When testing PCBs it can be quite confusing as to what method to use,parameters are necessary for the Performance Class and what cost to associate in the build to way against the long term reliability of the product. Design anomalies and capacitive cores can further cause stress in the once thought streamlined process. Understanding how the machines and methods test the product up front may alleviate delays and unnecessary waste in what otherwise would have been conforming product and delivered on-time. From the OEM side the better understanding of how the methods and parameters work against the product can better inform the manufacturer of possible anomalies in the final inspection process. If these are communicated up front,unnecessary delays can be omitted.

CO2 technology offers electronic device manufacturers a robust platform for a variety of precision cleaning and machining
applications. Surface and substrate contamination such as flux residues,organics,particulate matter,outgassing residues,
ionic residues,and laser and mechanical machining heat can be addressed (uniquely) with this technology. Available CO2
processes include one or a combination of composite jet sprays,centrifugal liquid immersion,supercritical fluid extraction,
and both vacuum and atmospheric plasma surface treatments.
CO2 technology eliminates or significantly reduces both lean and green waste generation at the production operation level
(source) by modifying manufacturing processes such as precision cleaning and machining. Because it is safe and dry,CO2
technology can integrate directly into manufacturing processes and tools to provide in-situ cleaning and/or thermal control.
CO2 technology can be implemented in a variety of process configurations to meet the constraints of lean production layouts
and product flow requirements,including direct integration into existing production lines and equipment where the surface
contamination is being generated. CO2 is a very unique manufacturing agent that affords multiple cost reduction and
performance improvement opportunities for electronic device fabrication.
Exemplary applications include silicone contamination removal from a surface using a CO2 composite spray,hybrid CO2
particle-plasma pad surface preparation for gold wire bonding,ceramic flip chip defluxing using centrifugal liquid CO2,
surface residue removal using a CO2 composite spray following laser processing,particle removal from a CMOS image
sensor following wire bonding,and CO2-enabled laser machining of organic and ceramic substrates.

For mission critical electronics or Class III products,such as those used within the military,aerospace and medical industries,highest electronic reliability is a requirement as failure is not an option. Within the electronics industry,this means that residues,either ionic or non-ionic,must be fully removed. Partially removed or untouched residues can lead to component and product failures resulting from electrochemical migration,dendrite growth and electrical leakage currents.
The goal of this study was to identify and qualify an aqueous cleaning process capable of removing combinations of no-clean flux residues for Class III electronic assemblies. Teamed with a global electronic manufacturing service (EMS) provider supplying electronics to the aerospace and medical industry,the Design of Experiment (DOE) developed was executed in two phases. Initial testing was completed utilizing EMS boards and final testing was validated using IPC test coupons and standards.

High pressure capillary IC allows you to:
Lower operational costs – water,waste,consumables
“Always Ready”
Improved system and analytical performance
Convenience
Rush samples
Enables high-resolution separations and Fast IC separations using new 4 µm particle columns
Expand separation capabilities
Smaller particle columns
Faster flow rates
Higher eluent concentrations using RFIC chemistry

With the ever-present pressure toward miniaturization in electronic devices,smaller distances between traces and component terminations are likely to increase the devices’ sensitivity to contamination scenarios that may cause current leakage. Traditionally,with “no-clean” processes,the focus has been on the conductivity of flux residues,which can be measured with industry accepted techniques such as IPC J-STD-004B SIR (Surface Insulation Resistance) testing (IPC-TM-650 2.6.3.7). However,the manufacturing environment,especially in low-cost labor markets,and even on otherwise well-controlled shop floors,may be far from representative of the “perfect world.” Other materials may find their way on to the surface of the PCB,often introduced through negligent human activity and handling that may or may not have a negative impact on the electrical reliability of the device. This paper will discuss an experiment that was performed to investigate the effects of “contaminants” that could be measured with SIR testing. The contaminants were tested by themselves as well as in conjunction with a halogen-free,Pb-free,no-clean solder paste. The materials investigated as contaminants were: human skin oil/perspiration,high temperature reflow oven chain oil,pepperoni pizza grease,hand cream/lotion,and tap water.

•Developments of Printed FPCs
- PE resist for long FPCs
- Flexible Touch Sensor Panel(TSP) application
- Single-sided Printed FPCs
- Double-sided Printed FPCs
- Smart Printed FPCs

•Photonic curing uses high-intensity flash lamps to selectively heat target materials.
•The PulseForge tools are based on the patented use of photonic curing and are designed for use in development and production.
•Photonic curing is used for drying,sintering,reacting,and annealing. The use of the tools enables exciting new types of materials to be used in printed electronics,such as the copper oxide reduction inks.
•The Metalon ICI series of copper oxide reduction inks are formulated with a reducing agent to convert copper oxide to copper thin film on the substrate after printing. Sheet resistance < 20 mOhm/sq.
•Applications impacted include RFID,displays,photovoltaics,sensors,and others.
•Many opportunities for innovation and competitive advantage are still open.
•We have introduced an R&D photonic curing system,the PulseForge 1200,to accelerate this development.

Nanotechnology is a key enabling technology for printed electronics. Low temperature reactivity,reaction speeds,flexibility and fine pitch considerations dictate that nanomaterials should be given serious consideration in many of the process steps in printed electronics.

This study was conducted to understand seven materials reliability,behavior of Dielectric constant and Dissipation factor over medium to high frequencies. A modified version of HDPUG design was used for evaluation. This test board contains IST,CAF,Thermal Cycling and Impedance (both Micro Strip and Strip line) coupons. In addition to these we added HATS coupons. Materials were chosen from FR4 family and selection was made based upon our present and future needs. Dielectric constants of these materials ranged from Dk 3.6 to Dk 4.2,as published,at 10GHz. This document shows the effect of Dk and Df values from 10GHz to 20GHz and also shows their performance for lead free assembly process when tested using IST and HATS test methods. In addition CAF testing was done on five of the seven materials.

The need in complexity for microwave space products such as active BFNs (Beam Forming Networks) is increasing,with a significantly growing number of amplitude / phase control points (number of beams * numbers of radiating elements). As a consequence,the RF component’s package topology is evolving (larger number of I/Os,interconnections densification ...) which directly affect the routing and architecture of the multilayer boards they are mounted on. It then becomes necessary to improve the density of these boards. It has already been demonstrated the benefits of non-PTFE (Teflon®) materials for the manufacturing of microwave multilayer PCBs. The Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) is a very interesting candidate allowing,among others,to achieve RF and LF flexible interconnections. It has many advantages for packaging applications or manufacturing multilayer structures (low dielectric constant and losses,low water absorption,low CTE in X and Y axis…). Mostly,this material is available in very thin layers,allowing to considerably reduce the total thickness of the board and favoring densification (decrease of via diameter,pads,track width...). However,the use of LCP for printed circuit board is fairly recent and few manufacturers have experience with this material. This paper will present the work performed to achieve LCP-based high density multilayer structures,describing the different electrical and technological breadboards manufactured and tested and presenting the results obtained.