Global SMT & Packaging - January 2010 Americas edition

Bryan GassInterview Inside

Volume 10 Number 1, January 2010 ISSN 1474 - 0893

2010 Company MilestonesAlso Global SMT & Packaging’s 10th anniversaryTRACK, TRACE & CONTROL: HIGH PRODUCTION OUTPUT AT LOW COSTS

FAILURE DEFINITION—NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS

SYNERGY, THE OCCAm PROCESS AND TWISTED WIRE INTERCONNECT

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Contents

ContentsGlobal SMT & Packagingis published monthly

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ISSN No. 1474-0893 © Trafalgar Publications Ltd

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Volume 10, No. 1

January 2010

32

18

2 Reading the future Trevor Galbraith

TechNology Focus

10 Guidelines for establishing a lead-free wave soldering pro-cess for high-reliability

J. Scott Nelson, Harris Corporation

18 Process challenges and solutions for embedding chip-on-board into mainstream SMT assembly

Mukul Luthra, Waterfall Technologies

22 Trace, track and control: high production output at low costs

François Monette, Cogiscan Inc. and Matt Van Bogart, Mi-croscan Systems, Inc.

special FeaTures

32 Interview—Bryan Gass, Techcon Systems36 Milestones 201038 Case Study: Reliability and versatility bring success in motor drive manufacturing

reGulAr ColuMNS

4 Synergy, the Occam process and twisted wire interconnect Joe Fjelstad

26 Global business climate: most indicators point north Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai

26 Failure definition—not as easy as it sounds Werner Engelmaier

oTHer reGulAr FeATureS

6 Industry News46 New Products52 Association News56 International Diary

10

A number of suppliers celebrate major milestones this year—page 36.

American edition

2 – Global SMT & Packaging – Celebrating 10 Years – January 2010 www.globalsmt.net

Editorial

Trevor GalbraithEditor-in-Chief

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Four million e-book reading devices were sold in 2009—this year, iSuppli expects that number to triple. They’re certainly being used by consumers—Amazon reports that on Christmas day electronic books for the Amazon Kindle outsold physical books for the first time ever. And at this year’s CES, e-book readers are, for the first time, getting their own dedicated “tech zone,” with 23 companies exhibiting.

Of particular interest at CES is the invitation-only, hands-on premier of the Skiff Reader, featuring the next generation of e-paper display from LG Display, which uses a thin, flexible sheet of stainless steel foil rather than glass. The 11.5” high-resolution display is also a touch screen. PlasticLogic’s Que, a “pro reader” designed with business professionals in mind, will also be on show, along with a raft of smaller, more consumer-oriented devices.

Even Ray Kurzweil is getting into the act with a his own

e-reader

platform, Blio, also set to debut at CES. Blio isn’t a device but software designed to open up e-reading to any device. It seems particularly well suited to tablet computers.

Speaking of which, not debuting at CES but at least as hotly anticipated is the rumored Apple tablet. Latest word is that it will be unveiled at an Apple event on January 27th.

Tablets may just turn out to be the true “pro reader” devices, allowing full color and multimedia-enhanced publications along with all the features and benefits of an actual computer. The Apple tablet will reportedly sell for $1,000. Plenty of Android, Linux and Windows-based offerings will come in well under that. Chip-maker Freescale, for instance, is debuting at CES a new tablet at the $200 price mark.

What does this mean for our Global SMT & Packaging readers, aside from the possibility that in the not too distance future you might be reading us from your own e-reader or tablet (if you’re not already!)? The growing popularity of e-reader devices and tablet computers—two technologies that aren’t exactly new but are finally experiencing a convergence of right technology/right time—is good news for the electronics manufacturing sector. These new devices bring with them manufacturing opportunities—iSuppli predicts 18 million sold in 2012—that will help our industry in its recovery.

—Trevor Galbraith

Reading the future

Title


Synergy is broadly defined as the additive benefit that is garnered when two or more seemingly unrelated elements are joined, combined or brought together in some manner. Perhaps the most common example used to help explain in simplest terms the fundamental idea of synergy is the equation 1 + 1 = 3. The term/concept of synergy seems very apt when applied to the interaction of the Occam process

solderless assembly concept in combination with a unique PCB interconnection technology called twisted wire interconnect or TWI. A description of this novel technology will help illustrate the potential.

The TWI approach has been around for a number of years, having been developed initially by Cray Computer Corporation in the late 80’s. However, the technology is now being prepared for commercialization by Medallion Technology (www.medalliontech.com) as the industry begins to face some of the challenges that face Cray Computer at that time. The idea came into being as a simple alternative to creating ever more complex and costly laminated multilayer boards. Simplicity was one of the signature features of Seymour Cray’s development. The basic idea of joining simple two-metal-layer circuits is similar in some ways to a concept developed by Tessera called TLS, an acronym for Tessera laminated substrate. TLS was employed to create multilayer substrates from simple two-metal-layer circuits that were joined, and

interconnection in the lamination step and components are then attached. In contrast, with TWI there is no lamination, and components are already attached on both sides. This is the technology’s unique “twist” instead (if a pun can be tolerated).

The fundamental unit of TWI technology is based on a twisted wire bundles of a high modulus (i.e. spring-like) metal which, by means of a specially developed tool, is clamped on one end and then twisted in reverse to unwind the wires creating something which looks similar to a string of small birds cages. (See Figure 1) These “spring bulges” can then be inserted into plated through hole vias to make interconnection between traditional PCB assemblies where required. TWI has some very compelling benefits and can be deployed it appears with relative ease, though designers must think and understand the design process in some new ways.

In practice, this enabling technology is implemented using two or more simple, low-cost, double-sided printed circuit

Synergy, the Occam process and twisted wire interconnect


Joe Fjelstad

Figure 1. Developed for a super computer, Twisted Wire Interconnection technology offers high density and high speed true z-axis, solderless, reworkable interconnection with a short signal path and no connector.

Figure 2. Occam and TWI technologies can be prospectively combined create a powerful high density and high performance solderless interconnection solution.



boards, which are fabricated and then populated on both sides with components. These assemblies are then joined and interconnected with TWI elements with expanded bulges in aligned plated though-hole vias to form a robust, solderless and compact assembly with free path convection cooling channels to assist in thermal management.

TWI technology has been demonstrated to provide an uncommonly facile and layout friendly means of PCB-to-PCB connection. Moreover, in many cases, the technology can obviate need for circuit route restriction and expensive, high-density connectors by allowing more direct interconnection pathways between assemblies offering shortest path interconnections down to a single point-to-point interconnection. Applications cited by the developers include those having restricted space in X, Y or Z dimensions, those having high thermal load challenges, needing improved overall reliability or those where cost reductions are required. With that shopping list of capabilities and prospective benefits, it is clear that TWI technology should eventually find many

customers, including those having interest in the Occam solderless assembly process.

For those unfamiliar with the Occam process, it is a simplified reverse electronic interconnection technology, wherein components are first encapsulated and then joined and interconnected by electroplating the circuits directly to component terminations. While the technique has been described as one where plated through holes are not normally required, when stacking Occam assemblies, in a manner similar to that anticipated for use in the twisted wire interconnection concept, there could be found significant synergistic benefits, chief among them is an robust 3D electronic assembly with limited elements and wherein no high temperature excursions are ever encountered. The high temperatures of lead-free solder remain one of the biggest challenges for electronics assembly today. There is also the fact that reliability is inversely related to thermal management and the number and range of thermal excursions encountered. The combined benefits are compelling and this is best illustrated by means of an illustration which is provided in Figure 2.

In summary, synergy, though not always predictable, is often an important part of both new technology development and the normal process of industry growth and expansion. While both twisted wire interconnection, as applied to standard electronic assemblies, and solderless assembly of electronics can exist and prosper apart from one another, when combined, they open the doors to new advantages and possibilities for future electronics.

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Industry NewsIndustry News

conformal coating at the speed of light: complimentary webinarDYMAX Corporation recently hosted a webinar called Conformal Coating at the Speed of Light: UV Conformal Coating from Start to Finish. The webinar focuses on cost savings of UV and how to qualify and maintain an effective UV conformal coating process. UV conformal coatings cure in seconds to allow for maximum process speed while consuming minimal energy and labor. As environmental regulations strengthen, budgets get tighter, and smaller circuits are positioned in harsher operating conditions, the technology is becoming increasingly accepted as a means to ensure performance throughout product lifecycle. This webinar features Jon Galaska, program manager, electronics, and Jennifer Mann, regional sales manager. Register to download the webinar from DYMAX’s website at www.dymax.com/conformal. The question and answer portion of the webinar is also available for review. www.dymax.com

Digi-Key corporation expands cTs distribution agreement to include Tusonix lineElectronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, expanded its agreement with CTS Corporation to include the Tusonix line of EMI/RFI filters, capacitor assemblies, and related components. A PTM Online...On Demand® product training module, which provides an overview of the products

available from Tusonix, is available on Digi-Key’s website. Discussed in the PTM are the series available as well as their features, benefits, and potential applications. www.digikey.com, www.tusonix.com

aqueous Technologies secure four machine orders as a result of productronicaAqueous Technologies Corp. has reaped the rewards of their reputation as a leading equipment provider and most-award-winning company in the industry with orders for four machines as a direct result of attending the recent Productronica event. Two of the four orders were for the multiple-award-winning Trident automatic de-fluxing system. One machine is on its way to Italy and another to Turkey. Orders were also secured on two Zero Ion G3 ionic contamination (cleanliness) testers, which are on their way to Italy and Switzerland. www.aqueoustech.com

New financing program for customersPanasonic Factory Solutions Company of America has announced a new financing program for customers purchasing Panasonic’s innovative manufacturing solutions for robotic arc welding as well as electronics assembly. The program from Panasonic Finance Solutions helps customers cover equipment and other soft costs though an array of finance solutions and customized lease plans. Through this

offering, customers can acquire equipment sooner to start producing on it and generating revenue. www.panasonicfa.com

essemtec establishes subsidiary in BrazilEssemtec Switzerland has founded “Essemtec do Brazil“ to win market share in Brazil. The subsidiary, based in Sao Paulo, provides complete production solutions for electronics manufacturers and support from one source. With “Essemtec do Brazil”, Brazilian electronics manufacturers now have a new competent contact and support directly from the machine manufacturer. The CEO of the new company, Roberto Cardozo, has many years of industry experience and also is familiar with Essemtec’s systems. For the short term, he will lead sales and technical support from Sao Paulo. However, expansion of the distribution network to Minas Gerais is planned for 2010. www.essemtec.com

FiNeTech gmbh acquires Martin gmbhFINETECH GmbH acquired Martin GmbH, a manufacturer of rework and dispensing equipment located in Wesseling, Germany. Martin’s product manufacturing will remain in Wesseling, and the brand name will be preserved. The well-established FINETECH sales, service and support organization will be supplemented by the existing Martin structure to provide an enhanced worldwide presence. With the acquisition, FINETECH offers the complete rework range, from simple hand-soldering technology and basic entry-level rework systems to advanced rework and bonding platforms for complex applications. www.finetechusa.com

semiconductor market declines less than expectedAlthough the global semiconductor industry has little to cheer about in 2009, with revenue dropping by 12.4 percent and only one of the Top-10 suppliers achieving growth for the year, there is one source of solace for the battered chip makers: it could have been much worse. “The year 2009 will be remembered as one of the most dismal years in the history of the

component demand recovery strains supply chainRising demand and increasing prices normally are a good thing for the electronic component business. However, because of uncertainty regarding fourth-quarter demand levels, component makers are reticent to expand capacity or build inventories, placing strains on the global electronics supply chain, according to iSuppli Corp. Prices for most major categories of electronic parts tracked by iSuppli’s Component Price Tracker (CPT) service rose in the third quarter compared to the second. Lead times in the third quarter also increased or were on an upward trend for nearly all parts categories tracked by iSuppli, i.e., analog parts, capacitors, standard logic ICs, discretes, filters/crystals, oscillators, connectors, resistors, magnetics and most memory devices. While electronics market visibility has improved, considerable uncertainty lingers regarding the market outlook in the first half of 2010. Most suppliers are likely to continue to hold off on significant capacity increases until their outlook improves. www.isuppli.com


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Industry News

global semiconductor business, with a plunge of more than $32 billion in revenue compared to 2008,” said Dale Ford, senior vice president at iSuppli Corp. “However, iSuppli’s preliminary estimate of a 12.4 percent decline is far better than expectations from early 2009 of a more than 20 percent plunge. www.isuppli.com

Keithley instruments sells rF product line to agilentKeithley Instruments, Inc., signed a definitive agreement with Agilent Technologies, Inc. to sell substantially all of its RF product line to Agilent. “Because we have placed a high emphasis on profitability in fiscal 2010 and beyond, we concluded that we could no longer continue to support our significant investment in RF measurement products, and should instead focus on growing our core business,” stated Joseph P. Keithley, the company’s chairman, president and CEO. It is anticipated that the majority of the RF team will become Agilent employees. Under the terms of the agreement, the company will transfer substantially all of the assets associated with the RF product line and Agilent will

assume certain related liabilities. Agilent will provide global sales, service and support for the existing RF product line. www.keithley.com

Zurvahn announces “scalable path-to-volume” Zurvahn Business centers (ZBcs)Zurvahn introduces the Zurvahn Business Centers (ZBCs), which allow OEMs and Tier 1 EMS providers to take advantage of its complete end-to-end EMS solution. ZBCs provide the best in class for OEMs and Tier 1 EMS providers who need local new product introduction (NPI) and low-volume high mix (LVHM) manufacturing services, which include engineering, prototyping, low-volume production, repair and refurbishment services, and then a “Scalable Path-to Volume” into Tier 1 EMS high-volume production. www.zurvahn.com

aiM adds to technical support team in chinaAIM hired Derek Wang as technical support engineer. Derek, who will focus on the support of AIM solder materials in the east of China, will be based in Suzhou, China. He may be reached by e-mail at

[email protected] or by phone at +86 13812799637. www.aimsolder.com

circuit Technology inc. completes ipc Training for general Microcircuits inc.Circuit Technology Inc, an IPC master training organization, recently completed IPC training for EMS provider General Microcircuits Inc. All associates at the Mooresville, NC, plant that interface with printed circuit boards in any way have been trained in either IPC-610 “workmanship standards and inspection criterion,” IPC-J-001 “process control for electronics,” and/or IPC-7711/7721 “rework and repair of PCBs.” In total, 61 IPC certifications were earned. www.circuittechnology.com

Matrix corp chooses DeK—againBetting on a sure thing, Wisconsin-based EMS provider Matrix Corp again turned to DEK when its operation was ready to expand. Having partnered with the mass imaging leader in its early years, Matrix’s positive experience with DEK led the high-mix manufacturer to select DEK’s Horizon 02i system and VectorGuard® stencil technology, enabling the company to realize measurable gains in productivity and performance. Matrix provides small- to mid-volume assembly services for clients in a variety of industries including medical electronics, industrial drives and controls, consumer-related products and more. www.dek.com

NBs inks sales representative agreement with uTi in New englandEMS provider NBS appointed Universal Technology Inc. as sales representatives in New England. UTI will represent NBS across a six-state region spanning from Maine to Connecticut. UTI was founded in 1992 and boasts a stellar history, including 20 different “Representative of the Year” and numerous Individual Design Win awards. www.nbscorp.com

Juki moves to new premises in Tama city, TokyoJuki Corporation has been constructing new office buildings in Tama city, Tokyo since April 2008 in order to combine its headquarters in Chofu-shi, Tokyo, and the research and development functions in Setagata-ku, Tokyo. JUKI has five bases, four domestic and one overseas for research and development (R&D). Juki’s Central Research and Development Laboratory, located in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, is a core base for such R&D functions. However, the operations become inefficient because it was far away from the headquarters. Therefore, JUKI decided to set up the new office buildings for a group of headquarters, sales and administration departments in order to attempt further improvement of development and operational efficiencies. The new site covers an area of 11,764.61m2 (3,565 tsubo), with a total floor space of 34,147.88m2, and will be home to approximately 800 personnel. JUKI moved into the new premises in December. www.jas-smt.com


Guidelines for establishing a lead-free wave soldering process for high-reliability

BackgroundAs history has shown, the high-reliability sector of the electronics industry has always been slow to accept material and process changes. Typically, since the high-reliability sector makes up such a small part of the industry as a whole, the commercial side of the industry is in the driver’s seat. In al-most all cases, most changes from the com-mercial side of the business are eventually adopted by the high-reliability community due to cost and availability of compo-nents and assembly materials. Having this knowledge, it would be wise to get started with lead-free process development as soon as possible to avoid the risks involved with being forced to make the transition quickly, and when there are no longer any other options available.

Giving adequate time to develop new lead-free processes is the key to a successful transition. Working through this transition incrementally, starting with those processes that account for the least risk, is recommended. Through-hole soldering, specifically wave soldering, fits these requirements and is the focus of this paper.

Developing a wave soldering process for lead-free really isn’t much different than developing the same process for tin-lead. There’s a basic framework that must be followed and the specifics are filled in based upon customer and product requirements. For high-reliability electronics, the J-STD specifications outline the process material requirements for electronics assembly. The applicable documents for wave soldering are:

• J-STD-001 – Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies2

• J-STD-004 – Requirements for Soldering Fluxes3

• J-STD-006 – Requirements for Solder Alloys4

These standards define the requirements for the selection of fluxes and solder alloys for producing high quality electronic solder joints.

PWB and component finish selectionPrior to making lead-free soldering process decisions, PWB and component finishes must be defined as this can have an impact on the soldering process requirements. A thorough understanding of process materi-als, and how they can impact solder joint reliability, is essential to good process devel-opment. The following discussion describes the fundamentals.

A solder joint consists of bulk solder and the intermetallic bonds that are created between the solder and the PWB, and the solder and the component. Solder joint failures usually occur at or near the intermetallic bond regions. Depending upon the PWB and component finishes used, these bonds are typically tin-copper or tin-nickel. The mechanical properties of the intermetallic bonds, and thus the reliability of the solder joint, are dependent upon good intermetallic formation. Assembly process materials such as solder alloy and flux, and how these materials interact during the soldering process, will have an impact on solder joint reliability.

A reliable solder joint is dependent upon good intermetallic formation. This requires that the PWB surface finish be clean and free of oxidation during solder joint formation. Additionally, the soldering process must be sufficient enough to ensure the creation of a thin, uniform, and continuous intermetallic bond. For high-reliability circuit card assemblies that consist of only through-hole-mounted components, the immersion finishes are therefore not the best choice.

Tin-copper solder joints

Keywords: Lead-Free, Wave Soldering

The use of lead-free alloys in commercial electronics has been underway for almost a decade, but the use of lead-free solder in high-reliability applications is still very limited. This is at least in part due to a reluctance to change established assembly processes without historical reliability data.

Results from numerous reliability studies comparing tin-lead to lead-free have yielded mixed results for SMT components, but for through-hole components, durability testing has not yielded significant failure data to give cause for concern1.

This paper discusses the methodology to establish a lead-free wave soldering process for use in high-reliability electronics assembly. Topics of discussion include specifications and contractual requirements, PWB and component requirements, flux and alloy selection, process parameter determination, product reliability concerns.

J. Scott Nelson, Harris Corporation, Palm Bay, FL, USA


This paper was published in the proceedings of the SMTA International Conference on Soldering and Reliability, Toronto, May 2009



The most common finishes that create tin-copper solder joints include hot air solder level (HASL), immersion tin, immersion silver, and organic solderability preservative (OSP).

For HASL, it is important to note that the tin-copper intermetallic is formed during the HASL plating process, prior to circuit card assembly process soldering. What this means is that during the circuit card assembly soldering process, the PWB side of the solder joint is primarily formed by the melting and mixing of the bulk solder. This occurs more easily than creating the intermetallic bond, and therefore holds less of a process risk than for the other surface finishes.

Probably the most significant issue with HASL is its use in SMT applications where a flat finish is desirable for assembly of many of today’s miniature and fine pitch components. HASL finish is typically not very uniform and can lead to screen-printing problems, which in turn leads to solder shorts between closely spaced leads. For wave soldering of through-hole components though, this is not an issue.

For the immersion tin and immersion silver finishes, the tin-copper intermetallic bond is formed entirely during the manufacturing assembly soldering process. This combined with the fact that these finishes are more prone to shelf life and handling issues makes the immersion finishes more of an assembly process risk than HASL.

OSP is not a surface finish, but rather a copper surface treatment that protects the copper from oxidation during storage, prior to soldering. Solder will not wet as readily to OSP finished copper surfaces. This could lead to exposed copper after soldering. Although this is generally not a problem, it is usually the subject of much controversy. OSP is also susceptible to handling issues that could expose bare copper and lead to solderability issues. As a result, OSP finishes are generally discouraged for use in high-reliability applications.

Tin-nickel solder jointsFor those finishes that create a tin-nickel

solder joint, the most popular is electro-less nickel immersion gold (ENIG). Cost and the potential for black pad are issues that need to be considered with this finish. ENIG is considerably more expensive than other finishes, but in terms of overall prod-uct cost, this is usually not that significant. Black pad is a condition where phosphorus rich regions form below the tin-nickel inter-metallic layer of the board finish. This can lead to a weakened final solder joint that is prone to premature failure. Good process control during the PWB plating process is essential to avoid black pad.

Tin-based solders dissolve other metals such as copper, aluminum, iron and nickel. This is referred to as dissolution. Copper dissolution for lead-free alloys occurs at a much higher rate that with tin-lead alloys. Why is dissolution a problem? Lead-free solders wet more slowly than tin-lead solders. As a result, longer dwell times over the solder pot are required to achieve acceptable wetting. Longer dwell times will lead to more copper dissolution. As the copper PWB pads are dissolved, reworkability and reliability become issues. The added copper content of the wave solder pot can also become an alloy maintenance issue. Nickel-based finishes such as ENIG do not exhibit this problem since the copper is protected by a nickel barrier that dissolves very slowly in the presence of tin.

Component finishesComponent finishes must also be taken into consideration prior to process develop-ment. A good reference to start with is the iNEMI document, “Recommendations on Lead-Free Finishes for Components Used in High-Reliability Products”5. This docu-ment outlines the issues and possible risks associated with the various component finishes available today. A robust assembly process needs to take into account the use of all of the component finishes that are ac-

ceptable for use in high-reliability product. To avoid potential reliability problems

with the use of lead-free component finishes, a lead-free control plan is recommended. The GEIA-STD-0005-1 standard6 defines the requirements for developing a lead-free control plan. The purpose of a lead-free control plan is not to prevent the use of lead-free components, but rather to ensure a thorough understanding of how the use of lead-free component may impact reliability. If lead-free soldering processes are to be used then additionally a lead-free implementation plan should be written. This will help to ensure that all parties involved are aware of the issues and have agreed upon the boundary conditions. At the time of this publication, requirements within this standard are being invoked in many new government contracts.

The GEIA-HB-005-2 handbook7 contains technical and process information relevant to lead-free process development. It is a good reference to use when selecting lead-free process materials for process development.

alloy selectionLead-free solder alloys have put the high-reliability community on high alert due to reliability concerns. For through-hole soldering though, testing has shown that good reliability can be achieved with proper material selection and process develop-ment. The possible exception is in the case of bismuth-bearing lead-free alloys contami-nated with lead (Pb). When bismuth (Bi) is mixed with tin-lead (SnPb), a ternary Sn-Bi-Pbphasehavingameltingpointof96˚Ccan form. This low melting point phase has been shown to be detrimental to solder joint reliability. In the future, when lead has been completely removed from com-ponents and soldering processes, soldering alloys that contain bismuth may be a good solution for high-reliability applications,

Table 1. Solder alloy cost comparison.

Alloy relative Cost

Tin-lead 1x

Tin-copper 1.5x

Tin-copper-xx 2x

Tin-silver-copper 3x

Characteristic SnPb SAC SnCuNi-x

Melt Point (°C) 183 ~217 ~227

Appearance Shiny Dull Shiny

Shrinkage Voids / Hot Tears No Yes No

Relative Wetting Speed Fast Medium Slow

Relative Copper Dissolution Rate 1x 2x 1x

Relative Ease of Pot Management Easy Difficult Easy

Relative Dross Formation 1x 2x 2x

Reactivity to Equipment/Fixtures Low High Low

Table 2. Solder alloy process characteristics.



but for the current situation, there is just too much risk involved to give this option any serious consideration.

The two primary categories of lead-free solder alloys are tin-copper (SnCu) and tin-silver-copper (SAC). Reliability should be the primary selection criteria. This will be discussed in detail later in this paper. Ease-of-use and cost are probably the next most important factors to consider. The cost aspect is fairly straight forward – silver-bearing alloys will be more expensive. Table 1 shows the relative cost of these alloys to the eutectic tin-lead alloy.

Reliability of lead-free through-hole soldering can become a concern if the materials and processes used don’t allow for a robust soldering process. Said another way, a bigger process window will usually result in better reliability due to having better control of the process variability.

During early commercial lead-free implementation, it was generally accepted that SAC solders had a bigger process window than SnCu solders. Over the past several years though, modifications to the SnCu alloys have diminished this argument. Table 2 shows a comparison of properties of tin-lead, SAC, and a modified tin-copper solder. Improvements to solder joint appearance and better process behavior can also be realized through alloy modification.

While the lead-free alloys are not as easy to work with as tin-lead, slight alloy modifications can be made that will greatly enhance not only ease-of-use, but also reliability. For example, it has been shown that small additions of nickel will improve the stability of lead-free alloys. This leads to less dissolution of the copper pads and component lead-frames, as well as less wear on equipment and fixtures. In terms of reliability, mechanical shock behavior can be improved by adding very small amounts of certain elements that will improve grain structure and/or enhance

solder joint ductility. Other elemental additions have been shown to improve solder wetting behavior. Currently, there are numerous modified lead-free alloys under consideration. For high-reliability applications, this should continue to be a primary focus.

Flux selectionProper flux selection is probably the most important aspect of establishing a good wave soldering process for high-reliability. The purpose of flux is to clean the surfaces of component terminations and PWB pads during soldering, seal the surfaces against further oxidation, and promote and enhance solder wetting. To accom-plish this, the flux must be able to remove oxidation from the metal surfaces at high temperatures without decomposing. For high-reliability applications, there are three important sets of requirements that must be considered as part of the flux selection process:

• Industry specifications for class 3 assembly

• Customer contractual require-ments

• Internal requirements

J-STD-004 specifies the industry require-ments for selecting flux. An important part of this specification is the flux identifica-tion system. Table 3 is a summary of the various flux activity levels defined in this standard.

Specific information about the test methods called out in J-STD-004 can be found in IPC-TM-6508.

For high-reliability electronics assembly, only activity levels L0 and L1 fluxes should be used. Type L1 fluxes should not be used for no-clean assembly processes due to the corrosive nature of halides. Even though no-clean processes are very rarely used for high-reliability

applications, it is a good idea to steer clear of fluxes that contain greater than 0.5 wt% halides to avoid potential corrosion issues with flux residues that may be left behind after cleaning. Table 4 further summarizes the various flux types by material composition per the J-STD-004 standard.

Even though rosin is organic, it has its own unique J-STD-004 identifier, (RO). Rosin fluxes have been used for soldering for many years and carry with them good historical data. Resin (RE) fluxes are either synthetic or modified rosin. They typically offer better thermal stability and can be modified to leave less residue behind than the rosin fluxes. The remaining fluxes are classified as either organic (OR) or inorganic (IN). They typically have high activity levels and should be thoroughly tested to ensure that their use won’t impact reliability due to electro-migration or corrosion caused by residues that may be left behind.

Beyond the industry specifications, there may also be specific internal requirements and/or customer requirements that specify what types of fluxes can or can’t be used. An example of this would be a requirement that only rosin type fluxes are to be used. The prohibition of ‘RA’ fluxes may also be found. This terminology predates the J-STD-004 standard classification discussed thus far. It refers to an active rosin type flux. Many of the early water-based flux chemistries were classified as active. This required thorough washing to ensure their removal. Active flux residues entrapped under components could potentially be a serious corrosion issue.

On the conservative side, flux selection should start with ROL0 and REL0, alcohol-based fluxes. That’s not to say that other classifications of flux won’t work, it simply means that there may be more risk involved in going with using these flux types, and more work may be required to ensure that there won’t be issues with corrosion and/or electro-migration of the flux residues that may be left behind.

Other flux selection considerationsCleaning chemistry is an important, often overlooked aspect of flux selection. Clean-ing flux residues that were not meant to be cleaned, or cleaning with a chemistry that was not designed to clean a particular flux composition, may lead to unsightly residues that may or may not be detrimen-tal to reliability. This is especially appli-cable to lead-free fluxes since higher solids, more active fluxes are preferred and higher process temperatures tend to make residues

Test requirements for flux type classificationFlux type Qualitive corrosion

testConditions for passing 100 M-ohm SIr

Conditions for passing eCM

L0 No evidence of corrosion

Un-cleaned Un-cleaned

L1

M0 Minor corrosion acceptable

Cleaned orUn-cleaned

Cleaned or Un-cleanedM1

H0 Major corrosion acceptable

Cleaned Cleaned

H1

Table 3. J-STD-004 flux type classification.




that much harder to clean off. To avoid problems, new flux

chemistries should be tested for compatibility with current cleaning processes. A good rule to follow is to stick with your current flux material composition type unless there is a compelling reason to change. For example, if rosin-based fluxes are currently being used, keep the flux selection within the RO family. A cleaning chemistry that has been optimized to clean off rosin residues may not work well for cleaning other organic or inorganic residues.

Selecting a flux that is compatible with both tin-lead and lead-free soldering processes is also worth considering. This will help ease the transition to lead-free by maintaining backwards compatibility and will minimize the chemicals required to maintain both processes.

Select a flux with high solids content. Low solids fluxes are preferred for no-clean soldering processes, but this is not common for high-reliability electronics soldering. Very low solids fluxes may not be very thermally stable and may lose their effectiveness prior to achieving complete solder joint formation. Solids content above 10% is recommended but for spray and jet fluxing, special equipment modifications may be required to avoid

nozzle clogging.Flux activity becomes more of an issue

with lead free materials due to a decrease in wetting ability. Acid number can be and indicator flux effectiveness. It is the ratio of acidity to inert material. The higher the number, the more active a flux tends to be. Low acid number fluxes may not have enough active content to fully react with all of the oxides present. Effectiveness is dependent upon the acid type as well, so acid number should not be used comparatively with fluxes that are not of the same material compositions. A higher acid number is desirable, but as discussed previously, for high-reliability electronics assembly, a low activity level is required.

Health rating should be considered as well, especially for ultrasonic spray fluxing where atomized flux may become airborne.

Table 5 is a summary of some of the additional flux selection attributes that may help shorten the path to final selection. Tabulating these attributes and creating a ‘stoplight’ chart can help to better visualize the potential effectiveness of the additional attributes.

For example, based upon the requirements set forth so far, fluxes A and B are likely the only two that would be considered for final evaluation, with flux B being heavily favored due to its higher

solids content and acid number.

process developmentIt is likely that both copper and nickel based board finishes will be specified, so process development should proceed by ac-commodating both. For testing purposes, ENIG is more challenging so extra effort is well spent studying this finish. ENIG is also easier to visually inspect for wetting defects and hole fill.

Unlike reflow soldering, wave soldering is uniquely divided up into three separate processes: fluxing, preheating and soldering. Each of these processes should be developed independently first, then interactions should be studied. This is best accomplished through design of experiment (DOE). DOE can greatly reduce the time it takes to determine the best range of settings for the process variables. A few of the more important wave soldering process variables include:

• Flux type and amount• Spray fluxing process parameters• Preheat settings• Conveyor speed and solder contact

time• Solder alloy• Solder pot temperature

Fluxing process characterizationStarting with the fluxing process, a DOE should be performed to determine the set-tings that will produce the largest process window of flux effectiveness. Since it is known that conveyor speeds will need to be adjusted to allow for various solder con-tact times, it is desirable to test the fluxing process over the entire range of reasonable conveyor speeds. This is where a DOE approach can really save time. For lead-free alloys, contact times may need to be increased beyond that of a tin-lead process, so make sure the lower end of the conveyor speed process window is extended to take this into account.

Flux effectiveness is somewhat subjective unless the test vehicle used

Material Composition

Flux Activity level

% Halide (by weight)

Flux Type Flux Desig-nator

Rosin (RO)

Low0.00% L0 ROL0

<0.5% L1 ROL1

Moderate0.00% M0 ROM0

0.5-2.0% M1 ROM1

High0.00% H0 ROH0

>2.0% H1 ROH1

Resin (RE)

Low0.00% L0 REL0

<0.5% L1 REL1

Moderate0.00% M0 REM0

0.5-2.0% M1 REM1

High0.00% H0 REH0

>2.0% H1 REH1

Organic (OR)

Low0.00% L0 ORL0

<0.5% L1 ORL1

Moderate0.00% M0 ORM0

0.5-2.0% M1 ORM1

High0.00% H0 ORH0

H1 ORH1

Table 4. J-STD-004 flux selection.

Wave solder flux attributesFlux Carrier %

SolidsAcid

#Health

A Alcohol 6 18 2

B Alcohol 12 32 1

C Water 4.4 35 3

D Water 2.9 21 1

Table 5. Other flux selection criteria.



closely approximates the actual product in terms of thermal mass, through-hole construction, laminate type and plating. This may require multiple test vehicles to cover all, or at least most, scenarios. This can be very expensive. To reduce testing time and cost, a good alternative is to use a combination of a couple of techniques that will give a good indication of flux effectiveness prior to using circuit card test vehicles. A tempered glass plate and precision scale can be used to measure the total weight of flux solids, and a flux deposition test fixture and fax or pH paper can be used to measure flux penetration and spread.

Vendor datasheets typically specify a range of flux solids required for good soldering performance measured in ug/in2. A tempered glass plate weighed before and after it is passed through the fluxing and preheating processes, will indicate the weight of the flux solids left behind. The pattern on the glass plate can also be visually examined for skips, overlap, and uniformity. This will help to determine the rough process window for parameters that affect the amount of flux applied.

Measuring flux penetration through the plated holes in a board and the resultant flux wetting on the top surface of the board is accomplished by using a flux deposition test fixture. This test works by sandwiching a piece of color-changing paper between a perforated bottom-side board and a solid top-side board. The holes in the bottom-side board should be designed to simulate typical plated through holes. After passing the test fixture through the fluxing process, the paper can be visually inspected for flux deposition. Wherever the flux has penetrated through the holes, the paper will change color. For alcohol-based fluxes, fax paper can

be used. The alcohol will turn the fax paper black. For water-based chemistries, pH paper should be used. Figure 1 shows an example of a flux deposition test fixture9.

An improvement to this fixture is a bottom plate that contains various sizes of holes located randomly across the entire area of interest. This will help to show not only flux penetration through various size holes, but will also give a good indication of flux

uniformity across the entire area of fluxing and whether or not this is impacted by hole size.

This test can also be performed by using some scrap PWBs that contain typical PTH sizes found on actual product. Hold the paper in place by sandwiching it between the PWB and a flat plate of

material such as glass or aluminum. The goal of the flux deposition

test is to achieve maximum through-hole penetration and uniform coverage without totally saturating the board. Flux deposition must be tested over the complete range of expected conveyor speeds to ensure adequate flux coverage over the entire process window.

Preheating process characterizationThe primary function of preheating is flux activation. This requires heating the circuit card assembly to within the flux activa-tion temperature range while achieving a uniform temperature across the entire assembly. Proper preheating will promote good soldering by ensuring that oxidation has been removed from the surface to be soldered and by minimizing thermal gradi-ents. PWBs of various mass and thickness should be studied to fully characterize the process. It is especially important to test multi-layer assemblies of 12 or more layers that contain wagon wheel internal pads tied to power or ground layers. This type of stack-up is very heat dissipative and will ensure a thorough test of the preheat

Figure 1. Flux deposition test fixture.

experiment A - SAC305Settings response

run Temp Profile

Speed Temp Hole Fill Solder Bridge

Wet

A-01 Low 4 193 13

A-02 Low 2 205 22 1 1

A-03 Low 3 197 18

A-04 Med 3 216 25

A-05 Med 2 224 29 1

A-06 Med 4 212 16

A-07 High 4 224 22

A-08 High 3 232 37

A-09 High 2 245 38 2 1

A-10 High 2 241 30 5

A-11 High 4 225 25 1

A-12 High 3 234 34 2

A-13 Med 3 220 29

A-14 Med 2 224 30 3

A-15 Med 4 214 43

A-16 Low 4 194 30 1

A-17 Low 3 201 19

A-18 Low 2 205 28

Figure 2. Sample DOE matrix.



process.The correct activation temperature

range for each flux can be found on the corresponding vendor datasheet. Adjust the preheat settings to achieve the largest process window over the entire range of conveyor speeds that are likely to be used. Figure 2 shows an example of Wave soldering DOE data collection for determining the preheat process window.

Randomize preheat temperatures and conveyor speeds, while looking at defect response, to determine the best yield. A thermal profiler should be used to track actual board temperatures at various locations across the assembly. Pick thermocouple attach locations at the most thermally dissipative locations as well as at least one thermocouple near the estimated least thermally dissipative location. This will give a good indication of how the assembly is responding to changes in preheat temperatures including the lag in heating from the most to least dissipative areas of the board.

Soldering process characterizationThe final step in characterizing a wave sol-dering process is a study of the parameters that impact the actual soldering process. This should include, at a minimum, adjust-ments to solder pot temperature and con-veyor speed. Other parameters that should be investigated include the use of various solder wave nozzle types, nitrogen inert vs. air atmosphere, and solder pot height.

Before proceeding, it is important to ensure that the solder pot has been set up correctly. A wave solder profiler is recommended to accomplish this task. A wave solder profiler is different than a reflow oven profiler in that it will not only help to confirm process temperatures and ramp rates, but it will also verify conveyor speed, parallelism of the board to the solder wave, solder immersion depth, and solder contact time. Knowing the value of

these parameters is extremely critical in determining the best process window.

Use the wave solder profiler to study the affects of adjusting conveyor speed, wave height, pump speed, pot temperature, and nozzle selection for PWBs of varying mass and thickness. A DOE is again recommended due to the number of

variables and interactions involved. Hole fill is probably the most important DOE response to monitor followed by wetting and bridging. There are many good papers discussing the specifics of wave soldering process DOE so a detailed discussion will not be attempted here.

Final process characterizationAfter determination of the best process set-tings for fluxing, preheating, and soldering, a study of the complete process should be performed to determine possible interac-tions effects. The goal is to maximize the process windows while minimizing defects. Figure 3 is an example of a DOE interac-tion plot. It shows the interaction between speed and temperature profile and how this impacts the process yield.

Other interactions may exist and should be explored for each PWB plating, flux and soldering alloy combination.

The point of the preceding process characterization discussion is to understand that lead-free wave soldering process development is almost identical to tin-lead wave soldering process development. The difference lies in the fact that for lead-free soldering, the process windows are much tighter. As a result, much more diligence must be put into each aspect of lead-free process development in order to maximize the entire process window. This will ensure a robust process cable of consistently producing class 3 levels of acceptability.

Upon determination of the best process parameters for each flux/alloy combination, samples of each combination should be cleaned and tested for cleanliness. It is very important to know that post soldering flux residues can be completely removed. Residues left behind, especially when ionic, can lead to electrical shorts and/or corrosion damage.

Flux residues may also pose a problem with conformal coat adhesion. In some

cases, it may not be possible to entirely clean off the flux residues due to a lack of solvency of the cleaning chemistry being used. If there are other fluxes that showed good performance in the solderability testing and they perform well in the cleaning tests, you may want to consider using one of those chemistries as apposed to making adjustments to your cleaning process. Why? Typically, cleaning processes are a shared resource among many circuit card assembly processes. Making a change to accommodate one process may adversely affect another. This may lead to additional cleaning chemistry adjustments or possibly changing the flux chemistry to one that is more compatible with cleaning, a vicious cycle that is best avoided.

reliability Changing the soldering alloy from eutectic tin-lead to lead-free has been very controver-sial with respect to solder joint reliability. Most of the controversy is centered about reliability, but solder joint appearance also raises many questions. Dull appear-ance, shrinkage voids and hot tears are all contrary to traditional tin-lead solder joint inspection, but surface features such as these are not good indicators of solder joint reliability.

Solder joint reliability is primarily defined by the mechanical properties of the solder alloy and intermetallic bonds created during the soldering process. Regardless of appearance, most lead-free solders have been shown to have superior thermal-mechanical properties over eutectic tin-lead solder. Mechanical shock testing has shown cause for concern with respect to surface mounted components, but has not been shown to be of consequence for the case of through-hole mounted devices.

Testing of lead-free alloys has shown that reliability is dependent not only on the end-use environment, but also on component type [NASA / JGPP Joint Test Report (JTR) Executive Summary—Lead-Free Solder Testing for High-Reliability, Section 7.2 - Reliability Conclusions]1. The reliability data contained in this report reinforces the fact that through-hole components are inherently more reliable that SMT components. The report also indicates that for the through-hole components tested, due to lack of failures, wave solder performance could not be rated. However, of the failures that did occur, analysis showed that they were likely due to infant mortality. This emphasizes the need for good process development in order to achieve consistent reliability results.

Figure 3. DOE interaction plot.



conclusionsThe transition to lead-free solders will likely forever complicate electronics assembly processes due to the numerous alloys, com-ponent finishes, and PWB finishes that have emerged as a result of RoHS legislation. Where there used to be a single soldering alloy, eutectic tin-lead, now there are many. And there appears to be no consensus on moving towards using a single alloy. While it appears that the commercial electron-ics industry has settled on using either tin-silver-copper or tin-copper, there is a lot of effort being put into coming up with a solution that will better meet the reliability requirements for high-reliability electronics. Modifications to these alloys, to enhance soldering and reliability, shows promise for use in high-reliability electronics soldering.

The predominant component finish used to be tin-lead. In today’s lead-free world there are several dozen commonly used finishes; matte tin, matte tin over nickel, tin-silver-copper, nickel gold, and silver palladium to name a few. Soldering techniques and results may vary depending upon component plating and solder alloy used.

Numerous PWB plating types further complicate the issue, but this is more the result of shrinking component technologies

than of lead-free. Nonetheless, PWB plating selection will also have an impact on the lead-free soldering process and must be taken into account.

A robust lead-free wave soldering process needs to take into account the various combinations of board and component finishes. Process experimentation will be required to determine the best process window to accommodate all valid combination. A DOE approach is recommended due to the number of variables and combinations involved.

With all of the possible combinations to consider, and more still on the horizon, it is very difficult to establish specific lead-free soldering processes for high-reliability product. Instead, it is desirable to take small steps into the transition to lead-free, but this will take time, a lot of time. A good starting point is one that involves just a few component types that hold very minimal reliability risk. Through-hole soldering meets these requirements and may therefore be the best entry point into the transition to lead-free soldering for high-reliability product.

references1. JCAA / JGPP Joint Test Report (JTR),

“Lead-Free Solder Project Executive Summary”

2. J-STD-001, “Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies”

3. J-STD-004, “Requirements for Soldering Fluxes”

4. J-STD-006, “Requirements for Solder Alloys”

5. iNEMI, “Recommendations on Lead-Free Finishes for components used in High-Reliability Products”

6. GEIA-STD-0005-1, “Performance Stan-dard for Aerospace and High Perfor-mance Electronic Systems Containing Lead-free Solder”

7. GEIA-HB-005-2, “Technical Guidelines for Aerospace and Military Electronic Systems Containing Lead-free Solder”

8. IPC-TM-650,”Test Methods Manual”9. http://www.ecd.com/products/fluxom-

eter/

Scott Nelson is a manufacturing engineer at Har-ris Corporation with over 15 years of experience

in electronics manufacturing, primarily in the avionics field. During his current employment

at Harris Corporation, Scott has been a project leader for advanced manufacturing processes, has been involved in numerous solder joint reliability

studies, and has been the leader of the Harris Lead-free Working Group since 2004. Currently,

Scott is working in manufacturing research and development at Harris Corporation and is an

active participant in the NASA DoD Lead-free Study and the AIA LEAP Working Group.


Process challenges and solutions for embedding chip-on-board into mainstream SMT assembly

introductionChip-on-board and integrated circuits (IC) packaging share a common heritage, that is, the wire bonding process. However they differ radically in the subsequent steps and processes. There is great diversity and scope of COB applications, with portable elec-tronics being major consumers of bare dies attached onto organic substrates. The range comprises a vast array of products such as personal digital assistants, pagers, watches, calculators, videocams, electronic books, dictionaries, spell checkers and translators, personal medical devices like blood glucose testers, hearing aids and other monitoring devices apart from a wide range of toys and handheld games. Other applications include caller identifier devices (ID Chip sets) & cordless phones. Radio frequency

(RF) modules use gold wire or ribbon bonding of gallium-arsenide (GaAs) devices without encapsulation on ceramic or Teflon substrates. Chip on board can be

Keywords: Chip On Board, COB, Surface Mount, SMT

Merging COB into mainstream surface mount processes significantly improves footprint efficiency and cuts cost and lead-time, but it has also usually entailed acquiring specialized know-how through considerable ‘hands-on’ experimentation.

This paper provides the required information on all aspects of the COB process from applications, positioning, costs, die selection, layout, process options, equipment and rework for implementing COB processes into existing SMT lines and manage COB yields. Based on real life examples, the paper covers the key considerations, major critical factors and the challenges for a successful COB-SMT merge

Mukul Luthra, Waterfall Technologies, Halton Hills, Ontario, Canada


Figure 1. a) COB in a PC mouse application. b) High I/O COB die in a portable application. c) COB devices in a heart rate monitor. d) COB in a SiP (RF) application. e) Same die as in d, shown with dam.

This paper was published in the proceedings of the SMTA International Conference on Soldering and Reliability, Toronto, May 2009

a

c

b

d

e



found in common every day products such as a computer mouse (Figure 1a) or in many home appliance display panels. Other applications include chip on flex which enables folded assemblies adaptable to a complex end product form factor.

One or two COB devices per assembly are routine, but products may use as many as six COB devices on one board. COB is essentially the grass-root technology behind many plastic ball grid arrays (PBGA), array chip-scale packages (CSP), systems in package (SIP) and many package-on-package (PoP) and package-in-package (PiP) approaches. Multiple stacked dies wire bonded on organic substrates alongside other surface mount devices are now common place. Figures 1b to 1d exemplify the scope and range of COB.

coB positioning The cost per pin for the more traditional packages like quad flat packs (QFP) and small outline (SO) ICs has flattened out at around the 0.25-0.5 cents mark, depending on size and volume. One reason is that tra-ditional IC packaging and test equipment has already been amortized over the years. The other is the astronomical volume. By comparison, prices for some of the newer packages, like lead-frame CSPs, may range between 0.4 to 1 cent per lead and 0.5 to 1 cent per sphere for a laminate version CSP (all excluding die costs). For COB, the cost per I/O charged by a board assembler comes in equal or marginally higher than the equivalent cost of packaging and test-ing the same die in a traditional package. This, however, hides the real savings. The large die in Figure 1b, has around 184 bonds and would have would likely fitted in a 28 mm x 28 mm QFP. Bypassing the IC package saves nearly two-thirds of related PCB real estate.

COB is also well positioned to serve in applications where packaged devices are simply too large to fit, and that require the space saving and low profile feature but not necessarily the footprint efficiency or speed performance of a flip chip.

As example, Figure 1c shows two COB devices on a board of around 25mm diameter in a wrist-worn, heart rate monitor application.

A major intangible factor in favor of COB is the reduction in lead-time. With COB the board assembler procures dies straight from the fab house, cutting out packaging and testing, saving weeks on IC lead-time. Time to market can be a major success factor and, combined with real estate savings, easily offsets the modest delta cost of the COB process.

This is particularly true of products in a fast moving market segment where cost effectiveness and being ahead are key to their marketability.

Die quality & cost perspectiveDie quality impacts on final assembly are an important consideration for an assembler. Electrical Probing at wafer level (EWS) has limitations that seldom yield confidence levels at par with exhaustively tested and burned-in ICs1. IC-level quality and reliability assurance poses challenges to implement at die level and certainly so at the consumer’s price expectations. The true intent of the known good die (KGD) standard, that bare dies equal packaged IC quality and reliability, falls short of reality.

Escalating demand for bare dies, however, continues to be a driving force, leveraging pressure towards reduction in UBD within a KGD population. Measures such as temporary die test carriers can and are being used but such measures must be deployed selectively as they are costly and also not completely free from the risk of die damage. Wafer level burn-in to detect die infant mortality and improve reliability has come a long way

but proves too costly for low to mid cost COB usage. In a nutshell, major hurdles center on maintaining die integrity at a price point commensurate with the end target application. Although UBD defect levels have reduced over time, there’s still a march ahead.

Die selection for COB requires accepting and dealing with the reality of unknown bad dies (UBD) within the so-called KGD population. UBD are defective, congenitally weak or marginal and may fail during subsequent COB processes. Despite the decade old SIA envisaged milestone at or below 100 parts per million (PPM) UBD defectives the industry average is not quite there. If the KGD program compliance relies purely on die yields, the dependency variables–process technology, die size and complexity, wafer diameter and foundry maturity must all be considered.

The EIA/JEDEC standard JESD492 covers requirements for information on die procurement but leaves considerable leeway for supplier discretion on data. Die yield data is usually kept proprietary and it’s the very data the assembler needs! Even as progress is being made, the board

Figure 2 – Process Flow (Option 1only

shown)

Option 1 – SMT Precedes COB

Silicon

Die

5mm Component

Exclusion Zone

Possible Height Limited Zone

COB Pad

Perimeter

Figure 2. The process flow, with SMT preceding the COB and COB preceding SMT.



assembler must be prepared for defective dies and process yield loss.

In the denouement, COB is well suited to the low end short life cycle products targeting consumer or commercial grade applications using sub dollar or at most $2 per die. The COB approach is too risky and not robust enough for industrial or high reliability applications involving high $ value ASICs or complex VLSIs which are hard to test or assure even as packaged ICs.

Die sizing and i/o considerationsDies used for COB on surface mount as-semblies should typically target under 200 wire bonds/die. Smaller dies form more reliable candidates for COB due to the inherent Cte mismatch between the die (Si:2.3PPM/˚C)andthesubstrate(Fr4:18-25PPM/˚C).Similarly,smallsignalde-vices fare better than do those dissipating heat as in power applications. Large sizes increase probability of ‘popcorn’ effects if the COB is subjected to reflow thermals; the assembly behaves quite like packaged ICs. Die sizes are application dependent. Some of the larger dies encountered by the author, for instance, are 270 mils by 300 mils (81 kmils sq.) and 350 mils by 350 mils (123 kmils sq.). These dies have Pad sizes of 3 mils by 3 mils (75 by 75 microns) and interpad pitch of 4 mils (100 microns). Liquid crystal display (LCD) drivers, some application specific ICs (ASICS), micropro-cessor units (MPUs) and microcontroller units (MCUs) lend themselves as good candidates and are routinely encountered in COB applications.

process considerationsFigure 2 illustrates the process flow where

SMT precedes the COB. The dotted red line shown encases the clean room assem-bly portion. Discussed below are some of the salient considerations and key factors for a successful SMT-COB merge compar-ing 2 different options—SMT before or after COB.

Option1:In this option the surface mount assembly precedes the COB process and it is con-sidered by default as the preferred option. Although not shown in its entirety in Figure 2 the surface mount process follows traditional assembly steps and may be full DS surface mount or mixed followed by the COB process. The advantages with Option 1 are that it protects the COB from reflow soldering thermal excursions (and stress) and is friendly for Paste print-ing. The downside is the increased board contamination potential, which could lead to bonding issues namely lower intermetal-lic percentage (IP) coverage and margin-alized bond strength. With maturity, contamination can be managed. However Option 1 requirements of a component ex-clusion zone and a height restriction zone around the COB site are tradeoffs which must be accepted.

Option 2:In exceptions when the design or layout of the board is not ideal, and the COB process must precede the surface mount. The major issue is when the bonding tool interferes with other surface mount com-ponents around the COB site due to tight spacing and insufficient clearance. One alternative is to use deep access bonding (expensive); the other, do COB first.

Option 2 complicates paste printing. As shown in the diagram, the printing stencil needs a large opening in the COB encapsulated area. This opening must be sealed with a film like membrane, thin enough to adapt to the COB form and yet durable to the rigors of thousands of print cycles. Polyamides films have been used as one option and dimpling of the stencil is another but both methods have severe limitations. Furthermore the squeegee design must deal with conflicting requirements of adapting over the protrusion yet printing uniformly everywhere else. Overall, the printing is marginalized with poor gasketing, excessive paste bleed-through and deposit inconsistency around the COB area. Selective printing is possible only if layout permits but it does rob process efficiency. Alternatively, paste may be dispensed at effected sites but is inefficient and

precision dispensers are costly. Option 1 remains the preferred sequence giving easier to manage tradeoffs.

Wire bonding and equipmentOf the principle types of bonding, two-gold ball bonding and gold wedge bonding find applications at the higher end, in industrial, RF modules and in compo-nent manufacturing such as lead frame ICs, BGAs and many CSPs. Both require substrateheatingto200˚Corhigher,de-pending upon type. The third—aluminum silicon (AlSi) wedge bonding—is well suited and prevalent in COB applications. Al wire is cheaper and bonding accomplished at room temperature, making it ideal for organic substrates while minimizing die stress. Wedge bonding tools need to be ground very narrow for fine pitch capabil-ity but their form can lower loop height, an important consideration for low profile applications. Wedge bonding tools for Al wire are cheaper than those for gold wire (tungsten carbide versus titanium carbide respectively). However, wedge bonding tools must maintain bond-to-wire orienta-tion so the job or tool must rotate, making it slower.

Critical factors are controlling heel cracks and footprint shape, both relating to tool shape and maintenance. Figure 3a shows a typical wedge tool with some of the significant profile considerations such as the desired vertical relief height, wire loop height, effective loop height and hole shape (round or oval). Other significant tool considerations are the footprint—flat or concave (Figures 3b and 3c)—the effect of back radius (BR) and front radius (FR) and the wire angle. These interactive variables must be optimized to obtain the desired bond characteristics, bond strength and in controlling heel cracks which occur due to crystallization and hardening at the wire-footprint junction. A sharp wire transition angle, for example, can lead to fractures. The obvious cracks can be detected—it’s the latent ones that cause grief, giving test intermittence and reduced thermal cycle life. Bonding tools require effective cleaning and maintenance programs and tool life runs typically around 400 K to 700 K bonds.

Bonders are judged on bond quality, key selection considerations being bond time; force and power range programmability, type of bonding, vision system & pitch capability, speed and cost-performance. Prices run from around $65 to $200k depending on bond type, pitch and thruput capability. Table 1 documents some typical equipment specifications and

Figure 3a ‐ Wedge tool profile parameters

Figure 3b Figure 3c

Flat Footprint Concave Footprint

b c

a

Figure 3. a) Wedge tool profile parameters. b) Flat footprint. c) Concave footprint.



capability.

Die placement and attachmentDies are supplied either in wafer form requiring mounting and dicing or as pre-diced wafers on tape for auto die-attach machines or for pick-&-place onto die carriers. A common mode, pre cut dies in ‘waffle trays’ as in Figure 4, are well suited for semi-auto or manual assembly.

Moisture sensitivity mandates the storage of raw dies/ wafers in temperature- and humidity-controlled dry cabinets with nitrogen purge. The process environment too must be well controlled since Epoxy coated die will absorb moisture once removed and must be encapsulated within 24 hours.

Die attach materials are typically silver filled single part epoxies. Important material selection criterion include excellent thermal and electrical conductivity, viscosity and rheology to minimize tailing and stringing during dispense. Automated dispensers may be justifiable if dictated by end product precision and thruput requirements. Manual assembly relies mostly on skilled operators using time and pressure method dispensing, the dispense pattern being a diagonal cross.

Die placement can be automated if justified. A typical wafer-form die pickup & attach machine averages around $120K. In manual applications, dies are typically picked from ‘waffle trays’ by a rubber tipped vacuum pen. A skilled operator assisted by 3-diopter magnification can achieve the placement accuracy needed in about 30 seconds/die. Any XY and θ shifts are adjusted out by the bonder’s vision system, referencing off alignment marks and die outline. Dispensing and die placement needs visual inspection both pre and post die attach cure. Most critical at this stage is pick-up tool tip maintenance and control of die tilt. Damaged and contaminated pick-up tips can trash a lot dies quickly. Post-cured die tilt of even a few mils may create pattern recognition problems leading to misbonding.

Metalization, layout and clearancesA comprehensive coverage of metalliza-tion options for Optimum COB is quite beyond the scope of this write-up and is covered in a separate sister paper3. For AlSi Wire bonding the copper is plated over with 75-100 micro inches of nickel followed by with 3-4 micro inches gold flash. Nickel (Ni) alone is also used in many low end applications. For gold wire bonding 10-20 micro inches gold plating

is preferred which favors wire bonding but is not suited for soldering due to exces-sive tin-gold intermetalic precipitation at the solder to metallization interface. This imparts brittleness making solder joints prone to fracture failures. End product cost is important deciding factor. The generally accepted trade off at the low end is thin gold. An expensive option for higher end applications is selective plating which pro-vides a gold thickness optimum for both soldering and bonding.

Following real life parameters from the die in Figure 1b demonstrate layout considerations:

Min Die Pad Pitch = 4 mils (100 μ)Pad Die size = 3mils by 3 mils (75 μ by

75 μ)Min PCB Pad size = 5 mils by 20 mils.(This Pad length allows re-bonding

room in case of rework)Min PCB Pad Pitch = 10 milsMax Wire Length = 200milsWire Diameter = 1milWire Loop Height = 5-15 milsMax. Die to PCB Pad Wire Angle = 45

Degrees (to prevent wires crossing adjacent die pad)

Clearances: Option 1 flow needs both a no-component zone and a height limitation zone around the COB site to allow the bonding tool to operate safely. Clearance requirements are machine and tool specific and determined from machine specs. Option 2 flow needs a minimum 5 mm no component zone around the COB post-encapsulated site.

contamination controlThe COB assembly requires a class 10k or better clean room, bunny suits, facemasks and clean room handling discipline and control. However all processes must be examined for contamination potential. Reflow ovens should be meticulously clean of micro solder balls and flux residues. Any offline operations, involving human contact are suspect sources of organic contaminants. Ultrasonic bonding energy is sufficient for normal oxide films and tarnish but not for excessive amounts of contamination. Plasma etching is needed to obtain the requisite bond strength and reliability for high-end applications, Disk drive COF and in BGA assembly. Plasma stripping is a more aggressive option being used currently in many IC assembly opera-tions deploying the COB process.

Frayed edges of punched PCBs can shed fibers on the board surface leading to misbonds, so an effective tool sharpening

and control program must be in effect at the raw fab house. Pre bond blowing with dry air or nitrogen (N2) assists in micro debris and particulate removal. The discerning COB assembler opts for routed PCBs over punched.

Bonding parameter controlBond power, time and force settings are bond type and application dependent and critical during machine set up. The Ultra-sonic energy must be enough to bare the active metals for intermetalic bonding and yet maintain die integrity. Excessive bond-ing energy can lead to die stressing, crack-ing and cratering issues, some of which may surface during reliability testing.

Figure 5 shows the interactive wire bonding variables. One can readily appreciate the complexity of the process and the need for continued education! A complete treatise on all the interactions is beyond the scope of this write-up. Optimization of the variables is best done through design of experiments (DOE). The final measure of bond quality and reliability is bond strength. Aspects relating to bond strength and its measurement are defined under the Mil. Std. 883 D method 2011.7, which is useful for initial qualification and for ongoing statistical process control.

TestingThe Process flow (Figure 2) shows the need for pre-encapsulation tests, which comprise a total static current test validating basic connection and die integrity followed by a functional test (FT1). Following FT1, protective encapsulation is applied over the COB and cured. A critical factor is allow-ing the post-encapsulated assembly to cool and stabilize prior to the 2nd functional test (FT2), essentially a repeat of FT1, to ensure post encapsulation bond integrity. Careless or excessive handling of the hot assemblies immediately following cure may cause bond failures. This three-step

Figure 4. Waffle tray.



test regimen improves finished assembly test yields and moves fault detection to the pre-encapsulation stage where COB rework is easier. Upon process maturity, FT 2 may yield levels high enough to skip it alto-gether. The test regimen works for either flow—SMT before or after COB. With SMT before COB the test fixtures are simplified since the assembly is essentially complete. In case of SMT after COB (Op-tion 2 flow) test fixtures need an auxiliary board with just the SMT components (minus the COB devices) connecting to the COB assembly under test via test pins. FT can be made simple or as thorough as needed depending upon the completion level of the assembly. ICT of the assembly is a nice option, and preferred, but feasible only if the assembly is designed for it and provided the value-add justifies ICT equip-ment cost.

encapsulation optionsMany COB encapsulation materials are single part epoxies similar to those used in the semiconductor packaging industry. The critical selection criterions are Rheol-ogy, Glass temp Tg, Coefficient of thermal expansion (Cte), low ionic contribution, easy cure and post cure protection proper-ties. Thermoset coatings require typically 3-6hrsat140-120˚Ccuring.UltraViolet(UV) curable rivals are coming along, claiming improved protection.

A ‘glob top’ (GT), as the name applies, is obtained by a free flow of high viscosity coating. GT is easier but suffers from footprint and consequential height variability and suited for less critical applications. Control of encapsulation height is crucial for reliability. Too close to the bond wire loop or wire exposed causes failures. Precise height and footprint require an auto dispenser using Archimedes valve or positive displacement

methods and

can cost up to $300K. Dam and fill (D&F) , seen in Figure 1e, lays down a contiguous high viscosity bead, creating a well-defined containment. This ‘dam’ is pre-cured typically for 2-5mins. The ‘fill’ is low viscosity spiral pattern using precise dispensing guidelines. Encapsulant materials must be preconditioned and the board temperature elevated to around 80˚Ctominimizeairbubblesandmoisture entrapment to prevent ‘popcorn’ effects.

Failure analysis and improving yieldFailure analysis poses the most challenges amongst all the steps in COB assembly. Die level visual inspection can, however, be learned and is accomplished at 50-500 X to detect fab defects and surface damage. Mil. Std. 883 E, method 2010.103 defines the visual criterion governing bare die acceptance.

Mounted and bonded dies can be removed; the Al wires and pads chemically etched to expose the underlying Silicon and visualized for cracks and damage causing leakage currents. Once encapsulated, analysis becomes much more difficult. Decapping with fuming Nitric Acid gives little success-the coating simply turns to a goopy mess. The assembler can only rely on electrical testing and analysis. Ongoing reliability testing (ORT) via thermal cycling is a good tool to weed out weaknesses and improve the process.

Die level analysis may prove quite unsettling for a board assembler. Developing a close alliance with a capable laboratory specialized in this task and with the die supplier greatly helps. A COB problem could be a legitimate die problem or board assembly related. Take for instance the die defect shown in Figure 6. This classical case of electrical overstress

could manifest in similar ways from the assembly process or from a congenital weak spot in the die. It requires further detailed Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) cross-section examination with close cooperation between the assembler and die supplier for root cause identification. The assistance of wafer fab engineers, related die lot defectivity count, die structure details such as number of metal layers, passivation and the type of process etc. provide vital clues for proper analysis. Without that cooperation the determination can lead down a rocky road with a lot of gray areas.

reworking coBAs with any process rework must be consid-ered. Some dies will inevitably fail and die selection may not always be optimal. COB rework is applied at three different levels listed below in descending order of success.

Level 1: Bonds missing or mis-bonds:This is doable only if space around the die pad and board metallization permits bond-ing a new wire without disturbing adjacent bonds. Bonds must be on fresh areas and never over previous footprints. If space limits access, the die must be completely removed and the processes redone per item B below.

Level 2: Die replacement before encapsulation:This is the case when a die is found dam-aged at VMI or defective during the testing prior to encapsulation. The first step is the removal of the bond wires by a sharp needle under magnification. Next, removal of the die requires controlled localized heating to achieve softening and break-down of the die bond adhesive (typically around200˚C).Heatingismostlytop-sideconvective but could be radiant. Critical factors are controlling maximum tempera-

Figure 5. Wire bonding fishbone diagram.

Figure 6. EOS die defect.



turesandkeepinggradientsunder3˚C/sec to prevent degradation of any sensitive components. The defective die is easily pried off upon adhesive break down. After a visual for any site damage, remnants of the die- attach and bond wires are removed and the site cleaned thoroughly and re-inspected. The process then follows the prime sequence except new bonds must be on new areas and never over previous footprints.

Level 3: Die replacement after encapsulation:When a fully completed and encapsulated assembly fails final test and the fault traced to the COB, the defect could be either the die or bonding. Rework requires removing the encapsulation followed by the sequence of item B above. As with die removal, the encapsulation is softened to the point of degradation by topside convective heat-ing. When it looses its bond to the base material it is then pried off. The steps then proceed along item B above. Level 3 is not encouraged; it is not pretty and has low probability of success.

Rework of COB may appear tedious but it is doable. Between Level 1 and Level 2 rework may help recover as much as 80% of defective assemblies. The process nature and pad width limit rework to one time.

summary & conclusionCOB is a viable process with many applica-tions in relatively modest cost products with relatively short life cycle and where time to market and ‘first-in-the-game’ a key ingredient for success. Die cost, sizing, I/ O, complexity, foundry maturity and UBD are key factors in selecting dies for COB. Successfully merging COB with surface mount processes requires understanding, controlling and managing a whole new set of complex variables related to the wire bonding process. A 10 K or better class clean room and associated discipline is highly recommended. Challenges for the board assembler lie in acquiring skills, knowledge and resources more attuned to IC back end processes and coupling them with SMT know how.

Top critical factors are a COB friendly PCB layout, die supplier management, bond reliability and a pre-encapsulation test regimen. Critical process control points are contamination control, tool management, and wire loop and encapsulation height control. Higher end applications and component manufacturing like BGA assembly require plasma etching or stripping. Although flip

chips and flip chip CSPs (FCCSP) compete with COB, each has its own uniqueness and ‘best-fit’ market segments. COB is a mature process, using state of the art equipment, and is currently serving across a wide range of products and applications as a DCA alternative to IC packaging. COB has as its roots wire bonding, a technology with some four decades of development and maturity behind it.

references1. Assurance Technologies for Known

Good Dies, Larry Gilg, Flip Chip

Technologies, John H.Lau (Editor), McGraw-Hill 1996.

2. Procurement Standard for Known Good Die EIA/JEDEC Std. JESD49, Joint Electron Device Engineering Council, Arlington, VA. URL: www.jedec.org

3. Mil- Std-883 E, Test Method Stan-dards, Microcircuits URL: http://www.mil-std-883.com/

4. Metallization Options for Optimum Chip – On– Board Assembly – Mukul Luthra - SMTA International Confer-ence, Sep 2007, Orlando.

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Combating counterfeit components—industry initiatives for a global problem

Our current business climate involves a modest but broad global recovery overlaid with a normal post-Christmas seasonal downturn. World GDP growth, while still negative in 3Q’09, is moving towards actual expansion in 2010 (Chart 1). Using industrial production as a measure of regional growth (Chart 2), the key SE Asian countries are all expanding and N. America, Europe and Japan are “less worse” compared to early 2009.

Electronic equipment production is also strengthening, but Europe and Japan lag SE Asia and the USA in this current “recovery.” Per Chart 3 (based upon the most recent monthly data available) Taiwan/China was up 8.5% in November, the USA was down 3.5% in October, Japan off 24.5% in September and Europe down 18.2% in October. These 3/12 growth rates compare the most recent 3-months in 2009 vs. the same 3-months in 2008.

This year’s post-holiday seasonal downturn should be much less severe compared to 2008/2009. Note the green arrows on Chart 4 that point to November 2008 and November 2009. High volume

SE Asian electronic equipment production plummeted in late 2008 as a major world recession combined with a normal seasonal downturn to create a “perfect storm” leading to VERY depressed electronics demand in early 2009. This year the seasonal downturn appears much more muted! High volume consumer end markets, such as mobile phones (Chart 5) and personal computers (Chart 6), are rebounding.

Electronic components are also seeing improving demand. Printed circuit board global sales bottomed in January 2009 and then grew through early autumn (Chart 7), before beginning their normal post-holiday seasonal slowdown. 2009 world PCB shipments were down about 21% compared to the prior year based upon Custer Consulting Group’s global model. Recovery to the 2007/8 levels may be a few years away but year-on-year PCB growth should be positive in 2010.

Semiconductor $ shipments (down 11.5% globally 2009) are projected to rebound 12.2% in 2010 (Chart 8) and SEMI equipment sales (Chart 9) are also

expected to see significant 2010 growth.2010 won’t be as strong as 2007, but it

is headed in the right direction!

end markets • Worldwide mobile phone sales

increased 0.1% y/y to 308.9 million units in 3Q.09.—Gartner

• Worldwide smart phone shipments grew 4.2% to 43.3 million units in 3Q’09.—IDC

• Worldwide PC shipments increased 0.5% y/y to 80.9 million units in 3Q’09 and were expected to grow 2.8% y/y to 298.9 million units in 2009—Gartner

• Worldwide server unit shipments declined 17.9% y/y in 3Q’09.—IDC

• Global digital cable set top box shipments are estimated to have fallen 6% y/y to 47 million units in 2009.—In-Stat

• Global TV shipments rose 1% y/y to 54.9 million units in 3Q’09.—DisplaySearch

• PC gaming hardware is expected to reach US $27 billion in 2010.—Jon

Walt Custer and Jon Custer-Topai

Global business climate: most indicators point north

Chart 1. Chart 2.

World GDP GrowthQuarter-to-Quarter

Economist 12/19/09

2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 405 06 07 08 09

0.0

2.0

4.0

-2.0

-4.0

% Change

20091219

52 countries representing 90% of world GDP. Weighted by GDP at Purchasing Power Parity. Real GDP is about 1% lower @ fluctuating Exchange

Industrial Production - World% Change vs. One Year Earlier

Economist 12/2009 http://www.economist.com Output, prices and jobs

20091219




Peddie Research • Personal robot sales are expected

to grow from US $1.16 billion in 2009 to $5.26 billion in 2015.—ABI Research

eMs, oDM & related assembly activity Aqueous Technologies began a full-service contract defluxing and cleanliness testing service in Southern California. Assel (Gdansk, Poland) added a Dage x-ray inspection machine.Asustek rehired its workers and raised salaries for executives.ATLAS ELEKTRONIK set up a subsidiary in Helsinki, Finland.Benchmark Electronics’ Huntsville, Alabama and Penang, Malaysia facilities received International Aerospace Quality Group AS9100 standard certifications. Brantham Engineering entered administration.Briton EMS added MYOptimisation service from MYDATA.

Camtronics appointed Amanda Parker managing director. Catalyst Manufacturing Services appointed John Singleton director business development New England and Suzy Moody director Southeast sales.Celestica: • sold its Rájecko (Czech Republic)

manufacturing facility to Tyco Safety Products.

• received National Aerospace and Defense contract accreditation at its Toronto, Canada, and Kulim, Malaysia, Aerospace and Defense Centers of Excellence.

• formed a strategic alliance with Zurvahn.

CIL appointed Gordon Rice business development manager.Circuitronics was acquired by private equity firm LongWater Opportunities.Cirtronics received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Compal is investing US $20 million to build an additional factory in Kunshan, China, for manufacturing LCD TVs, monitors and hand-held devices.Dell will close its desktop PC assembly factory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 2010 and outsource production to Mexico.Delphi: • emerged from Chapter 11 as a private

company.• formed a new board led by former

DuPont chairman John Krol. Denso terminated 730 workers in Székesfehérvár, Hungary.Digi-Com Electronics received ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certifications.Distron received International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) registration by the U.S. State Department. Eamont acquired Nortec Production.

Elcoteq laid-off 246 workers in Pecs, Hungary.

Global Electronic Equipment Shipment Growth

1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 10 1 4 7 1000 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

CALENDAR YEAR

0.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

1

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

1.5

1.63/12 rate of growth in local currency

Taiwan/ChinaEuropeJapanUSA0

20091216

Europe = Eurostat EU27 NACE C26 (computer, electronic & optical products)

Taiwan/China Electronic Equipment ProducersComposite of 101 Manufacturers

1 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 911102 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

CALENDAR YEAR

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700NT$ (billions)

20091211

Taiwan listed companies, often with significant manufacturing in China

2008/2007 up 8%

Chart 3. Chart 4.

Mobile Phone Unit ShipmentsWorld

Gartner DataQuest 11/09

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 300 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350Units (Millions)

20091112

HolidaySeasonality

0%

PERSONAL COMPUTER GROWTHGLOBAL SALES

Gartner Dataquest 12/2009Desktops, Notebooks, Ultraportables, X86 Servers

45 58 70 81 93121 134 129

153169

190219 231

272291 299

337

19941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010

CALENDAR YEAR

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400UNITS (Millions)

20091211

+12.6%in 2010

Gartner12/09

The market value of global PC shipments is now forecast to total US$217 billion in 2009, a 10.7% YoY decline, Gartner said, and the market value is forecasted to reach US$222.9 billion in 2010, a 2.6% YoY increase. Gartner`s new forecast indicates mobile PC shipments are on pace to reach162 million units in 2009, a 15.4% increase over 2008. In 2010, mobile-PCshipments are expected to reach 196.4 million units. Mini-notebook PC (netbook) shipments, included in overall mobile PC shipments, are forecast to reach 29 million in 2009 and would grow to 41 million shipments in 2010,Gartner said. Meanwhile, shipments of desktop PCs are expected to total 136.9 million units in 2009, a 9% YoY decline, while in 2010 such shipments are forecast to reach 140.2 million units. 12/09

Chart 5. Chart 6.



Electronic Technologies International completed ISO 9000:2008 registration.Elektromekan named Ilmars Osmanis its interim CEO after Dennis Melin stepped down.Enics laid-off 85 in Lohja and Vantaa, Finland.Express Manufacturing and Beyonics set up high volume EMS service collaboration in Asia and U.S. FCT Assembly appointed Comtree its distributor in Ontario and Western Canada and Diverse Electronics as its Canada representative. Fleetwood Electronics (Manchester, UK) entered administration.Flextronics: • hired 6,000 migrant workers in

mainland China for Christmas demand; plans to hire additional 10,000 migrant workers early 2010.

• is building new computer R&D and manufacturing facility in Wuzhong, China.

• acquired AFL Stribel. • hired 900 employees in Zalaegerszeg,

Hungary • received 2009 EMS Partner

Operational Excellence and B2B Collaboration awards from Cisco.

• invested €2.2 million for new machinery and equipment in Althofen, Austria.

• completed a major expansion of its Tijuana, Mexico, disposable medical device manufacturing campus.

• moved its subsidiary Sidler Automotive from Tübingen to Frickenhausen, Germany.

• received CEM services contract for satellite-terrestrial smartphones from TerreStar Corporation, EB (Elektrobit).

• acquired medical device producer Slomedical in Slovakia.

• formed LED cooperation with Cree.Foxconn/Hon Hai:

• acquired PC assembly plant in Lodz, Poland, from Dell.

• delayed $1 billion investment for Bac Ninh province, Vietnam, hi-tech industrial park and township project.

• building additional production facility in Kutna Hora, Czech Republic.

• FIH subsidiary consolidated eight handset R&D units.

• Foxlink subsidiary is investing NT $9.4 billion (US $291 million) to set up R&D center in Guangdong, China.

• Innolux subsidiary acquired Chi Mei for NT $172 billion (US $5.3 billion).

• injecting US $392 million in additional funding for several mainland projects, including $50 million in a Chongqing plant jointly operated with HP.

• Ability Opto-Electronics Technology subsidiary invested NT $1.7 billion (US $52.47 million) to build new LED plant in Hsinchu Science Park.

• investing US $1 billion to build manufacturing base for optoelectronics products in Chengdu, China.

• will open up to 10,000 consumer electronics retail stores in China.

General Microcircuits Mooresville, NC plant workers received 61 certifications for IPC-610 “workmanship standards and inspection criterion,” IPC-J-001 “process control for electronics,” and/or IPC-7711/7721 “rework and repair of PCBs.” GPV: • Asia received ATEX certification. • added a new x-ray machine in

Thailand.H&T Electronics CEO Jack Wu resigned.Herald Electronics added a GÖPEL OptiCon BasicLine 1M AOI system.HTC invested an additional US $23.6 million in its subsidiary High Tech Computer Asia Pacific.Incap: • temporarily laid-off workers in Finland

for one week in December 2009 and one week in January 2010.

• plans to double India design staff in 2010.

Inventec merged with server solution subsidiary IESC.Jabil Circuit:• merged its Italian units in San Marco

Evangelista and Marcianise. • Poland received 45 MW outsourcing

contract from BP Solar.• sold its Meung-sur-Loire, France plant

to EMSIACA (American Industrial Acquisition Corporation).

• former Billerica, Massachusetts workers became eligible to receive portion of US $827,616 grant money from U.S. Department of Labor.

• cut 4,500 workersKenmec Mechanical Engineering received digital video phone manufacturing contract from WorldGate. Kimball Electronics:• received assembly contract from

Draeger for gas, electrochemical and explosion detection devices.

• Nanjing, China facility received assembly contract for transport temperature control systems.

Kitron: • is adding a 4000 sq. m. manufacturing

unit in China’s Shanghai region for low complexity products.

• received a NOK 16 million military communication equipment order.

• transferred part of its production at the Karlskoga facility in Sweden to a “low-cost alternative”.

LaBarge received US $2 million assembly contract from Atlantic Inertial Systems, three wire harness assembly contracts worth $11.2 million from Raytheon and $1.8 million cable and wiring harness contract from United Space Alliance.LG Electronics outsourced Kunshan, China, notebook production.

World PCB ShipmentsConverted @ Constant 2008 Exchange Rates

1 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 9111 3 5 7 911199 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10

CALENDAR YEAR

20

30

40

50

60$ Billion

Source: Custer Consulting Group - synthesized from Henderson Ventures annual estimates and N. American, Japanese & Taiwan/China monthly PCB shipments and SIA European chip shipments

20091205

51.742.937.631.729.4

Assumptions:Europe = composite European SIA & local PCB assoc dataJapan & N. America from JPCA & IPC dataTaiwan/China based upon 44 rigid & flex company compositeRest of Asia growth = Taiwan/China 44 company compositeData scaled to match Henderson Ventures annual totals2007 based upon sum of monthly totals

54.3 51.1 40.538.6 31.231.6

-21%149.4

204.4

138.9 140.8166.3

213.1227.4

247.7 255.6 248.6

220.1246.9

269.8

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0$ Billions

N. America 47.5 64.1 35.8 31.3 32.3 39.1 40.7 44.9 42.3 37.9 37.4 41.9 45.9Europe 31.9 42.3 30.2 27.8 32.3 39.4 39.1 39.9 41.0 38.2 29.0 32.2 34.9Japan 32.8 46.7 33.1 30.5 38.9 45.8 44.1 46.4 48.8 48.5 38.2 42.0 45.4

Asia Pacific 37.2 51.3 39.8 51.2 62.8 88.8 103.5 116.5 123.5 124.0 115.6 130.9 143.6

WSTS 11/2009

Worldwide Semiconductor Market by GeographyWSTS Forecast

20091126

-11.5% +12.2%

Chart 7. Chart 8.



Matrix (Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin) added DEK’s Horizon 02i system and VectorGuard stencil technology. Microboard Processing added Vi TECHNOLOGY 3D-SPI 3D-SPI automated solder paste inspection system in Seymour, CT. MicroLOGIX added an additional automatic SMT line including an i-Pulse SMT placer with a nitrogen reflow oven.Mikroelektronika added a Pace ThermoFlo system. MindTree entered EMS business following US $6 million acquisition of Kyocera Wireless Corp.’s Indian facility,NBS: • Expanded its Santa Clara, California,

facility by 10,000SF and added a SPEA high speed flying probe test system.

• appointed Universal Technology as its New England sales representatives.

Newbury Electronics added a Cemco 5540 vacuum packaging machine.Northstar Electronics: • Northstar Network subsidiary received

AS9100B aeronautics manufacturing certification.

• secured US$800,000 line of credit from Maple Trade Finance.

Note:• moved production acquired from

Norteam acquisition to Kjeller, Norway.

• downsized its Skelleftea, Sweden, plant.• became a medical product supplier to

Radi Medical Systems.PartnerTech:• laid-off 55 in Karlskoga, Sweden. • opening a new enclosures and system

integration production plant in Myslowice, Poland, in 2Q’10.

• received outsourcing contract for wireless fertility monitors from Cambridge Temperature Concepts and T53 reverse vending machines for Norwegian Tomra Systems ASA.

Plexus opened its Oradea, Romania

manufacturing site. Prehtronics was renamed Lacroix Electronics.Protonic installed a MYDATA MY500 solder jet printer. Quanta invested US $10 million in Tilera.R&D Tech appointed Technical Resources Corporation as its sales representative for Florida and Puerto Rico. Saline Lectronics installed an Orpro Vision AOI system.Sanmina-SCI: • appointed Jean Manas to its Board of

Directors.• investing US $7-10 million in new

machinery in Mexico.• received satellite receiver

manufacturing volume production order from Dish México.

• redeemed US $175.7 million in aggregate principal amount of its Senior Floating Rate Notes due 2010 (the “Notes”).

SB Electronics is building a US $18 million, 50,000SF electric vehicle assembly plant in Barre, Vermont.Scanfil:• merged electronics and mechanics

plants in Sievi.• will move some electronics production

to Pärnu plant in Estonia by 2Q’10.• centralized European manual and

automatic PCB assembly in Estonia.• added an assembly line to its Pärnu

plant.Schmersal Group added a SEHO Systems PowerWave system in Boituva, Brazil.SFO Technologies received AS 9100 certification.SMT Developments added 5000SF to its CEM facility in Warwick to accommodate wave soldering equipment, secure storage, and box-build assembly. STI Electronics updated its ISO 9001-2000 certification to ISO-9001-2008.Sunburst Electronics formed aerospace and military electronics alliance with

Composiflex.Suntron:• appointed Ed Wheeler CEO and president after Paul Singh resigned.• Phoenix, Arizona facility received ISO13485 certification.Surface Mount Technology plans to renovate 6,000SF and add 25,000SF in Appleton, Wisconsin, over the next two years. Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology is building a new LED

TV plant in Taiwan.Trizo added an i-Pulse K5L AOI system.TT electronics:• appointed Gary Allen managing

director for TT electronics integrated manufacturing services’ plants in Rogerstone, South Wales and Aylesbury, England.

• Suzhou facility becomes China’s first EMS provider certified with the International Rail Industry Standard (IRIS).

Union Four Electronics added a Blakell Europlacer’s Tagarno Magnus inspection tool.Vogt electronic:• officially changed its name to Sumida.• closed its Niederwaldkirchen (Austria)

production facility.Wistron:• building a LCD industrial park in

Guangdong, China and a LCD and television monitor plant in Brno, Czech.

• expedited building a notebook factory in Taizhou Development Park of Jiangsu province, China.

Materials & process equipment Silver ink and paste revenue for printed electronics will reach US $3.6 billion by 2016.—NanoMarkets Air Products NanoMaterials opened its Asian headquarters and Advanced Technology Center in Taiwan.Agilent: • acquired Keithley Instruments’ RF

product line. • appointed RS Components

as a distributor for its test and measurement products in Asia.

• sold its N2X data network testing product line to Ixia for US $44 million.

AIM named Roger Chiu sales manager in China. A-Laser appointed Jimmy Cusack regional sales manager for the U.S. Midwest.Applied Nanotech received US $500,000 from U.S. Missile Defense Agency for development of non-contact methods for mitigation of tin whiskers from electronic devices. APS Novastar named NamA Electronic Industry its representative for Korea, Southeast Asia, and the Philippines and 3S Technologies its representative in Turkey. Arisawa Seisakusho acquired 45.3% stake in Thin Flex.Assembléon and Valor jointly collaborated on software and tools for electronic equipment assembly. Asymtek changed its brand identity to Nordson ASYMTEK. Balver Zinn: • Cobar Division CEO Stan Renals was

named global sales manager.

19.8 22.2

37.132.9

40.5 42.8

29.5

16.0

24.5

31.2

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0$ Billions

N America 5.9 4.7 5.8 5.7 7.3 6.6 5.6 3.3 4.4 5.4Japan 3.9 5.6 8.3 8.2 9.2 9.3 7.0 2.3 3.6 4.5

Taiwan 3.5 2.9 7.8 5.7 7.3 10.7 5.0 4.0 5.9 7.8Europe 2.1 2.6 3.4 3.3 3.6 2.9 2.5 1.0 1.9 2.2

S Korea 1.7 3.2 4.6 5.8 7.0 7.4 4.9 3.0 4.5 5.9China 1.2 2.7 1.3 2.3 2.9 1.9 1.1 1.9 2.6ROW 2.7 2.1 4.5 2.9 3.7 3.1 2.6 1.4 2.3 3.0

SEMI 12/2009 (and prior reports)

Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Equipment Market by Geography

20091204

Chart 9.



• promoted Thomas Kolossa to sales manager for Europe, Africa and Russia.

Burkle North America launched its new and improved website, www.Burkleusa.com.Camtek acquired:• TEM/SEM sample prep system maker

SELA.• Technology Resources Group.Christopher Associates signed Rich Sales for its PCBA product line throughout Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Cookson Electronics’ Alpha product line trading business in the Benelux was acquired by management and renamed ROTEC BVBA.CyberOptics advanced inspection system was incorporated in DEK International’s new productivity-safeguarding screen printing technology.DEK named Neutec Electronics its Switzerland distributor.DENKA developed a new hybrid material of epoxy resin and h-BN filler with the highest thermal conductivity. Dow Chemical: • sold Morton Salt, paying down its

Rohm & Hass acquisition debt.• and HPL acquired collective assets

from HPL (High Power Lithium). • plans to sell more assets in 2010 to

pay off debt from its US $16.5 billion Rohm and Haas acquisition.

DuPont received US $2.25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop a solid-state lighting source using low-cost OLED manufacturing techniques. DYMAX: • was named one of Inc. 5000’s Fastest-

Growing Companies in U.S.• appointed Peter Zazzaro global director

of quality, regulatory affairs.ESI: • commercialized ML5900 laser

micromachining platform. • began using Fujitsu Automated Process

Discovery and Visualization service.Etek Europe sold a Trident III automatic defluxing system to Union Four.EVS launched www.solderrecovery.com to highlight the benefits of solder dross recovery. FINE LINE STENCIL became a DEK stencil franchisee in California. FINETECH GmbH acquired Martin GmbH. Fuji Machine received an Outstanding Performance Award from Sanmina-SCI.Global-Ventec Laminates appointed Gavin Frost as Ventec Electronics European technical team.GOEPEL opened a new subsidiary in Hong Kong.Golden Mount acquired 28.45% stake in Nam Hing Holdings. GSI Group filed for Chapter 11 reorganization under the U.S. Bankruptcy

Code. GVL UK changed its name to Ventec Europe.Henkel: • introduced Multicore HF108 lead-free,

halogen-free solder paste. • signed Moore Integrated Technologies

as its sales representative in Northern California and The NiMar Group for Texas/Oklahoma.

Heraeus developed thick film dielectric and lead-free silver conductor pastes for aluminum substrates. Hitachi: • Via Mechanics is spending one billion

yen to build a new 1000 unit/year NC PCB drilling machine assembly plant in China.

• developed epoxy resin made from lignin that dissolves in organic solvents.

• Cable started commercial mass production of surface treated rolled copper foil.

HMS Höllmüller changed its name to RENA Höllmüller GmbH.Illinois Tool Works appointed David Samyn VP & GM of ITW Inc. Electronic Assembly Equipment Group. ITEQ: • named Tapco Circuit Supply its

exclusive North American distributor.• will expand its CCL and FCCL

capacity from 30,000 to 100,000 sq. m. in 3Q’10.

Juki: • consolidated its Chofu-shi, Tokyo,

headquarters and Setagata-ku, Tokyo, R&D facility to its new premises in Tama City, Tokyo.

• will move its Akita Prefecture SMT equipment manufacturing to China.

• shipped its 7500th KE2050/2060 machine.

Kanto Chemical commercialized new its electroless gold plating solution, Aurexel-HG.Kyzen opened a new facility in Penang, Malaysia. Lloyd Doyle named Handel und Organisation von lean Production its German representative for PCB AOI systems.Marantz Business Electronics: • partnered with Nutek on development

of fully automatic offline inspection island.

• signed a new solder paste inspection technologies and equipment OEM agreement with DJTECH.

Mentor Graphics acquired Valor Computerized Systems.Mitsui Metal Smelting will increase its ultra thin copper foil with carrier foil manufacturing capacity to one million sq. m./month in July 2010. Nordson promoted Jeff Pembroke to

president of Nordson EFD.OK International moved its European commercial headquarters to Switzerland alongside other European Dover Technology businesses.Orpro Vision appointed Scanditron its distributor for Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Norway.Park Electrochemical terminated Tapco Circuit Supply as its distributor. Risho Kogyo developed new PPE (polyphenylene ether) base copper laminate with high dielectric constant (10) and low tangent loss (0.003) for high frequency PWBs. RoodMicrotec appointed Mike Jarvis UK sales representative. R&D Technical Services appointed T&M Sales its sales representative for VA, MD, DE, WV and DC and Advanced Precision Sales its representative for California and Baja, Mexico. Shanghai Copper is adding a 3,000 ton/yr. wide copper foil production line in 2010. Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems:• laid-off 100 employees in Germany. • sold its AOI segment to vision-OS. • opened a new factory in Munich.• entered PCB technology patent license

agreements with Bull SAS.Solder Connection received ISO 9001:2008 quality standard, ISO 14001:2004 environmental standard and OHSAS 18001:2007 occupational health and safety standard certifications. Sono-Tek appointed Etek Europe as its exclusive distributor for ultrasonic spray fluxing systems in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Moldova, Slovenia and Croatia.Taiyo-America promoted Bob MacRae to eastern regional sales manager. Tektronix acquired Sypris Solutions’ Test & Measurement business.Viscom celebrated its 25 Year anniversary.Vishay spun-off its measurements and foil resistor businesses into an independent, publicly-traded company, Vishay Precision Group, Inc.Vitronics Soltec signed a distribution agreement with Silgal Iberica for Spain.ZESTRON America appointed Richard Burke northeast regional sales manager.

Walt Custer is an independent consultant who monitors and offers a daily news service

and market reports on the PCB and assembly automation and semiconductor industries. He

can be contacted at [email protected] or visit www.custerconsulting.com.

Jon Custer-Topai is vice president of Custer Consulting Group and responsible for the

corporation’s market research and news analysis activities. Jon is a member of the IPC and active in the Technology Marketing Research Council.

He can be contacted at [email protected].


Title

3 MORSE ROAD • OXFORD, CT 06478PHONE: (+1) 203-881-5559 • FAX: (+1) 203-881-3322

www.mirtecusa.com

Award Winning Products and Service

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MV-3 Desktop AOI Series MV-7 Inline AOI Series


Trace, track and control: high production output at low costs

introductionTo survive and prosper in today’s economy, leading manufacturers must assemble high quality products at the lowest possible cost. The total cost of production must take into account the complete product lifecycle including warranty, recalls and repairs. Track, trace, and control (TTC) systems are an essential element of success in achieving these strategic objectives. These systems are designed to achieve optimal use of materi-als and resources throughout the manufac-turing process.

First, a TTC system provides real-time visibility of all work-in-progress (WIP) and materials on the factory floor. Second, a TTC system eliminates the risk of human errors associated with material handling and equipment setup. Finally, a TTC system provides a complete history of the product lifecycle to enable precise troubleshooting and to minimize the number of products that need to be returned if a recall occurs.

In the cost structure of most

manufactured products, materials constitute 50 percent of the total cost. For complex products, such as electronic printed circuit board assemblies, the sum of individual components can represent up to 80 percent of the cost of the finished product. A good TTC system will eliminate all waste of time and materials, enabling savings up to 10 percent of the total product cost, which goes straight to a manufacturer’s bottom line.

A typical payback analysis for a good TTC system is less than one year. In a globally competitive manufacturing industry, one could argue that the cost of opportunity associated with this investment is a simple matter of staying in business. TrackEvery manufacturer requires some level of WIP tracking on the factory floor. In many instances this is achieved with paper-based procedures. Although this type of solution can work, it typically is not the most ef-ficient. Production data is not available in real-time. Also, since the basic product-

Keywords: Track, Trace, Control, Software

Learn how TTC solutions help manufacturers cut cost, cut waste, automate critical manufacturing processes, and increase yields—all critical elements in today’s economic environment.

François Monette, Cogiscan Inc. and Matt Van Bogart, Microscan Systems, Inc.

Trace, track and control:high production output at low costs


Year end assessment: the path to recovery

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ion data is not digitized, it is not practical to perform any kind of performance and quality analysis, and/or create traceability records.

Automated WIP tracking provides real-time visibility of all open orders on the production floor. In the simplest form, this can be done at the job or work order level simply by scanning a barcode label on the traveler sheet at each operation. The highest level of precision can be achieved by tracking individual production units if they are serialized with 1D or 2D symbols or RFID tags.

In addition to basic product tracking, all related production materials required for a specific job can be identified with unique ID barcode labels or RFID tags. Scanning these parts as they move from one location to another provides real-time visibility of all production materials on and off the assembly line. In some factories a significant amount of time is spent each day searching for specific components or sub-assemblies. Everyone knows that they are out there somewhere, but no one knows precisely where. In addition to the direct cost of human resources, this has a direct impact on productivity. In some cases complete assembly lines sit idle while someone tries to find the missing part. In other cases, the whole line must be changed over to another product because the necessary material cannot be located and additional parts must be ordered. This can amount to hours of lost production time and missed deliveries.

Knowing and controlling the precise location of all WIP and materials on the production floor enables a much higher level of control over critical parameters such as on-time delivery, cost, and quality. Additionally, once the data acquisition infrastructure is in place, additional software applications can be easily implemented to realize additional benefits.

TraceThe topic of traceability is not often associ-ated with a specific return on investment (ROI) because this requirement is driven by the end customer, by a specific industry standard, or by legislation. In these instanc-es a traceability system is a prerequisite to doing business.

Other times the need for traceability is based on simple economic considerations. The cost of catching a defect increases tenfold at each step in the product lifecycle. The actual cost of a product recall can be staggering, without even considering brand perception damage and the associated impact on future sales. The

following well-documented cases illustrate this point.

Traceability Case Study # 1Sony batteries were found catching fire in laptops sold by Dell, Hitachi, IBM, Lenovo, Toshiba, and Apple.

9.6 million laptops were affected and Sony spent $430M to replace all the defective units. In this instance both Sony and all the OEMs using the Sony batteries could have saved millions of dollars if they had better traceability systems to pinpoint the units affected more accurately.

Traceability Case Study # 2The Microsoft Xbox 360 experienced widespread hardware failure identified by three red lights blinking. Microsoft ended up spending a reported $1B to extend war-ranties as a result.

Traceability Case Study # 3Tylenol recalled 31 million bottles of Tyle-nol at a cost well over $100M.The product market share dropped from about 37 to 7 percent.

Traceability Case Study # 4Bridgestone posted a special $350M loss after its U.S. unit Firestone announced a recall of 6.5 million tires. This amount only covered the actual cost of the recall and not potential lawsuits or loss of rev-enue. The company stock slid 24 percent in a week.

Considering the very large number of variables and human beings involved throughout the complete assembly of a product and its lifecycle, the opportunity for something to go wrong is very high. It is not a question of knowing if something will go wrong, it’s a question of when it will happen and how bad it will be. In the case of a serious product failure or security issue, having a basic traceability system in place can reduce the number of products to be recalled by orders of magnitude. Some people like to compare a traceability system to an insurance policy. It is a small investment that can make an enormous difference when something does go wrong.

There are different levels of traceability that can be achieved, from production batch or date code down to serialized units, and from manufacturing site and date-only to full process and material information. The challenge for each manufacturer is to define which level is most appropriate for the specific situation. It becomes a matter of balancing the actual cost of acquiring and storing traceability data against the cost of a potential recall.

In a typical TTC historical database, it is possible to determine precisely when and where a defective product was built simply by scanning the serial number. It also is possible to retrace every single lot of parts that was used to produce that specific unit. If the defect is related to a faulty batch of parts, it is possible to identify the list of all products that were built using the defective parts. As a result, any product recall is reduced to the smallest possible impact.

The true cost of a traceability system may be far less than expected. If traceability is considered in the context of a complete TTC system, full process and material level traceability will be a natural by-product of the TTC system.

controlProduction control is the third but not the least critical aspect of TTC software. The word “control” refers to all aspects of error-proofing. It is certainly important to get real-time visibility of WIP and materi-als, and to be able to trace historical data, but it is even more important to build the product correctly in the first place. If the TTC system is primarily intended to gather traceability data, the control functions will ensure that operators are using the correct product and materials and are scanning the correct production information in the historical database, guaranteeing 100 percent accuracy of traceability data. Auto-mated machine vision inspection also can be used to further reduce the possibility of human error.

In the case of product WIP tracking, it is logical and beneficial to link each scan point to a pre-defined assembly route. In this case, the TTC software will compare the actual status and location of the product to where it should be. An alarm or warning will be generated if the product has bypassed any operation. Additional product-related information such as quality data or inspection and test results can be logged rapidly and efficiently while scanning the product from one operation to another.

When tracking serialized products, basic cycle time information can become a powerful database for monitoring operational efficiency. It is possible to compare real-time information against calculated throughput and even generate warnings and alarms when the process slows down below a certain threshold. This type of control leads to better machine utilization and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).

Similarly, while tracking material on the assembly line the TTC software can



verify that the correct parts are set up in the correct location to build a specific product. Again, warnings and alarms can be generated during initial machine setup to eliminate the risk of human errors and the associated waste of time and materials. Optional light towers and physical interlocks also can be tied to the TTC software to provide more visible and audible warnings and to stop the production line in case of critical errors.

Tracking materials on and off the assembly line also enables the following applications:

• Offline setup validation to ac-celerate changeover

• e-kanban to pull parts before running empty

• Material reservation/kit man-agement

• Perishable material tracking to avoid using expired material

This leads to more efficient use of materials as well as improvements in machine utilization/OEE.

closed-loop controlManufacturing floor automation prevents errors by eliminating as much human intervention as possible. This can be achieved in TTC systems by replacing handheld barcode readers with fixed-mount readers integrated in machines, workstations, and conveyors. Various types of interlocks can be connected to the read-ers and TTC software to stop the assembly process in the event of a misread or when the product is out of sequence. In some cases, replacing barcodes with RFID tags also can enable completely hands-free data acquisition and setup verification. RFID technology is commonly used to create in-telligent systems in which tags are attached to different pieces of tooling, fixtures, or pallets, and RFID antennas/readers are strategically integrated inside machines.

general benefits of TTc• Reduce inventory • Reduce risk of costly product

recalls• Identify and eliminate bottle-

necks• Avoid component shortages • Improve first-pass yields and

reduce defects• Shorten delivery time• Improve on-time delivery• Increase productivity and mini-

mize line downtime• Reduce labor cost

• Increase inven-tory accuracy and visibility

• Eliminate kitting errors

• Eliminate machine setup errors

• Eliminate physical inven-tory count (cycle count)

• Monitor and improve mate-rial flow and workflow

• Improve quality

Quantitative benefits of TTc• Reduce

manufacturing cycle time (35-45 percent) (1)

• Reduce manufacturing lead time (30 percent) (1)

• Reduce machine/line changeover time (50 percent) (2)

• Reduce data entry time (36-75 percent) (1)

• Reduce work in progress (17-32 percent) (1)

• Reduce paperwork between shifts (56-67 percent) (1)

• Reduce inventory (4-6 percent) (3)• Increase product quality (+18

percent) (1)

conclusionA good TTC software package should be highly modular and scalable because, in most cases, manufacturers want to solve a specific problem by implementing a small project in a short time frame. A targeted TTC project will typically cost between $15k and $50k and will be implemented in a matter of a few days, providing a very good ROI and quick payback. The basic TTC system can be expanded in phases over time, each phase increasing benefits and ROI.

references1. MESA International Survey2. Positron case study, Cogiscan Inc.3. Return on Investment Calculation,

Dynamic Systems Inc.

additional sources1. Technology Fails: 8 Extreme Electronic

Disasters, Computerworld, October 2009

2. www.recalls.gov – One stop shop for U.S. Government recalls

3. Return on Investment for WMS project, Dynamic Systems Inc.

4. MESA International Survey5. Materials Management, Profit

Centre, Indian Institute of Materials Management

6. Survey of Successful RFID Case Studies in Electronics Manufacturing, Cogiscan Inc.

Title


For more than 40 years, Techcon Systems has been a leader in fluid dispensing industry, and today is a part of OK International’s Industrial Division. Focusing on fluid dispensing systems, Techcon’s components are used in medical, automotive, telecommunications, aerospace, and industrial applications throughout the world, helping improve manufacturing processes and increase customer’s bottom lines. Techcon offers a wide array of fluid dispensing products and provides dispensing components ranging from disposable accessories to complete microprocessor-controlled dispensing systems and precision valves.

Bryan Gass worked for OK International before moving to the fluid dispensing division as vice president. Here Bryan talks to Trevor Galbraith about how he is developing the business and why he believes that implementing a rigid strategy now will strengthen the business in these challenging times and beyond.

Techcon Systems has been operating for over 40 years. What type of business did you inherit?

More than 40 years of developing the world’s leading fluid dispensing products and technologies speaks for itself in many ways. The business is very much driven by the importance it puts on its people and the value they bring. Some of our people have been with us for over 30 years and collectively hold a considerable amount of application knowledge that we are able to share with customers. The company also has worked hard to continually improve quality and reduce manufacturing costs. This has enabled us to adopt an aggressive pricing structure for the benefit of our customers.

As of 2007, we have a new global management team, each with their own experience, expertise and local knowledge. Europe is headed by Steve Collier who has been with Techcon Systems for five years. Can La heads up Asia and joined the business from OK International and Mel Miller is our newest recruit, who joined to look after North America a year ago.

When I joined, the focus was very much on the end user. Now we have put the emphasis on our own business which,

in turn, will strengthen our offering for the end user. A great deal of effort had been put on marketing the OK international brand, so our growth has very much been down to our people and the strength of our products and technologies. We are now adopting a strategy that will see the Techcon Systems brand recognition elevate to the level of importance our products already hold in their respective marketplace. We have always competed commendably alongside some of the biggest names in the fluid dispensing sector, we just haven’t made such a big noise about it and that is about to change.

What do you see as the strengths of the business?

As with any business, its strength lies in its ability to improve a customer’s business and ultimately their bottom line. We are now inviting manufacturers to “TAP” into Techcon Systems. “T” stands for our training advantages, offering products that are simple to use and require minimal training. With our products you can quite literally open the box, plug it in (if applicable), and begin seeing the productivity and cost benefits. Our management team visits customers a large

percentage of the time and during these visits they have collected a vast amount of application knowledge. This helps us to not only offer our customers the right product solutions, but also to offer ideas and assistance on how they can best work for them.

“A” is for our application advantages, with our wide product offering and technologies that have been tried and tested more than 40 years. Together with the experience of our people who bring application knowledge from around the globe. This is how we pass on time and cost saving advantages for customers. We do not need to sell our products to a customer, we simply have to explain their advantages and the products will sell themselves. We always aim to speak their language, which translates into actual benefits in terms of performance, productivity, reliability, ease of use and realistic and competitive pricing. That is why we are so confident in what we have to offer and why we know our brand recognition will continue to grow. That is why “P” is for productivity advantages and how it will improve the process and output for companies and help them to gain and maintain a competitive edge in these

2009 Rep & Distributor Review

Interview—Bryan Gass, Techcon Systems

Interview


Interview

challenging times. The strength of the business also lies

in our extensive R&D and unsurpassed customer support, a reputation we are very proud of. The stability of our business is also enhanced by being part of the Dover Corporation, a global producer of innovative products.

What type of fluid dispensing technologies and products does Techcon provide? Why are these important to the industry?

Our products can be broken down into four groups: valves, dispensers, plastics and dispense tips. The family of auger valves is an industry leader in precision dispensing, allowing customers to cost effectively place dots or beads of medium to thick material repeatedly. Our family of dispensers addresses the vast majority of liquid dispensing applications with reliable, repeatable, and cost-effective solutions for the workbench. Plastics consist of 700 Series syringes for precision solutions, 400 Series syringes for cost conscience applications, and cartridges and techkits for larger packaging applications including single and plural applications. Dispense tips are designed to meet most applications. Tips are available in straight or bent configurations, made from stainless steel or plastic. If you are dispensing solder paste to UV adhesive, Techcon Systems has the dispense tip for the application.

What type of technology do you provide that your competitors cannot, and how does this benefit your customers?

With more than 40 years experience we have developed a reputation as a manufacturer of quality fluid dispensing products. Focusing on core products, and with strong technical expertise we can offer quality products to serve a wide range of industrial markets and applications. As part of OK International, a Dover Corporation company, we are able to design and develop cost-effective and technologically superior products dedicated to meet the needs of the most demanding customer requirements.

Additionally, while other companies have attempted to duplicate our family of auger valves, the Techcon series continues to be considered the leader with several innovated features including the disposable material path (DMP) cartridge and the new interchangeable material path (IMP). Both features allow customers to reduce downtime when a valve requires maintenance or service, reducing ROI and

labor costs.

What about other aspects of the business such as quality, reliability and logistics?

Our customers expect the highest level of service from us and we are constantly seeking to improve measures such as quality, reliability and on time delivery. Indeed, we have placed considerable investment into a continuous improvement program and customers are now benefiting from our many enhancements. As part of the Industrial Division of OK International, which was set up to focus on fluid dispensing and derivative products, it gives us a much greater flexibility to meet customer demands. This focus, together with the logistical expertise of a global organization, enables us to deliver world-class quality and service.

How has Techcon Systems continued to grow and stay successful during this time of economic uncertainty?

Techcon Systems has two advantages that allow us to be a leader in the precision dispensing industry. First, our customer support is unsurpassed. Our goal is to have each customer consider its experience to be positive and satisfying. The second advantage is quality. Techcon Systems is focused on quality. We have made a large investment over the past several years. New and improved valve designs such as the TS7000 series and new tooling for cartridges and syringes are just two examples.

Applications for fluid dispensing are many and varied. Which industry sectors are you most active in?

One of the big advantages of being a manufacturer of fluid dispensing systems and associated consumable products is that they are found in a range of industry sectors. This includes electronics, medical, automotive, military and more. OK International, with its industry leading soldering and fume extraction products, under the OKi and Metcal brands, is well known in the electronics markets, but this is only one of the areas where Techcon Systems has a strong presence.

Techcon cartridge products are found in aerospace and automotive industries, for example, while the 700 series plastic barrels and accessory products may be found in areas such as medical equipment manufacture and consumer electronics. Material packagers and manufacturers of adhesives and bonding materials are increasingly benefiting from the

cost- effective solutions offered by our consumable plastic products. We have products designed to meet the needs and specifications required in the most demanding manufacturing environments.

What challenges do dispensing manufacturers face today that they did not 10 years ago?

With the global economy in a state of change and the need to manage very cost-effective businesses, today’s manufacturers face unprecedented challenges to produce quality products at very competitive prices. Also, due to globalization, communicating with and supporting customers throughout the far reaches of almost every continent presents several challenges regarding equipment compatibility, translation of manuals and literature, support, and the financial transactions. As countries become more industrialized, their dispensing requirements grow as well.

There also have been significant advances in technology and we have seen the demand for more complex applications in the area of fluid dispensing as well as the reduction of the dot size and the ever-changing composition of liquids. Electronics and the medical device industries are two good examples of where this has occurred.

Techcon has developed products such as the TS5540 stainless steel spray valve and the TS5622VU-DVD stainless steel diaphragm valve, to meet the needs of progressive markets and applications such as medical device and spin coating. We have also developed the next generation of rotary valve technology by introducing the new TS7000 Interchangeable Material Path (IMP) Rotary valve, to make product changeover even faster and simpler. We have invested heavily in new mould tools for our plastic consumables, to ensure we meet demanding customer expectations for established products.

What new changes have been happening at Techcon Systems and what impact do they have on the industry?

For the past several years Techcon has been focused on improving quality and reducing manufacturing costs. This effort has translated into Techcon’s ability to remain an industry leader while offering the most advantageous pricing. Both efforts improve the bottom line for the Techcon customers.

Thank you, Bryan. Trevor Galbraith.


Milestones 2010

BTu international—60 yearsBTU International is a market-leading, global supplier of advanced thermal processing equipment and processes to the alternative energy and electronics assembly markets. BTU equipment and know-how are used in solar cell, nuclear fuel and fuel cell manufacturing as well as in the produc-tion of printed circuit board assemblies and semiconductor packaging. BTU has operations in North Billerica, Massachu-setts and Shanghai, China with direct sales and service worldwide.

Bliss industries—30 yearsBliss Industries offers a wide variety of ESD-safe products for industries special-izing in lean electronics manufacturing. Our carts and racks safely store fragile PC boards, SMT feeders, fixtures, tooling and inventory. They protect them from dam-age and factory abuse with a heavy duty welded tubular steel frame. For more than 25 years, Bliss has been the leader in SMT (Surface Mount Technology) cart-based manufacturing systems, increasing uptime and throughput. Bliss provides expert pro-cess engineering support as well as custom cart engineering.

Kyzen—20 yearsKyzen is a leading supplier of precision cleaning chemistries to the worldwide electronics, metal finishing, medical, semi-

conductor, and optical industries. Founded in 1990, Kyzen offers superior cleaning chemistries, technical support, application and analytical services throughout the world. Kyzen has won numerous industry awards for their exceptional products and all products are RoHS compliant.

everett charles Technologies— 45 yearsEverett Charles Technologies, a subsidiary of Dover Corporation (NYSE: DOV), is a leading manufacturer of electrical test products and services, including semicon-ductor test products, Pogo® test contacts, bare-board automatic test systems, and bare and loaded PCB test fixtures. ECT manu-facturing, service, and support facilities are ISO registered with locations throughout the Asia, the United States, and Europe.

2010—it’s a number right out of science fiction, but here we are, and we find ourselves in a world itself full of technological advances straight out of science fiction: iPhones, artificial hearts, hybrid cars, bionic hands, translucent concrete, retail DNA tests, memristors, ubiquitous GPS, the Large Hadron Collider…. Today is the future.

And today Global SMT & Packaging magazine takes a moment to celebrate milestone anniversaries of a handful of companies that have, over the years, supplied many of the electronics manufacturers who have made today’s—and tomorrow’s—future real for the rest of us.

Milestones 2010

Paul Van der Wansem, BTU International

Ken Bliss, Bliss Industries

Kyle Doyel, Kyzen


Milestones 2010

The company has been awarded numerous patents and participates actively in develop-ing industry standards.

FiNe liNe sTeNcil—15 yearsFCT Assembly was founded following the purchase of Fine Line Stencil, Inc., and consists of two major operations: stencil manufacturing and the manufacturing of electronic assembly products such as solder paste, flux and solder (both conventional 63/37 and SN100C® lead-free) bar. The assembly products are manufactured in the Greeley, Colo. plant and the stencils are manufactured in the Beaverton, Ore., Memphis, Tenn., and Greeley, Colo. facilities. The stencils can be fabricated by both laser cutting and chemical etch. The company also makes precision parts in its

A-Laser division, which is located in Beaverton, Ore.

p.D. circuits, inc.—20 yearsP. D. Circuits is the leading printed circuit supply chain management company. From material selection and up-front engineering to manufacturing, logistics and inventory management, PDC provides the full spectrum of PCB supply chain management services. The experienced circuit board professionals of P. D. Circuits match customer needs to the core compe-

tence of its fabrication partners in North America and Asia. The company’s Asian Operations Center, located in Shenzhen, China ensures the continued success of over 16 years of offshore sourcing. On-Site inspection at the fabricating facilities is conducted by the IPC600 Certified PDC China QC team in conjunction with its in-house cross section lab. The company is ISO 9001:2008 certified and ITAR reg-istered, with headquarters located in New Hampshire.

WKK Distribution ltd.—35 yearsWKK was established in 1975 as a trad-ing and distribution company, supplying capital equipment, materials and ser-vices to the printed circuit board industry

throughout Asia. The company was a natural extension of the business founded by Mr. Whong Wha San, who in 1962, set up a PCB factory. When the business grew rapidly in 1975, WKK was created as the trading and distribution arm. As the group’s activities continued to grow, so did its involvement and expertise in dealing with all parts of the world. WKK has been one of the foremost pioneers in supplying capital equipment, materials and services for the electronics industry in China for over 30 years.

Multitest—30 yearsMultitest Elektronische Systeme GmbH, Rosenheim is one of the world’s lead-ing manufacturers of test equipment for semiconductor. Under the brands Multit-est, ECT Interface Products and Harbor Electronics Multitest market test handlers, contactors and ATE printed circuits boards. It has offices and branches in North America, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Thailand. Multitest has an annual turnover of greater than 100 million EURO and currently employs more than 750 people.

Mike Sciemca, FCT Assembly/Fine Line StencilJohn Hartner, Everett Charles

Technologies

Hamed El Abd, WKK Distribution Ltd

David Wolff, P.D. Circuits Reinhart Richter, Multitest


Case Study: Reliability and versatility bring success in motor drive manufacturing

With most electronic equipment having one or more motors, the economic climate has affected motor and motor drive manufacturers as much as anyone. There are still success stories, though, and Minarik Drives is one of them. Based in South Beloit, Illinois in the US, Minarik is continuing to invest in new people and equipment to build its motor drives and electronic control circuits. Recently, for example, Minarik took delivery of the first Assembléon MC-1 pick & place machines (Figure 1) to be installed in the US.

Since 1954, Minarik has built a reputation based on an uncompromising attitude towards quality and reliability. Efficient motor control is an increasing customer requirement demanding high quality design and manufacture. Minarik produces many private label drives, making reliability, quality and customer service a key component of its successful business. Minarik Drives is committed to reacting quickly to customers’ needs and is willing to design and build low volume custom orders as well as high-mix/medium-volume contract manufacturing. Even with last minute design changes, customers need to receive motors and drives quickly. Minarik is committed to provide quick response and competitive pricing.

The company now makes a range of DC and AC drives from 7.5 W to 18 kW—1/100 to 25 hp—with associated gearing motors (which remove the burden and cost for customers of having to design in external reduction devices to generate the desired speed or torque). The different types give different combinations of starting torque, acceleration and running speed to exactly meet application needs. The motor controls go into widely

varied equipment including packaging and printing machinery, conveyor systems, exercise equipment, battery powered vehicles, medical devices, home automation, actuator control, exhaust control, tire balancers and power window controls. You will likely own equipment containing a Minarik drive without knowing it.

First Dc drive maker to use surface mount technology Minarik’s 32,000 square foot facility is centrally located in the United States, with the largest UPS hub in the country less than 25 miles away. That makes for fast and easy shipping, and standard delivery times of only two to three days to the continental United States. It also helps to give quick service to their other customers around the world.

The company was the first DC Drive manufacturer to use surface mount technology, and now has two SMT lines: CIM (computer integrated manufacturing) PC board assembly, post-cured printed circuit boards, adhesive preparation, and the surface mount line itself that places up to 49,000 components per hour. It uses

DEK screen printers, Speedline Camelot glue dispensers, Vitronics reflow ovens and Electrovert wave solderers (which as a bonus gives totally lead-free production). Minarik has also committed to a totally lead free manufacturing environment and has been building lead-free drive controls since early 2007.

Minarik has recently upgraded its pick & place line and, after researching all the SMT equipment offerings. Minarik chose to continue the nine-year partnership with Assembléon. “Assembléon gave the best overall solution for our quality, technology and commercial goals,” said Steve Christophersen, Minarik’s production manager. “We have already used Assembléon equipment, and it turned out to be an easy decision to extend our partnership. We need accurate and reliable placement and the MC-1 gave us that. Furthermore, it was the most versatile pick & place machine we could find. We bought two machines,

which have allowed us to increase our capacity and expand further into contract engineering and manufacturing board level power and control components.”

The MC-1 has significantly increased Minarik’s production flexibility and capacity. The two new machines fit in the same footprint as the previous two Assembléon Topaz machines, allowing fast installation and no additional expenditure for electrical or air supply requirements.

accurate and versatile high-mix production The high-mix MC-1 combines accurate chip and IC shooting with complex and odd-form component placement. Its versatility is key to meeting Minarik’s wide


Figure 1. Assembléon’s high-mix MC-1 is helping Minarik to improve product quality, increase production efficiency, and reduce maintenance.



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range of production needs. Placement rates are up

to 19.6 k components per hour. Placement accuracy is 30 microns for ICs and 50 microns for chip components, with automatic temperature feedback compensating for temperature variations. The MC-1 handles a wide range of components, from micro-miniature 01005 chips and fine-pitch components to large (100 x 45 mm) surface-mount connectors and other components up to 15 mm tall. Importantly for Minarik, the MC-1 places odd-form surface mounted electrolytic capacitors, which customers increasingly need.

The accurate, reliable placement gives excellent First Pass Yields. “We have never had quality issues with Assembléon equipment,” said Christophersen. “What’s more, quality is particularly important to us because of our private label production—a lot of motor manufacturers don’t want to have to design their own drives, so they turn to us. The

extra machine accuracy is very welcome, for example helping us to place much finer pitch components than before.”

Minarik can produce prototype pc boards in house, and the MC-1 improves versatility here too, by handling a wide range of board sizes. It takes boards from 50 x 50 mm up to 510 x 460 mm, with automatic board width and thickness

adjustment making for fast changeover. A double-board support system decreases board transfer time, and fiducial recovery eliminates the need to remove and clean pc boards.

A high-precision single placement beam carries eight independent Z-servo controlled heads. There are automatic tool-bit exchange nozzles and an automatic nozzle cleaning station—helping give the industry’s lowest figures for manual preventive maintenance. The machine is available in two versions: Minarik chose the Super Fine (SF) head for use with an extra broad component range including QFPs, connectors and tall components (a

Flying Nozzle Change—FNC—head is for applications needing many nozzle changes and high output). An optional new nozzle set allows even tighter interspacing of down to 100 microns.

extra feeders minimize setup times The compact design allows the system

Figure 2. The MC-1 can have up to 126 feeders, making for fast product changeover.



to pack up to 126 feeders (Figure 2). “That was a major attraction for us,” said Christophersen. “The extra feeder locations allow for quicker setup time, leading to faster turnaround for prototypes and faster changeover between model runs. We can just load up all our 8- and 12-mm parts into the back of the machines, and run our small lot sizes more cost-effectively than ever. Other machines needed dual feeders, which would have made life more difficult for our machine operators.

“We have several standard drive control designs which we can tweak for customers by optimizing component values and microcontroller programs. We can now turn round quantities of only 10 pieces, say, in less than 24 hours. Small runs like these are very important to us, and a major part of our business. Typically, we experience low-volume mixed runs, and being able to change over between them quickly makes our production even more versatile. That is a real bonus for our contract OEM customers too.” New, intelligent electrical feeders help Minarik closely track and control its inventory. Devices can be fed using 8-mm tape, stick, tray and other methods. Tape cutters are installed by default.

Assembléon’s AMS (Assembléon Manufacturing Software) 3.0 seamlessly integrates machines into the factory automation infrastructure, scaling performance to precise manufacturing needs. The new machines are linked to a server network, which gives easy and accurate data management and allows Minarik to release new product designs to the manufacturing floor in real time.

“We are a relatively small company. I have 35 people in manufacturing and we don’t have a large number of manufacturing process engineers to call on,” said Christophersen. “We therefore need an easy and smooth interface between design and manufacturing release. Assembléon’s software gives us just that. We previously had our own software to prepare CAD designs for manufacturing, and that made the process somewhat cumbersome. Our software engineer has commented that things are much simpler for him with the AMS software, and it has reduced our time-to-manufacture from three days to only two hours. That can be critical when we are only producing 10 boards at a time for customers.

“Why has our company been so successful? Our people are well trained

and totally committed to quality and throughput. We have low staff turnover—which we have found essential for continuous process improvement. We have invested in world-class wave soldering and pick & place lines. Several hardware and software features on Assembléon’s machines are helping us improve our product quality, increase production efficiency, and reduce maintenance.

“We have found Assembléon’s after-sales support to be excellent too. Installation was pain-free, which was remarkable because it was new equipment for everyone involved, and Assembléon was on hand to make sure we got it up and running quickly. The maintenance has also been excellent. I appreciate that more than most, since my previous job was with a contract manufacturer. With four production lines, equipment used to break down every week, so it is refreshing to have trouble-free production. That is helping us to stay ahead of our competitors in a very aggressive market”.

Assembléon’s equipment is therefore helping Minarik concentrate on what it’s best at—designing and building high reliability drives and electronic control boards.



In my past columns on reliability I certainly have talked a lot about failures. However, a recent interaction with a client brought home to me that what constitutes ‘failure’ varies with the application as well as for what purpose failure is defined. And to keep things at its most complex, this discussion will focus on solder joints. I have addressed this issue from a detection perspective and to some degree failure definition in a previous column (Ref. 1). Obviously, from a product reliability perspective, it is the cessation of the functional performance due to signal interruption that defines failure. However, even that is not totally clear-cut, since signal interruption for high-speed signals does not require a full electrical discontinuity as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and many electrical discontinuities occur, at least initially, only intermittently.

The question of failure definition is equally vexing for the performance of accelerated reliability tests and reliability estimations using reliability models. One of the earliest efforts in this direction is found in Ref. 2, where failure is defined in

Section 4.3.1 as follows:

“Solder joint failure is defined as the complete fracture through the cross-section of the solder joint with the solder joint parts having no adhesion to each other.”

This is immediately followed by a statement that delimits this simple definition in terms of practicality of detection as follows:

“A solder joint that fails by fully fracturing typically does not exhibit an electrical open or even a very noticeable increase in electrical resistance. A failed solder joint is normally surrounded by solder joints that have not yet failed and therefore the solder joint fracture surfaces make compressively loaded contact. Electrically, the solder joint failure manifests itself only during thermal or mechanical transients or disturbances in the form of short duration (~1μsec) highresistancespikes(≥300Ω).

Therefore, in this context, the practical definition of failure is the interruption of electrical continuity (≥300Ω)forperiodsgreaterthan1 μsec.”

Werner Engelmaier

Failure definition—not as easy as it sounds


“A failure is a failure is a failure!?—whether it is or not, DEPENDS.”

Figure 2. Cross-section of failure on solder column connections [Courtesy of Marie S. Cole, IBM, USA].

Figure 1. Photo and cross-section of solder joint failure on J-leads. [Source: W. Engelmaier, Bell Labs, USA].

Figure 3. Cross-section of BGA solder ball creep-fatigue failure.

2009 Rep & Distributor ReviewFailure definition—not as easy as it sounds



Failure detection under this definition requires an event detector (see Ref. 1). Figure 3 illustrates a failure that would fall into this context.

This definition has served the industry well and has been included in Ref. 3. There are, of course, other failure definitions, such as a defined increase in electrical resistance of some detection daisy-chain, e.g. 20% (see Ref. 3), a decrease in solder joint strength, the measured length of cracks observed in solder joint cross-sections, etc. all pointing to the fact that failure detection in a practical way is not easy.

However, the issue gets stickier when the failures are more of a latent nature not exhibiting functional failure. as yet. Figures 4 through 6 certainly are failures, but may not exhibit any functional problems because full fracture and mechanical discontinuity has not as yet occurred.

The BGA solder ball in Figure 7, while showing massive accumulated creep-fatigue damage to its whole solder joint structure, may actually not meet the failure definition from Ref. 1.

When it comes to design for reliability (DfR), what is meant by failure is even

less clear or obvious. Clearly, the models are built from data where the results met the reliability definition from Ref. 2. For the development of the databases on which these models are based (see Ref. 4), however, the models are more often than not applied to designs for which this failure definition cannot be directly applied. This is particularly evident for solder connections involving very compliant lead structures and long lead-foot lengths. This is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9.

While these partial cracks do not rise to the level of functional failure and may never do so due to thermal cycling, they could propagate to failure

due to mechanical shock and vibration, particularly for SAC-solders. This damage shows that the reliability analysis was on the mark in terms of the creep-fatigue damage to be expected.

references:1. Engelmaier, W., “Detecting

Interconnect Failures: ATC, ESS, HASS, IST—What do You Measure and How,” Global SMT & Packaging, Vol. 3, No. 1, January/February 2003, pp. 33-34.

2. IPC-SM-785, Guidelines for Accelerated Reliability Testing of Surface Mount Solder Attachments. IPC. Association Connecting Electronics Industries, November 1992.

Solder pad ripped out

Figure 4. Cross-section of pad cratering [Courtesy of Ray Prasad, SMTSolver, USA].

Figure 5. Photo and cross-section of solder joint failure on gullwing leads [Courtesy of James Waldvogel, Intel, USA].

Figure 6. Photo and cross-section of solder joint failure in GM windshield wiper control [Courtesy of Nicholas Gollmer, ITT Automotive, USA].

Figure 7. Cross-section of BGA solder ball failure showing extensive creep-fatigue damage in its solder structure, but not necessarily a full fracture [Source: W. Engelmaier, Bell Labs, USA].

Figure 8. Cross-section of solder joint failure on gullwing-type lead showing large partial fracture [Courtesy of James Waldvogel, Intel, USA].



3. IPC-9701, Performance Test Methods and Qualification Requirements for Surface Mount Solder Attachments. IPC. Association Connecting Electronics Industries, January 2002/IPC-9701A, February 2006.

4. Engelmaier, W., “How to Estimate Solder Joint Reliability, Part 1,” Global SMT & Packaging, Vol. 7, No. 9, September 2007, pp. 60-64.

Werner Engelmaier will be giving some of his reliability workshops at the Reliability Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, May 20-21, 2010; at SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 1010 in Nürnberg, Germany, June 8, 2010; and at the Universität Wien at the end of June. He will be available for in-house workshops and consulting in both English and German in the May through June timeframe; for details of the workshops go to www.engelmaier.com; for more information about the workshops and consulting contact [email protected].

Werner Engelmaier has over 44 years experience in electronic packaging and interconnection technology and has published over 200 papers, columns, book chapters and White Papers.

Known as ‘Mr. Reliability’ in the industry, he is the president of Engelmaier Associates, L.C., a firm providing consulting services on reliability, manufacturing and processing aspects of electronic packaging and interconnection technology. He is the chairman of the IPC Main Committee on Product Reliability. The TGM-Exner Medal was bestowed on him in 2009 in Vienna, Austria, he was elected into the IPC Hall of Fame 2003, and was awarded the IPC President’s Award in 1996 and the IEPS Electronic Packaging Achievement Award in 1987. He also was named a Bell Telephone Laboratories Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in 1986 and an IMAPS Fellow in 1996. More information is available at www.engelmaier.com, and he can be reached at [email protected].

Figure 9. Cross-section and enlargement of gullwing-type lead solder joint with microcracks in heel fillet resulting from extensive creep-fatigue damage [Courtesy of Ton van Arendonk, Dalsa, Canada].

Title


Valor/assemblón alliance brings complete factory automation to electronics assemblyIn an industry-first partnership, Royal Philips Electronics subsidiary Assembléon is joining forces with Valor Computerized Systems to bring full factory integration to Assembléon’s pick & place equipment. The companies introduced a complete suite of software and tools for electronic equipment assembly at Productronica 2009. These will automate machine-, line- and factory-level workflows and business processes. The result is a complete and lean manufacturing operations management framework that is open, modular, and flexible. The Valor partnership products provide future-proof expansion to complete factory automation for electronics manufacturing. www.assembleon.com, www.valor.com

Kic introduces the profiling KitKIC’s new, comprehensive Profiling Kit contains all the necessary accessories for profiling a PCB: thermocouples (TCs), aluminum tape, gloves, scissors, pick and more. KIC’s Explorer profiler series has gained a reputation for being exceptionally easy and quick to use. The Profiling Kit is yet another extension to the complete experience with quick and convenient profiling. Profiling is essentially a means to an end. What is important is to set up the oven quickly, and to make sure that each and every product is processed in spec. The new Profiling Kit joins the other KIC offerings designed to help electronics manufacturers achieve world-class quality and productivity, and to accomplish this quickly and conveniently. www.kicthermal.com

henkel extends die attach solder paste product line, adds printable formulaBroadening its well-known Multicore die attach solder portfolio, which already includes Multicore DA100 solder paste for

high-lead and lead-free applications, Hen-kel launched Multicore DA101, designed specifically for screen print operations. Multicore DA100 incorporates a no clean, ROLO flux system that can be used for high-lead applications and uniquely offers capability for lead-free processes as well. Formulated for printing processes, Multi-core DA101 is a flux system that can not only handle reflow with high-lead alloys, but with lead-free based alloys as well. The robust nature of the flux formula provides customers the flexibility to alter alloys based on process requirements. With the various alloy ranges, DA101 can withstand temperatures of 300°C to 330°C for high-

lead reflow profiles and tolerates lead-free temperatures between 240°C and 270°C. www.henkel.com/electronics

Marantz launches value-driven automated inspection islandMarantz Business Electronics has partnered with Nutek to develop the new Marantz Inspection Island, uniquely configured to save manufacturers time, cost and complexity. Available on new and existing iSpector models, the technology is a perfect partner for this popular AOI platform. Equipped to serve multiple lines, the Inspection Island eliminates the need for operators to load and unload PCBs. Fully compatible with Marantz’ Catch process control system, the island also removes the need for operators to classify inspection results on the machine since the repair & traceability software allows post processing of defects. Maximising flexibility even further, users can choose classification on the fly through manual intervention. www.marantz.com

heraeus introduces dielectric and lead-free silver conductor pastes for aluminum substratesThe Thick Film Materials Business Unit of Heraeus has developed two new products to improve the efficiency of mounting silicon IC’s to aluminum substrates.

New Products

New productsNew Products

essemtec premiers new pick-and-place “paraquda” “Paraquda” from Essemtec is the world’s most modern SMD pick-and-place machine. New materials used lead to higher quality, and a new high-speed control system provides both higher speed and higher precision. The Paraquda features ultra short changeover times, a new intuitive operation system Eplace and an integrated quality management system that reduces manufacturing costs for electronics. Compared to other pick-and-place machines, the new Paraquda brings significant added values regarding precision, quality, flexibility, control and ergonomics. Its pick-and-place head can simultaneously hold and measure four components. The range of components spans from 01005 resistors up to 100 mm square components, which can be up to 25 mm in height. Minimum pitch is 0.3 mm. www.essemtec.com


Working in tandem, this new thick film dielectric and conductor system provides very low thermal resistance between the chip and the heat sink in high power applications such as HB LEDs. The unique glass system of the new lead- and cadmium-free dielectric paste (IP6075) from Heraeus was developed to offer excellent thermal conductivity on both 3003- and 6061-grade alloy aluminum substrates. The conductor paste, fired together at 550°C with the dielectric paste, provides excellent solderability and adhesion. www.heraeus.com

seho introduces the powerrepair soldering systemSEHO Systems GmbH’s PowerRepair soldering system is designed for professional de-soldering and soldering of through-hole components to PCBs. The unit also can be used for soldering components. The system features mini-wave soldering technology, which is able to realize de-soldering/soldering of components with a high number of pins and with different pin rows (connectors). As an additional benefit, the system features de-soldering/soldering of components with high thermal mass (thick pins, multilayer boards etc.), and is compatible with all lead-free solder alloys. www.seho.de

assembléon introduces high speed, high quality screen printer Royal Philips Electronics subsidiary Assembléon showed its new high speed,

high quality MCP screen printer at Productronica 2009. The MCP screen printer has an innovative head design with variable attack angle printing, allowing it to maintain constant solder pressure independent of the stencil thickness. The single-head system also allows easy setup, and reduces maintenance by half. With a board cycle time as low as 11 seconds, it is the first stencil printer to match the high throughput of some of today’s high-volume pick & place machines. It is the first printer to match their high quality, too, by reducing defect per million (dpm) figures by up to 50%. www.assembleon.com

Vision auto placer mounts chips on cut strips of taped parts for proto-typing or low-volume Manncorp introduced a pick-and-place system aimed at OEMs who wish to prototype and perform other short-run PCB assembly in-house. Utilizing newly developed cut strip feeders, the 7700-FV provides the high precision and versatility needed for placement of today’s advanced SMDs, including 0402 chip components, CSPs, BGAs, and fine pitch QFPs. Even 0201s can be mounted with optional nozzle and feeder. With a starting price

of under $18,000, the 7700-FV is made even more affordable by eliminating the

need for costly tape feeders by being able to use less expensive cut strip feeders. The 7700-FV, available in three versions, will accommodate cut strip feeders or filled reels of 8 mm and 12 mm tapes, along with standard holders for JEDEC trays and stick feeders. www.manncorp.com

First positive-displacement valves with disposable fluid path technologyThe Model 340PS and the Model 340PSL positive-displacement dispensing valves from Tridak offer accurate and repeatable fluid dispensing. Both valves incorporate the efficiency of a disposable fluid path from the reservoir to the dispense tip. Sequenced piston actuation within the Model 340 series valves dispenses a consistent shot-to-shot volume regardless of material viscosity or viscosity fluctuation. This performance feature is accentuated in applications that require extremely precise dispense volume repetition. The Model 340 positive-displacement valves are effective with materials that are shear sensitive, extremely high or low in viscosity, possess tacky or stringy characteristics, or have drifting viscosities due to limited pot life. www.tridak.com

New Products


New Products

New MeTris XT V 130 x-ray inspection system for electronics quality assuranceMetris’ compact yet versatile XT V 130 x-ray inspection system efficiently traces failures inside complex electronic devices and multilayer circuit boards. Designed for high-throughput electronics x-ray inspection, the XT V 130 is a real QA workhorse that allows operators to provide instant pass/fail status. Automated inspection functions and (optional) automatic board identification ensure high inspection throughput rates. Inspection reports compliant with MRP systems facilitate tight integration into

customers’ manufacturing processes. www.nikonmetrology.com

high quality solder joints—low cost-of-ownershipThere has been no revolutionary change in wave soldering for years, but modern users require the maximum efficiency from factories and equipment—so Kirsten developed the modula wave®. Even the minimum configuration allows easy access to top quality solder joints at remarkably low cost of ownership. This fully modular system allows expansion by additional modules e.g. preheaters, as factory needs dictate and to rapidly interchange between one solder type and another by using solder carts. www.kirsten-soldering.ch

link hamson extends capability of the Martin expert rework system to include pop devices3D package-on-package (PoP) technology has many advantages during production

and assembly, allowing for a larger area of silicon for a smaller footprint without associated problems of warpage, and as the packages are stacked together during the board mounting process, assemblers have greater flexibility to adapt PCBs for different products or markets. Now if there’s a problem with PoP packages, they can be taken apart and repaired using the Martin Expert-09 rework system, already well-known in the market for rework and repair of micro BGA and QFN packages. www.linkhamson.com

Microvia inspection from lloyd DoyleA new range of automatic optical test equipment specifically tailored for the inspection of microvias is available from Lloyd Doyle. These systems are are configured as modular additions to current AOT systems. The new systems allow manufacturers of panels with microvias to be sure that the hole formation process is under control and has produced well-defined holes of the correct size in the correct place. The systems will be released first to the Asian manufacturing market, which houses the leading development in microvia boards. www.lloyd-doyle.com

peel-a-Way® removable terminal carriers: high in flexibility and low in profileFor applications that require low profile and customizable PCB configurations, Peel-A-Way® removable terminal carriers are the perfect solution for device socketing and board-to-board interconnect. Compared to traditional molded insulators, the ultra-thin, .005” (0.13mm) polyimide film carrier, employing near flush solder tail terminals (Type -210), reduces component height above the PC board by as much as 80%, down to .015” (0.38mm). For board-to-board applications,

calibrated process Jetting reduces process variability and ensures consistent dispensing flow ratesNordson ASYMTEK’s patented CPJ+ (Calibrated Process Jetting Plus) reduces process variability to maintain a constant takt time by ensuring consistent flow rates for applications, such as underfill, with tight keep-out zones and for sealing applications where uniform bondline thickness is critical. Using Nordson ASYMTEK’s proprietary Fluidmove® for Windows® XP (FmXP) software, integral electro-pneumatic regulators, and precision weigh scale, CPJ+ automatically compensates for both fluid viscosity changes over time as well as batch-to-batch variations. CPJ+ increases dispense accuracy for higher yields and ensures a highly repeatable process, minimizing setup-to-setup and line-to-line variation, while completely eliminating the need for operator interaction. www.asymtek.com


Productronica confirms industry rebound

• Intelligent inspection system inspects virtually anything – Patented SAM™ technology inspects any component or surface – Detects both typical and unanticipated defects • SAM™ technology self teaches – NOT a simple image comparison software technology – Constantly learning technology – Does not have to be pre-programmed with defect images • High performance at high speed – Zero escapes with lowest false calls (<0.02%/200 ppm) – High speed pre- and post-reflow capabilities• Simple – saves time and cost – SAM™ technology eliminates complex algorithm selection – Only one moving part drives low maintenance cost

Flex HR™ – High Performance Made Easy

• Superior inspection speed and accuracy• Ability to inspect solder pads of ultra-small components at line speeds• No system calibration – ELIMINATES FALSE CALLS • Superior measurement capabilities – Highlight the TRUE values for process optimization – Able to inspect flexible circuits with ease

SE500 – Fastest, Most Accurate, Best GR&R

CyberOptics Corporation (Headquarters) 5900 Golden Hills Drive Minneapolis, MN 55416 Telephone: 763.542.5000 Fax: 763.542.5100 www.cyberoptics.com

CyberOptics understands the importance of delivering the highest value to customers. Increased productivity and product quality is our goal. Our SE500 Solder Paste and Flex HR Automatic Optical Inspection systems do just that.

The Leader in Intelligent Inspection Systems

Be sure to contact CyberOptics to learn how we can help you improve productivity and product quality.

Cyberoptics SE500 and Flex HR 8.1 1 8/4/2009 8:44:12 AM


New Products

standard spacing options range from .045” (1.14mm) to .250” (6.35mm) with custom options available to suit virtually any application. www.advanced.com

a-laser introduces precision cut-ting service for microwashersA-Laser, a division of FCT, introduces precision cutting of microwashers. Laser cut microwashers are ideal when working with ultra-thin materials. A-Laser’s cutting service provides the benefit of zero material distortion or warping through contact-free processing. Additionally, the company is able to control heat affected zones by carefully planning cut paths. Laser cutting of multiple diameter rings can be done all at once through CAD design to save both time and money. A-laser’s laser cutting service is equipped to provide customers with the highest quality in the most efficient manner possible. www.a-laser.com

superior processing over rTV and heat-cure siliconesDYMAX Cure-Point™ 9440-A/B cures to depth in seconds upon exposure to UV/visible light to provide protection to electronic components and circuitry. It is a UV/visible light-curable silicone potting and sealing material designed for applications where fast cure, enhanced thermal performance, and room-temperature shadowed-area cure are required. Cure-Point 9440-A/B has a >90 day room temperature mix life. This product is designed to withstand long exposure to temperatures ranging from below -40°C to above 200°C while retaining fast-cure processing benefits associated with UV-curable materials, making it superior to RTV silicones and heat-cure silicones, which require longer cure times or elevated temperatures to cure. www.dymax.com

sunstone circuits enhances pcB123™ with updated version 3.3Sunstone Circuits released PCB123® version 3.3, the next generation of its complete circuit board design solution for

the electronics design industry. As with all previous versions, PCB123 remains free. The new version provides the additional design capabilities that PCB designers have been seeking, in an enhanced user experience package. In support of an improved user experience and continued extreme customer service, Sunstone also developed a YouTube Channel featuring short tutorials on how to utilize PCB123 v3.3 to its full potential. Watch the videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/SunstoneCircuits. www.sunstonecircuits.com

ersa ea 55i solder fume extractionA silent solution for a clean job: compact, economic and powerful. ERSA Easy Arm Extraction EA 55i is a compact and powerful system to efficiently clean soldering process air at the workbench. Utilized with either the i-CON1 C or i-CON2 C soldering stations, connected with an interface cable, this filter system opens up a completely new dimension of intelligent solder fume extraction. The extraction unit can be operated in the continuous mode, or, with an i-CON connected, only when the soldering station is in operation, saving energy and reducing operational noise level. The solder fume filtration features a pre-filter, a HEPA particulate filter and an activated carbon gas filter. www.ersa.com

electrolube launch new fast-dry conformal coatingElectrolube’s DCA-FD is a modified silicone conformal coating that is touch-dry in 20 minutes. Increased solids content of the DCA-FD gives 35% greater coverage per liter compared to standard DCA, to provide a significant waste and

cost saving per substrate. Fast-Dry DCA has a very wide operating temperature range and is suitable for a wide range of commercial and military PCB applications, particularly in harsh, high humidity and salt-spray conditions. DCA-FD has reduced VOC levels compared to standard DCA and excellent adhesion and is resistant to most solvents, lubricants and chemicals. www.electrolube.com

photoresist for high yield and finest resolutionThe photoimageable, aqueous-alkaline developable 1-pack etch resist ELPEMER® RC 2054 HR offers an excellent resolution up to 25 μm (Index HR = high resolution) combined with a high efficiency thanks to fast drying, ultra-low exposure energy and short stripping times. It is a cost-saving alternative to dry resists and enables very high first-pass yields compared to the standard liquid resists available on the market. ELPEMER® RC 2054 HR can be applied by roller coating (Index RC), curtain coating or dipping. It is free of filling agents and pigments which ensures good mileage. Moreover, no unwanted sediment settles in the developer, minimizing cleaning efforts. www.peters.de

lpKF introduces sMT e-line for rapid pcB prototypingQuality at a favorable entry level price: The new SMT E-Line includes three components for efficient prototyping and serial production of small batches. The LPKF ProtoPrint E is an affordable SMT


New Products

stencil printer for metal and polymer stencils with a working area of 160 x 200 mm (6” x 8”). It comes with a double-sided tension frame for frameless stencils. The second family member is the LPKF ProtoPlace E, a manual pick & place system designed for chip components like 0603, SOICs, smaller QFPs as microcontrollers and has 14 anti-static component boxes. The convection oven, LPKF ProtoFlow E, offers reliable reflow soldering over the entire board; even with lead-free solder materials. www.lpkf.com

instant prototyping—in the time it takes to make a cup of coffeejAltium added an instant deployment option to its new NanoBoard 3000 FPGA development board, allowing designers to take their FPGA-based designs from concept right through to deployment without the need to create a custom PCB. The instant deployment options come from being able simply to clip the NanoBoard 3000 into a new range of enclosures designed in-house by Altium. With the NanoBoard 3000, FPGA-based prototypes are designed in days. The new deployment option now means they are ready to be shipped to the field in minutes. www.altium.com

New substrate clamping technology from DeKDEK launched its new Over Top Snuggers (OTS) substrate clamping technology. OTS is a sophisticated device that clamps the board flat before enabling finite snugging and clamp control for precise board location. The board is pulled down flat to enable a strong vacuum tooling contact; the clamps are then pulled away from the board top face surface to allow close edge printing. By optimising edge printed paste deposits, this process substantially enhances yield potential. In fact, initial reports from the technology’s evaluation period saw one customer improve paste deposition with OTS by 20%. www.dek.com

Y.Cheetah

YXLON. The reason whyYXLON International GmbH, a company of the COMET Group. Essener Bogen 15, D-22419 Hamburg, T: +49 40 527 29 - 0, F: +49 40 527 29-170, E-mail: [email protected], www.yxlon.com

■ Secure your findings with brilliant X-ray images

■ Any task in your daily routine solved quickly

■ 1-click solutions

■ Highest grayscale resolution and image quality for the entire inspection

■ No time-consuming adjustments of tube settings

■ No detector adjustments or calibration

■ Unmatched effective power increase for brilliant images

■ Faster image acquisition with ultimate speed for Y.QuickScan® in µCT applications

■ Flexibility to address most challenging inspections

■ Inspection at reduced distance and lower tube power

■ Easy operation saves inspection time

Experience innovative technology in Y.Cheetah

For further information please contact our sales organization or visit us at www.yxlon.com.

Zoom+ deploying twin magnification axis

PowerDrive for twin magnification axis

Y.Cheetah X-ray inspection System


New Products

ascentech’s geN3 “all-in-one” spa 1000 solder paste analyzer tests to new sMarT group standardAscentech LLC’s SPA 1000 solder paste analyzer tests to the recently released SMART Group standard, SG PCT01, “Control of Solder Paste used in Electronic Assembly Process.” The tests show the actual useful life of the paste, helping to reduce waste and environmental impact. The new standardized test eliminates multiple separate tests previously performed by separate instruments. The SPA 1000 is a sophisticated, multi-capable system that provides fast and accurate testing. www.ascentechllc.com

“adhere” irs2012 low density potting epoxy is rF transparent and saves weightIn some applications, the weight of potting electronics to protect mechanically or environmentally can be a very significant part of the overall weight of installed equipment—sometimes this can be a problem. So those clever people at Intertronics have come up with some very advanced light-weight epoxy potting technology which brings the density right down to 0.6. The “adhere” IRS2012 is an exciting development for weight critical applications, e.g. in aerospace or autosport and is potentially of great significance for mainstream automotive systems and even railway systems where it is increasingly recognized that weight saving leads to fuel savings and a reduced carbon footprint. The black two-part “adhere” IRS2012 is available in twin-pack sachets, which may be mixed and transferred to a syringe for precision application if required. www.intertronics.co.uk

New optical inspection system ToM in-line for flexible test demandsGÖPEL electronic’s TOM In-Line system for selected automated optical inspection tasks for electronic assembly offers a range of executable optical tests that includes component presence and polarity, selective

solder joints, displays and LEDs as well as fluorescent conformal coat. The system can additionally be combined with the JTAG/boundary scan test technology. The modular device concept allows the flexible implementation of specific test demands. Possible standard camera configurations range from the utilisation of one to multiple cameras (1-5 megapixel) as colour or black-white variants. The system is available with various illumination concepts in the visible and UV light area (conformal coat). For selective solder joint inspection TOM In-Line can be upgraded with the high performance camera and illumination modules of the OptiCon AOI systems from GOEPEL electronic. www.goepel.com

christopher associates introduces latest generation desktop aoi systemChristopher Associates introduces the Marantz M22X DL-18/460 desktop AOI system for inspecting PCBs. The system inspects SMT and THT components (presence, type, polarity, offset, text, etc.), reflow and wave solder joints (including meniscus), and provides two dimensional solder paste inspection. The system also is available for both medium and large PCB sizes. M22X DL-18/460 features a high-speed digital XGA color camera as well as analysis via synthetic imaging. www.christopherweb.com

Tharo systems easylaBelr 5 Fea-tures gs1 Barcode Wizard!Tharo Systems’ EASYLABEL 5 Platinum’s new GS1 Barcode Wizard makes creating GS1 Barcodes a simple 4-step process. Newly added to EASYLABEL are two new GS1 wizards: GS1 Datamatrix and GS1 Databar. This makes it easy to create GS1 symbols composed of multiple application identifiers that conform to GS1 global standards. www.tharo.com

Title


Association & institutes news

iiTc conference returns to the greater silicon Valley area for 2010The 13th annual IEEE International Interconnect Technology Conference (IITC) and exhibition has announced a call for papers for work describing innovative developments in the critically important field of interconnections for electronic systems. The conference seeks papers on all aspects of interconnects for device, circuit board and system-level applications. The deadline for submission of paper abstracts is Feb. 1, 2010.

IITC 2010 will be held June 7-9 at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport Hotel in Burlingame. It will be preceded by a day-long short course on leading-edge interconnect technologies on Sunday, June 6. The conference attracts professionals in semiconductor processing, interconnect design, academia and equipment development.

“Interconnections have become tremendously important in recent years because of their potential to become bottlenecks to higher performance, and because they are key to achieving some of the most exciting ideas in electronics, such as 3D systems. This year new, relevant focus areas have been added, including the relationship of device interconnects with system-level interconnections and interfaces,” said Michael Armacost, IITC 2010 publicity chair and managing director at Applied Materials, Inc.

IITC 2010 is seeking papers in the areas of process integration (for logic and/or memory); reliability; advanced interconnects and systems interconnections; through-silicon vias and 3D integration; packaging; novel materials and concepts; process modeling, and all back-end materials and unit processes associated with interconnect technology, including in-depth explorations of related manufacturing issues.

Papers from universities, national laboratories, semiconductor manufacturers, foundries, and equipment/materials suppliers are encouraged.

Following a rigorous review, papers will be selected for either oral presentations or poster presentations during the exhibition hours. In addition, papers will be selected for a special poster session for new engineers and students.

The IITC 2010 Call for Papers and paper-submission requirements can be

found on the conference website, http://www.ieee.org/conference/iitc. For additional information and inquiries, interested persons may contact Wendy Walker at Widerkehr & Associates, 19803 Laurel Valley Place, Montgomery Village, MD 20886 USA; tel. +1-301-527-0900 ext 3; fax. +1-301-527-0994; e-mail [email protected]

A limited number of papers reporting the latest breakthroughs may be accepted as late-news papers. The late-news deadline is March 26, 2010.

ipc study on the eMs industry Forecasts growth Through 2013Despite economic setbacks in 2008 and 2009, the world market for electronics manufacturing services (EMS) will continue to grow according to a report released by IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries®. The comprehensive EMS study, 2008-2009 Analysis and Forecast for the EMS Industry, presents data and analysis on the EMS industry examining critical trends and providing forecasts, including the potential for market expansion.

The EMS sector was the last in the electronics supply chain to feel the impact of the global recession, but growth is expected to return in 2010. As the world’s economies begin recovery, the global EMS market is projected to grow at an annual average rate of 8.1 percent until 2013. The forecast in this report was provided by Electronic Trend Publications.

The study provides general business metrics on the sample of companies that participated in the annual survey by region — North America, Europe and Asia — along with trends in sources of revenue, revenue per employee, services offered, markets served, manufacturing technology, capital investment, spending on equipment and materials, and market size.

In addition, the study highlights major end markets for EMS activity by region. The communications market dominated the top spot for both North America and Asia, whereas industrial electronics is the largest market for participating companies in Europe.

2008-2009 Analysis and Forecast

for the EMS Industry is available for purchase to IPC members for $475 and to nonmembers for $950. The report is free to companies that participated in the survey. For more information or to purchase the report, visit www.ipc.org/EMS-study or contact Sree Bhagwat, IPC market research manager, at +1 330-677-5563 or [email protected].

For information on IPC market research programs, contact Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research, at +1 847-597-2817 or [email protected], or visit IPC’s Web site at www.ipc.org/industrydata.

pan pacific Microelectronics sym-posium registration open, program announcedRegistration is now open and the program is finalized for the 15th Annual Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium & Exhibit taking place January 26-28, 2010 at the Sheraton Kauai Resort on Kauai, Hawaii. The conference promotes international technical interchange and provides a premier forum for extensive networking among industry professionals and business leaders throughout the world.

Beginning on Tuesday, the technical program will consist of sessions on Process Technologies, Electrochemical Failure Mechanisms, Success Strategies, and a Keynote Presentation, “Nanotechnology is Now Starting to Find Applications in Electronics” by Alan Rae, Ph.D., TPF Enterprises LLC.

Continuing on Wednesday, the technical program will feature sessions on Surface Finishes, Inspection and Failure Analysis, Manufacturing Challenges, SiP Solutions, Failures in Manufacturing, and another Keynote Presentation, “Solar Cells on Ultra-Thin Silicon” by Robert Mertens, Ph.D., IMEC.

Concluding on Thursday, the technical program will have sessions on Optimization Techniques and TSV for 3D Packaging.

View the complete program and register at the website: http://www.smta.org/panpac. Please contact JoAnn Stromberg, [email protected] or 952-920-7682, with questions.

Association & institutes news


Title

There’s no oTher show like iT in The world!Benefit from the industry’s premier technical conference, half-day professional development courses and IPC standards development meetings. Solve your manufacturing challenges, visit hundreds of exhibitors and meet thousands of peers and industry experts in electronics assembly and test, board design and manufacture.

Focus on critical areas, such as reliability, impact of RoHS and REACH, leadless packages, surface finishes and SMT processes. New technical sessions target counterfeit components, embedded devices and solar panel assembly.

Pre-register for free exhibit hall admission and take advantage of free keynotes, posters, forums and networking events.

ConferenCe & exhibition April 6–8, 2010

Meetings & eduCationApril 6–9, 2010Mandalay bay resort & Convention CenterLas Vegas

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International Diary20-22 January 2010INTERNEPCON JapanTokyo Big SightTokyo, Japannepconworld.jp

26-28 January 2010Pan Pacific Microelectronics Kauai, Hawaii, USA www.smta.org/panpac/

23-25 February 2010IMAPS Printed Devices & Ap-plications Orlando, Florida, USAwww.imaps.org/printed

24-26 February 2010Electronics Next New Delhi, Indiawww.electronicsnext.in

2-3 MarchVirtual PCB Onlinewww.virtual-pcb.com

16-18 Marchproductronica China Shanghai, Chinaglobal-electronics.net/link/en/16545154

31 March-April 1SMT/PCB & NEPCON Korea Seoul, South Koreawww.smtpcb.org

6-8 AprilIPC APEX Expo Las Vegas, Nevadagoipcshows.org

13-14 AprilPrinted Electronics Europe Dresden, Germanyidtechex.com

20-22 AprilExpo Electronica Moscow, Russiawww.expoelectronica.ru/eng/

International Diary

Complex components need reliable protection.

When you need to precisely spray and dispense liquid coatings, the SCS Precisioncoat selective spray and dispense coating system provides maximum accuracy and flexibility. The system applies 100% solids, solvent-based and water-based coatings via three to five axes. Optional features, such as needle calibration, vision system, offline programming and barcode reader capability, meet any production requirement.

SCS Precisioncoat systems connect seamlessly with SCS thermal and UV cure units, enabling components to move from coating to curing without operator intervention.

Contact SCS to find out more about our innovative solutions for your advanced technologies.

World Headquarters (US): 317.244.1200 www.scsequip.com/spray

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Volume 9 Number 10 October 2009ISSN 1474 - 0893


Mike ScimecaInterview Inside

NEW PRODUCTS

INDUSTRY NEWS

INTERNATIONAL DIARY

What you need to knoW before buying your aoi solution

Which tools are best for sMt reWork—conduction or convection?

business process ManageMent for iMproved productivity and custoMer satisfaction

www.globalsmt.net


Volume 9 Number 9 September 2009

ISSN 1474 - 0893

Mike NelsonInterview Inside

NEW PRODUCTS

INDUSTRY NEWS

INTERNATIONAL DIARY

PoP (Package on Package) and vaPor Phase technology

a baseline study of stencil and screen Print Processes for wafer backside coating

fatigue & creeP wearout in electronics: a historical retrosPective

sPecial Packaging feature:

imbedded component/die technology (ic/dt®): is it ready for mainstream design applications?

Plus: ic packaging and interconnection technologies’ 4th dimension challenge

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DynamiX is a comprehensive Manufac-turing Execution System (MES) focusing on discrete manufacturing in the electronics production indus-try leveraging on the unique ability of intelligent real-time connection with all production processes. The DynamiX platform incorporates integrated func-tionality & flexibility through the use of advanced software interfaces and launches the ground-breaking “Dyna-miX Portal” for 3D real-time visibility of manufacturing operations. Standard core features across DynamiX include engineering data management, real-time monitoring, work-order

management, routing control, sched-uling, quality management, material management and complete traceability. Specific tools include vPlan for com-plete engineering data management including multi-vendor line balanc-ing, program optimization and process setup documentation, vManage for SMT/PCB monitoring, material control, verification, traceability, warehouse and shop-floor management, together with vCheck for a complete test solution with repair loop control, AOI/ICT direct interface, a full quality data manage-ment and reporting system.

Valor Launches Industry’s First End to End Software Suite

Valor North America Tel: +1 949 586 5969 [email protected]

Valor Europe & Middle East Tel: +32 2 401 8500 [email protected]

Valor Asia Tel: +86 755 8826 7373 (Shenzhen) +86 21 6249 3418 (Shanghai) [email protected]

Valor Japan Tel: +81 3 5777 0380 [email protected]

www.valor.com

Dynamix full page-SMT Global-3.indd 1 10/16/09 2:14:43 PM

Documents

Global SMT & Packaging - January 2010 Americas edition