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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.
Suggested Items
Financial Risks of Ignoring Copper Grain
11/01/2023 | Alex Stepinski, Stepinski GroupThe topic of intrinsic copper structure has been largely neglected in discussions regarding the PCB fabrication quality control process. At face value, this seems especially strange considering that copper has been the primary conductor in all wiring boards and substrates since they were first invented. IPC and other standards almost exclusively address copper thickness with some mild attention being paid to surface structure for signal loss-mitigation/coarse properties.
Happy Holden on Gerry Partida’s ‘Significant’ Microvia Reliabilty Paper
12/30/2022 | Happy Holden, I-Connect007Gerry Partida, vice president of technology at Summit Interconnect, authored a technical paper, “Next Progression in Microvia Reliability Validation—Reflow Simulation of a PCB Design Attributes and Material Structural Properties During the PCB Design Process,” at IPC APEX EXPO 2022, and it’s worth revisiting. This significant paper on microvia reliability validation provides a summary of what’s been happening in the microvia fabrication arena, especially regarding the issue of latent defects in stacked microvias.
Microvias Can Be Stacked in Certain Package Densities
10/13/2022 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamSummit Interconnect’s Gerry Partida recently spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team about his research into root causes of weak microvias. Rather than a single manufacturing process cause, Gerry suggests that microvia reliability is the culmination of several material interactions and that contrary to popular belief, microvias can still be stacked in small, tight packaging densities. He highlights the need for simulation, as well as some of his findings that he plans to publish in a paper at IPC APEX EXPO 2023.
DFM 101: PCB Via Structures
11/02/2021 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsOne of the biggest challenges facing PCB designers is not understanding the cost drivers in the PCB manufacturing process. This article is the latest in a series that will discuss these cost drivers (from the PCB manufacturer’s perspective) and the design decisions that will impact product reliability.
November 2020 Issue of Design007 Magazine Available Now
11/09/2020 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamThere has been quite a bit of activity in the world of vias, especially microvias. For the November issue of Design007 Magazine, we lined up a group of expert contributors to discuss the best methods for designing reliable vias and microvias.