leanne Lai Hang Chan

We present a novel method for fabricating a high-density carbon nanotube microelectrode array (MEA) chip. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) were synthesized by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition and thermal chemical vapor deposition. The device was characterized using electrochemical experiments such as cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy and potential transient measurements. Through-silicon vias (TSVs) were fabricated and partially filled with polycrystalline silicon to allow electrical connection from the high-density electrodes to a stimulator microchip.

In response to the demand for higher resolution implants, we have developed a unique process to obtain a high-density electrode array by making the microelectrodes smaller in size and designing new ways of routing the electrodes to current sources....

Publisher: Hong Kong University of Science

Press Fit Technology Roadmap and Control Parameters for a High Performance Process

Oct 27, 2016 | Jose Becerra, Dennis Willie and Murad Kurwa

Press-fit technology is a proven and widely used and accepted interconnection method for joining electronics assemblies. Printed Circuit Board Assembly Systems and typical functional subassemblies are connected through press-fit connectors.

The Press-Fit Compliant Pin is a proven interconnect termination to reliably provide electrical and mechanical connections from a Printed Circuit Board to an Electrical Connector. Electrical Connectors are then interconnected together providing board to board electrical and mechanical inter-connection. Press-Fit Compliant Pins are housed within Connectors and used on Backplanes, Mid-planes and Daughter Card Printed Circuit Board Assemblies. High reliability OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) computer designs continue to use press-fit connections to overcome challenges associated with soldering, rework, thermal cycles, installation and repair.

This paper investigates the technical roadmap for press fit technology, putting special attention to main characteristics such, placement and insertion, inspection, repair, pin design trends, challenges and solutions. Critical process control parameters within an assembly manufacturing are highlighted....

Publisher: Flex (Flextronics International)

Focus on Biosensors

Oct 24, 2016 | Innovative Sensor Technology

Biosensors – a new Sensor Type from IST AG What are Biosensors? A biosensor is a device capable of detecting a certain substance or analyte with high specificity. Examples of such analytes are glucose, lactate, glutamine and glutamate. Most biosensors measure the concentration of an analyte in an aqueous solution, usually producing an electrical signal, which is proportional to the analyte’s concentration in its measuring range. An enzymatic biosensor comprises an enzyme, which recognizes and reacts with the target analyte generating a chemical signal, a transducer, which produces a physical signal out of that chemical one, and an electronic amplifier, which conditions and amplifies the signal. Biosensors allow the analysis in complex biological media. The detection of a large number of compounds is of great relevance not only for scientific research but also for process control in the chemical and food industry. It is also indispensable in the health care field for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and monitoring of illnesses. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries greatly desire frequent to continuous analysis of biological media. Such analyses are conducted with the aid of analytical instruments like HPLC systems, which, although robust and reliable, are expensive and have a limited suitability for online operation. For this reason, the acquisition of Jobst Technologies GmbH positions IST AG as a key provider of high-performance and reliable online biosensors. ...

Publisher: Innovative Sensor Technology, USA Division