September 2014 IPC-2581 Adoption Update by Hermant Shah & Ed Acheson p.24
What’s New in ODB++? by Julian Coates p.34
IPC-2581B Eases Stackup Development by Amit Bahl p.42
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 1
Upcoming Events
September 23–25 November 18–20 electronica & productronica India 2014 High-Reliability Cleaning and IPC India Conference & Workshops Conformal Coating Conference Bangalore, India Sponsored by IPC and SMTA Schaumburg, IL, USA
September 28–October 2 IPC Fall Standards Development November 20 Committee Meetings Assembly & Reliability Conference Co-located with SMTA International Bangkok, Thailand Rosemont, IL, USA
December 3–5 October 14–15 International Printed Circuit and IPC Europe High Reliability Forum APEX South China Fair Düsseldorf, Germany (HKPCA and IPC Show) Shenzhen, China
October 28–30 IPC TechSummitTM February 24–26, 2015 Reliability. Innovation. Leadership. IPC APEX EXPO® Sponsored by: CALCE and Lockheed Martin Conference & Exhibition 2015 Raleigh, NC, USA San Diego, CA, USA
More Information www.ipc.org/events
Questions? Contact IPC registration staff at [email protected] or +1 847-597-2861. September 2014
This Issue: data formats
Featured Content The great data transfer format debate continues. This issue features an ODB++ update by Julian Coates, and the latest information on IPC-2581 by Hemant Shah and Amit Bahl. Plus, Coates and Karel Tavernier engage in a candid back-and-forth discussion about ODB++ vs. Gerber.
12 The Great Gerber vs. 34 What’s New in ODB++ Debate ODB++? by Julian Coates
24 IPC-2581 Adoption Update by Hemant Shah and Ed Acheson
Feature Column 42 IPC-2581B Eases Stackup Development by Amit Bahl
4 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 september 2014 The optimum volume 3 TM magazine number 9 dedicated to thepcbdesignmagazine.com pcb design
Contents
Article Video Interviews 50 HDI PWB Reliability 33 Teradyne Shares View of by Paul Reid High-Growth Market Overseas
Panel Discussion Video 58 The Great File Format Transfer Debate
Columns 8 The Survey Said: A Third of Designers Near Retirement Age by Andy Shaughnessy
46 A PCB Potpourri by Bob Tarzwell & Dan Beaulieu Short 39 New X-ray Imaging Allows Monitoring of Treatment
58 Scientists Develop Thinnest-Possible Semiconductor
News Highlights 40 PCB007 Extras 56 Mil/Aero007 62 Events Calendar 60 PCBDesign007 63 Advertiser Index & Masthead
6 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
column
the shaughnessy report
The Survey Said: A Third of Designers Near Retirement Age
by Andy Shaughnessy I-Connect007
One of the best parts of this job is keeping in Question 1: What is your approximate age? touch with PCB designers. You all are an interest- ing bunch of people, to say the least, and I enjoy I more or less expected this sort of age distri- hearing your stories, concerns, complaints, ob- bution, but it’s still jarring to see it graphically. servations about the industry, and whatever else As you can see from Figure 1, over half of the you want to share. respondents are 51 and over, and 1/3 of readers I meet with some of you in person at trade are 56 and over. The single biggest chunk of de- shows during the year. But in between shows, a signers is 61 and over. Not a good thing for the quick survey is a great way to get a snapshot of future. How can we draw more young people what you all are going through at the moment. into this industry? In July, we sent subscribers a three-question survey. We’ve noticed that surveys with too Question 2: What are some of the challenging many questions often go unanswered. You’re technologies you work with on a daily basis? too busy to fill out a 50-question survey at work, (e.g., HDI, DDR3, differential signaling, high so you forward it to your home e-mail address layer-count, etc.) to look at later. Then you get distracted, right- fully so, by spouses, kids and grandkids. You just Here is a short sampling of the more com- don’t have much free time. mon answers, slightly edited for clarity: But you seem to have time to answer three questions. We had a solid response rate, espe- • High-frequency PCB design. cially considering it was the middle of summer. • RF, DDR3. The replies are all over the place, particularly • The shrinking size of components! when we asked about technology. • Diff pairs.
Figure 1: The “age pyramid” for PCB designers. Who will design boards in the future?
8 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
the shaughnessy report
The Survey Said: A Third of Designers Near Retirement Age continues
• DDR2, SERDES differential signaling. main reason that I still do this kind of work. • High-voltage isolation, DDR3, SERDES length Also, PCB layout designing is like playing Tetris matching, low-noise design, power/ground and all day! PDN design. • Parts placement is actually a fun puzzle. • The majority of the PCBs I deal with are • Working on new technologies for a great very plain 2-layer boards. My specialty is not in company, with occasional travel. high complexity, but how to provide beautiful • Upcoming retirement in less than 18 boards at a price so low ordering becomes some- months. thing you don’t think about. Most of my repeat • With exception of our manager, no one is an customers don’t bother asking for quotes any expert in everything and everyone seems to chip more. I guess the most demanding “technology” in their part, which makes it all come together. for me is not actually technology, but language. • The design process itself, plus great co- The fabs I source from don’t speak English, so workers. it really puts my Chinese language skills to the • The best part is working on international test. projects and creating sophisticated layout with • Fine-pitch BGA, HDI, filled via-in-pad, high high-end tools. temperature (175°C), thermal management. • Made a living doing this since for the last • HDMI DDR3 differential signaling, high 36 years and enjoy doing it. Moonlight on the signaling (14G) 16 to 20 layers. side doing it for former contacts. However, I do • 100Gbps channels, embedded actives. look forward to retirement down the road. • HDI, DDRx, extreme copper weight, RF, • Having the knowledge, gained by years of thermal dissipation, .3mm-.4mm parts, ultra- experience, to look at design proposal and see low-noise circuits, 60-100 amp switching power several ways it could be done. Being allowed the supplies, planar core transformers, inductors, opportunity to build “designer confidence” by EMI-EMP, rigid and flex, medical and aerospace. attending trade shows, reading tech articles and • HDI, high speed, lack of industry knowl- networking in turn allows me to build the confi- edge of customers. dence of a design team in my abilities is the best • The challenges here all have to do with part of my job. high power. So, voltage clearance, high current, • I have a lot to learn yet! heat issues, etc. • Sitting by a window and drinking coffee. • High layer count. The challenges here are all to do with high power. So voltage clearance, There you have it. You all love your work, high current, heat issues, etc. and you enjoy collaborating with your co-work- • DDR4, rigid-flex, FPGA-PCB pin swapping. ers. And I bet most of you enjoy sitting by a win- dow and drinking coffee as much as that witty Question 3. What is the best part of your job? respondent. Whether it’s the design process itself, your But we’re in danger of losing a big group of great co-workers, your upcoming retirement, designers over the next decade or so. What can or something else, let us know! we do about the graying of our industry?
• Generating end-products for use in space This column appeared in the Inside Design applications. Newsletter in August. PCBDESIGN • The design process. As a service bureau, ev- ery job is different, with its own unique prob- Andy Shaughnessy is manag- lems to resolve. ing editor of The PCB Design • The beach house it pays for. Magazine. He has been cover- • Working with a great bunch of people. ing PCB design for 15 years. • Being paid to do puzzles all day. He can be reached by clicking • Learning new stuff. here. • Our working environment would be the
10 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate
Editor’s Note: This friendly debate (mostly for CAD-to-CAM data transfer without any friendly!) began with an article by Mentor Graphi- downsides. cs’ Julian Coates, which ran in the February issue In order to promote ODB++, Coates unfor- of The PCB Magazine. Karel Tavernier, managing tunately reverts to Gerber-bashing rather than director of Ucamco, which owns the Gerber format, explaining the strengths of ODB++. And his replied to that article, and Coates was given the arguments are highly misleading, as they are courtesy of a rebuttal so that they could be publi- based on some tired old fallacies that I would shed side-by-side in the same issue. Finally, Taver- like to address here. Before starting, though, nier replied to Coates, getting the last word...for it’s important to clarify that when referring to now, at least. Gerber, I mean RS-274X Extended Gerber, the current Gerber format. This supersedes the ear- lier RS-274-D Standard Gerber format, which is Gerber— obsolete. Bashing RS-274-D Standard Gerber is the Smartest Way Forward like railing against Windows because MS-DOS only allowed eight-character file names. If Coa- by Karel Tavernier tes wants to bash RS-274-D, I’ll gladly join him. Having said this, less than 2% of all jobs are In a February 2014 article by Julian Coates of transferred using the old format, so it’s practi- Mentor Graphics, Smart Data Formats Automa- cally a non-issue. te CAD/CAM, in which Coates promotes more Extended Gerber is the PCB industry’s de fac- widespread adoption of the ODB++ format, the to image data transmission format. New forma- arguments he uses indeed make it seem like ts have come and gone; some, like the ODB++ OBD++ is the great panacea for our industry, format, have been around for decades, but still one that promises to eliminate all problems today, more than 90% of the world’s PCBs, from
12 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues the simplest to the most complex, are still ma- • The Gerber format is simple nufactured using Gerber, which tells me that • Its specification is well-written, easy to this is an image format that the industry trusts. read, detailed and precise And the industry is right to trust it—it’s the best • Most of its implementations are mature there is. Used properly, it delivers on its promi- • As it is so widely used, the ses, without fail, every time. implementations are thoroughly field So let’s have a look at some of Coates’ ar- tested, so most bugs have been ironed out guments. He quotes Viasystems as stating that, • The format is supported by excellent “about 25% of the data packages they receive free viewers such as GC-Prevue have issues relating to: Advocating the adoption of a new and much • Missing layers, fabrication drawings, more complex format to eliminate simple bugs drill files, etc… is a very curious solution indeed. Consider only • Netlist format violations that a CAD software developer struggling to • Netlist exception violations.” produce a simple Gerber file correctly is not mi- raculously going to write a bug-free implemen- If true, this is indeed a sorry state of affairs, tation for the more challenging ODB++ format. and needs rectifying. But if this is the extent If one wants bug-free software it is best to stick of the problems, then there is nothing wrong with Gerber, as Gerber is a simpler and more with the format. Viasystems’ issues are in fact mature format than ODB++, it is far less pro- due to some rather trivial bugs in the CAD ven- ne to bugs, and its bugs are far easier to find dors’ implementations, so the solution is to and resolve. Switching to a new imaging format fix the implementations rather than to adopt introduces a whole raft of new issues and bugs completely new software by switching to a new that would take many years to sort out. Imaging format. The article is not clear about whether software is complex and takes a long time to get these omissions and violations relate to ODB++ right. Adopting ODB++ to solve bugs in Gerber or Gerber files, or a mix of the two. However output is like using a sledgehammer to swat a they arise, I can only recommend that Viasys- fly: The solution is far more damaging than the tems report these issues to their customers with issue ever will be. a request to contact their CAD software suppli- Table 1 summarizes Coates’ claims regarding ers. If the CAD software vendors fix these simple the benefits of ODB++ vs. Gerber. bugs, the issues will be resolved once and for all. Here is my take on the aforementioned be- If they are unable or unwilling to do so, there is nefits: no solution: neither in Gerber, nor in ODB++, nor anywhere else for that matter. 1. False. A simpler, more reliable format Coates also mentions that Gerber files so- in fact needs less diagnostics metimes contain syntax errors, low numerical 2. False. An error can be more easily accuracy and other errors. This is no doubt true, identified in a simpler format. but again these are simply bugs in the Gerber 3. False. ODB++ is not miraculously output. Do we need a new format to fix syn- error-free. tax errors in the current one? Surely the solu- 4. False. IPC-356 supports the actual tion is to fix the bugs in the Gerber output. And customer net name. It may be that the ODB++ itself is not immune to syntax errors; if software Coates uses does not display it, anyone would like some invalid ODB++ files, I but this then is a problem in that can provide a few. software. The reality is that Gerber files very rarely 5. False. Gerber has negative apertures and generate the wrong image. This is because while so can handle planes perfectly. (I should only a few applications read ODB++ reliably, add that this is the first time I see the there are countless more that read Gerber with claim that ODB++ is more compact than near-perfect reliability. This is because: Gerber!)
14 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues
If these are the benefits of ODB++ and the reasons for adopting it, then Coates’ argument collapses. More importantly, Coates omits to mention the difficulties in adopting ODB++. Over the 20 years that ODB++ has been available, it has ta- ken just 10% of the market share, with Gerber accounting for the remaining 90%. If ODB++ offers all the advantages espoused by Coates in his article, there can only be one of two reasons for its minimal uptake:
• The PCB industry consists largely of morons • There are downsides to using ODB++ sit naturally with the current capabilities of CAD and CAM systems. X2 extends the current As I do not think this great industry is in Gerber specifiation with a series of standard at- the hands of morons, I believe that there must tributes that are most important for efficient be some serious downsides to the adoption of CAD-to-CAM communications, such as the fun- ODB++. This is not because ODB++ is a particu- ction of each layer, whether a pad is a via or an larly bad format: It is not. The point is that the SMD pad, and which are the component drill adoption of ODB++ includes the adoption of a holes. As rather grandly stated elsewhere, X2 new image format, and image formats are no- adds intelligence to the Gerber format. Software toriously hard to implement. Much has been supporting X2 will read the whole Gerber archi- written about just how complicated geometric ve automatically, with all layers in place, while software is and how much effort it takes to get identifying the function of each object. it right, not to mention the years it takes to de- Easy to adopt and to implement, X2 is bug. So the implication that taking on this new upwardly compatible with the previous Gerber image format is simple and low risk is at the very version. Altium, global leader in Smart System least misleading. Precisely because our industry’s Design Automation, has been quick to reco- practitioners are not morons, they know this, so gnise the value of X2 and will support it in an are reluctant to adopt a new format. They know upcoming version of Altium Designer. By Q4 very well how complex ODB++ is, and that it will 2014, Graphicode’s widely-used and highly-re- give rise to many more problems, for many years. spected GC-Prevue viewer will also support X2. The reality is that Gerber works very well for X2 maintains the trademark simplicity for transferring images. In fact, there’s nothing better. which Gerber has always been known and used, and gives designers and engineers a standar- Gerber X2 dized procedure that will require very little to The most interesting point made by Coa- change in their working practices—certainly tes is that Gerber files contain “no information none that would require approval, testing about how the PCB layers stack up.” This was and all the rest. Equally important, this new a valid objection in the past, but it is no lon- revision does not disrupt existing workflows. ger true, as the latest revision, Gerber X2, now If the software does not support the new capa- contains layer stackup information. bilities, the old workflow continues to operate. At the heart of X2 is the use of attributes. Nobody is forced to buy anything. So this will These are akin to labels which provide infor- be a very gentle, low cost improvement indeed, mation that are associated with image files, or but the effects will be nothing short of revolu- features within them. The beauty of using attri- tionary. butes is that they are already familiar to CAM Coates omitted to mention this latest deve- professionals and software developers, and they lopment in the Gerber format, one of the most
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 15 feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues important developments in CAD-to-CAM auto- is to fix bugs in current implementations, and mation today, given that it concerns the indu- adopt Gerber X2 functionality. stry’s de-facto standard format. Neither did he One of the best things about this path is mention the alternative IPC-2581. Had he done that it is incredibly kind on the industry, while so, his arguments for ODB++ might have been enabling the PCB industry to benefit from all less compelling of course, but these omissions the advantages that ODB++ claims to deliver in an article titled Smart Data Formats Automa- in Coates’ article, but with none of the down- te CAD/CAM lead to serious doubts about its sides. This is because it does not involve the objectivity. wholesale adoption of a new format. Further- Coates also added a diagram to the article more, the revised Gerber format is compatible comparing Gerber to ODB++ input in CAM. with the previous versions of Gerber and older This compared a badly implemented Gerber software, so improvements can be as gradual as with a well implemented ODB++. I have taken users want them to be, with no one being for- the liberty of adding a proper X2 Gerber to the ced to buy new software against their business schematic. The result, given in Figure 1, shows wishes or budgetary constraints. It is a path that if ODB++ is a smart format, Gerber X2 is a that delivers to small software vendors and the very smart one. industry at large, fixing what is broken without compromising what already works. In short, it’s Conclusion nothing short of revolutionary, but without the When CAD-to-CAM data sets use proper- complications. ly implemented Gerber archives, plus correct The Gerber format specification, a sample IPC-356-A files, problems in data transfer are X2 archive and background articles on X2 can rare. Where a problem or bug appears, the ea- be found at www.ucamco.com/downloads. siest, fastest and most economical solution is to fix it. This is because issues are not down Karel Tavernier to the format itself, but more likely due to its Managing Director, Ucamco implementation in CAD software, and they are simple to resolve. The very worst solution would be to replace Gerber with the far more Julian Coates’ Rebuttal: complex ODB++ format, because implemen- ting a new format is never simple, quick, and/ With respect to Karel, I think he may be mis- or risk free, especially when the new format sing the main point. Consider this: is as complex as ODB++. The problems that would arise from such a move would be si- • No doubt Gerber is a very fine format for gnificant, and would hound the industry for defining the graphical layers of a PCB many years. • IPC-D-356 is perfectly fine for defining The simplest, most practical path forward a netlist
Table 1.
16 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 Designers, meet your new best friend. Murrietta Circuits’ partnership with eSurface gives you the very rare ability to increase circuit density while decreasing cost!
Every great board begins with a great design. With no substrate restrictions, designers can utilize new PCB materials with high performance attributes to their maximum potential. Not only does eSurface reduce costs and shorten production time, it meets or exceeds MIL/IPC specs!
The eSurface Process is bending “We truly believe that this the rules of the PCB industry. technology will not only change the way that boards are manufactured, but change the way boards are designed.”
Andrew Murrietta Click to learn more
Murrietta Circuits The Integrated Solution www.murrietta.com | (714) 970-2430 feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues
• Excellon needs no improvement; it explain to a CAM engineer how all of the defines the location and diameter of above file-types should relate to each drilled holes quite well. other, and how to reintegrate all that • Component placement lists can define data back together so as to enable an component positions and rotations quite efficient software-driven new product well also introduction (NPI) process. • PDF is a good format for rendering drawings Certainly, if all you want is accurate graphi- • GenCAD and FATF are good for cal data, then I am sure Gerber meets the re- defining the parts of a PCB assembly quirement, and Karel is to be congratulated on for testing purposes his perseverence in improving that particular • Word is good for capturing text, 50-year-old NC format. At a recent industry de- especially “Readme” documents that bate on this topic, he suggested that the best
Figure 1: The column on the right can be achieved at low cost, without breaking workflows, in an upwardly compatible way.
18 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues way forward is to use Gerber for the graphical cement list, etc? I would suggest that the re- data and another format for all the other in- ason is not technological; it is a combination formation that Gerber cannot carry. Thus, he of business and human factors. Firstly, it costs promotes the idea of intelligent, all-encompas- money to change a business process; tools have sing formats for carrying data, but excluding to be upgraded. But in order to gain the time/ the graphical part. Why reject the advantage cost/quality advantages, an investment has to of having all of that other information linked be made, and that is nothing out of the ordi- to the graphical objects as well, and vice-ver- nary. Secondly, there is a perception that con- sa? The problem that needs solving is taking all tinuing to use the old method is not only free of that fragemented data into a single coherent but also “safe,” whereas to use the new method model comprising both the PCB bareboard and is expensive and “uncertain.” The “safe” ver- the assembled PCB. Keeping parts of the pro- sus “uncertain” part is the human part. There duct-model seperate for simplicity is fine if you is an jargon-acronym for it: FUD, which stands are only interested in a narrow subset of the for Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. The same was PCB product-model, but it is a big problem if true when the Gerber format was introduced. you need a complete definition of the product, Using it required a high level of investment, as do all DFM and NPI engineers! There is no and it took time for the industry to see that escape from the fact that, sooner rather than la- the benefits outweighed the uncertainties even ter, the data must be integrated. though the idea of it was obviously a good one Reductio ad absurdum: To take the idea to 50 years ago. Hand-drawn artwork was still an extreme, maybe there is a drilling expert out used for many years after, even though a bet- there ready to explain that Excellon should be ter method (Gerber data) was available. It took used for holes information, but all of the “other time for the industry to make the change. But information” (including the layer graphics, no change is inevitable if businesses intend to ad- doubt) should be carried in ODB++. Obviously vance given the complexities of today’s systems it is absurd to keep part of the PCB product-mo- designs. This is why I advocate ODB++ as the del (in this case, the holes) separate from all the new data format standard. rest. The first thing a CAM engineer would do in this case would be to read the Excellon file Julian Coates and integrate the hole data into the ODB++— Director of Business Development an unecessarily time-wasting and potentially Valor Division of Mentor Graphics Corporation error-prone process. There is a broad consensus across the indu- stry that fixing the highly fragmented nature Karel Tavernier’s Rebuttal: of the CAD-to-CAM data files problem is long overdue, and that the answer is to implement And the Data Transfer Beat Goes On… integrated, intelligent formats such as ODB++. In a recent article, Smart Data Formats Auto- Many have already taken the step with ODB++, mate CAD/CAM (February 2014), Julian Coates attesting to the benefits of having a more stre- of Mentor Graphics wrote an article about the amlined design-to-manufacturing hand-off pro- ODB++ format. My reaction to this, Gerber— cess. Over a million different PCB designs have the Smartest Way Forward, appeared in the July been processed into manufacturing using the 2014 edition of the same publication, as did a ODB++ format since its introduction. It works, rebuttal by Coates of my article. and is widely implemented by some of the lar- Here I would like to rebut Coates’ rebuttal gest electronics OEMs in the world, as a stan- of my rebuttal. To be merciful on readers, I will dard part of their NPI business process. keep it brief, so that the rebuttal process con- What limits the implementation of ODB++ verges rather than spinning out of control. more widely? Why do people still use all tho- In Coates’ July rebuttal, he wrote: “No se fragmented narrow-scope data formats such doubt Gerber is a very fine format for defining as Gerber, Excellon, netlist, component-pla- the graphical layers of a PCB.”
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 19 feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues
That’s good. My impression was that Coates is why I propose a path that is far less expensive saw Gerber as an intrinsically error-prone image and risky than that advocated by Coates. format whereas I maintain there are very few er- The first step along this path was to clarify rors when transferring images in Gerber. So we areas in the Gerber format specification that both agree that Gerber is a very fine image for- were sometimes misunderstood, and to remove mat. Where our opinions diverge is in how we elements in it that were outdated, rarely used, proceed from this fact. Coates went on to state: or superfluous. This has been carried out in re- “At a recent industry debate, I suggested that cent years, so the current spec is clear, sharp the best way forward is to use Gerber for the and to the point—there are no useless bells and graphical data and another format for all the whistles in the Gerber format. other information that Gerber cannot carry.” The second step, completed earlier this year, Thus, he promotes the idea of intelligent, was to introduce the Second Extension, or Ger- all-encompassing formats for carrying data, but ber X2 format. Gerber X2 contains attributes excluding the graphical part. Why reject the ad- that specify how the layers stack up, identifies vantage of having all of that other information via pads, indicates where the impedance con- linked to the graphical objects as well, and vice- trolled tracks are, and describes a host of other versa? The problem that needs solving is taking parameters that support the image data. With all of that fragmented data into a single coher- X2, what was missing in Gerber has now been ent model comprising both the PCB bareboard added—in Coates’s terminology, the attributes and the assembled PCB. add intelligence to the format. The neat thing Actually, in no way do I reject the idea of is that they do not affect the image, which linking all the other information to the graph- means that existing workflows are not broken: ics objects. On the contrary: It’s clear that a PCB X2 requires only minimal changes in working is more than a set of images, and all the data practices, and certainly none that would require describing it must be transferred as a coherent approval, testing and all the rest. The fully X2- whole. Here, too, we agree. Where we disagree compatible CAD and CAM software will read is how we achieve this coherent whole. Coates entire Gerber X2 archives automatically, with believes that the wholesale adoption of ODB++ all layers in place, while identifying the func- is a practical way forward. I do not. In another tion of each object. And even in combination passage from his July rebuttal, Coates correctly with older software that does not support X2, analyses why ODB++ is not more widely used: the correct image is still produced. This means “What limits the implementation of ODB++ that even if users do not reap the full benefits of more widely? … I would suggest that the reason Gerber X2, they can happily move within the is not technological; it is a combination of busi- X2 world without problems. Ben Jordan of Al- ness and human factors. Firstly, it costs money tium concurs: “ODB++ is a good standard, but to change a business process; tools have to be Gerber X2 does solve the problems while being upgraded. […] Secondly, there is a perception backwardly compatible.” that continuing to use the old method is not More importantly, this means that no- only free but also safe, whereas to use the new body is forced to buy anything, and Gerber us- method is expensive and uncertain. The safe ers can decide in their own time if, how and versus uncertain part is the human part.” when to adopt new X2-ready software to take These are entirely rational and justified their processes to the next level. For those inter- concerns, and clearly the vast majority of this ested, there is a sample X2 job on the Ucamco industry feels that they outweigh the benefits download page. It shows the simplicity of the of ODB++ (or of any new format that has been concept. Download it and try it on your own tried over the decades for that matter). Who am Gerber input software—in all probability you I to judge that the whole industry is wrong? will be able to read in the images correctly, but That said, our industry must move on, and like your software will throw some warnings. This Coates, I too would like to see CAD to CAM data demonstrates the compatibility of X2 with non- transfer advance beyond current practices. This supporting software.
20 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
feature
The Great Gerber vs. ODB++ Debate continues
Coates makes much of the claim that ODB++ is a single format and that what I propose is a collection of different formats. This underpins his argument that the good old Gerber format should be dumped and replaced with some- thing entirely new. This is a curious argument indeed: ODB++ is in reality a collection of fold- ers with different syntaxes for each type of data, which are all zipped together in a single archive file. In my opinion this is not a showstopper— on the contrary, it’s an inevitable consequence of the fact that components, materials, graph- ics and netlists are all entirely dissimilar objects. They must all be stored in appropriate formats, each of which, by its very nature, is very differ- ent from the others. All they have in common is ward way to improve and build on it. By extend- the ODB++ name. This is clearly demonstrated ing the format and making it far clearer, Ucamco by the following: if ODB++ image input is im- has improved the CAM task no end.” plemented in your software, it will not miracu- Indeed, it makes no sense whatsoever to to- lously read materials. Even though you may be tally abandon something as good as Gerber’s im- able to write images, you cannot automatically age format, which covers the most difficult and write a netlist. These are separate items that re- critical part of any PCB data archive, to resolve quire individual implementation, each with its issues relating to the archive’s far simpler ele- own specification, each in its own folder. This ments. The industry intuitively senses this, and is OK; it is impossible to put these intrinsically this is why it has stayed with the Gerber format. different objects into the same format. But I fail X2 has been designed to be easy to imple- to see the difference between zipping together ment and easy to adopt, as it consists of just a collection of very different ODB++ folders, three new straightforward commands, and sup- and zipping together Gerber and IPC-D-356A port for it is growing. Graphicode is pioneering files. To anyone who might object that 356 is the X2 wave with GC Prevue v22.3, the indus- a different format from the Gerber format, I try’s first X2-ready viewer software, which is would propose the following thought experi- now available for download. Altium too has ment: Take the 356A specification, tear off the been quick to recognise the value of X2 and will title page and replace it with a page with the support it in the upcoming version of Altium title “Gerber Netlist Format.” Lo and behold, Designer. I was recently informed that DipTrace now, images and netlist are in the same Gerber and Kicad will also output X2 in the course of format! In other words, there’s no substance to 2014, and LPKF will support it from Q1 2015. the claim that ODB++ is a single format—it’s all Eurocircuits and AT&S offered to beta test it, in the name. Of course, in both cases, the in- and it will be in real production by the end of formation must be consistent. If you offset the 2014—less than 12 months after its introduc- netlist to the image, well, you have a problem, tion. This demonstrates the benefits of smart both with Gerber and ODB++. improvements: fixing what is broken but leav- What I propose is that we, as an industry, take ing in place what works well, which takes into a practical and pragmatic route to improvement: account the community’s legitimate concerns by keeping what works well, changing what does about cost and risk. not and adding what is lacking. With Gerber X2, This is why I advocate X2 as the smart way we are doing just this, as Graphicode’s Paul Wells- forward. Edwards points out: “The beauty of Gerber is that it’s simple, and very widely used, and Ucamco’s Karel Tavernier use of attributes is a very clever and straightfor- Ucamco
22 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 Thermal management solutions that perform when the heat is on
With a consumer requirement for With an expansive product range and ever-more diminutive devices and an a strong emphasis on research and expectation of improved efficiency and collaboration, we provide a complete power, effective thermal management electro-chemical solution to the world’s materials have become an increasingly leading manufacturers across a variety essential part of product development. of industries. Scan the code to discover our full spectrum of superior From bonding and non-bonding Isn’t it time you discovered how Thermal Management and thermal interface materials, to thermally Electrolube can serve you? electro-chemical solutions. conductive resins, our solutions offer Simply call, or visit our website. the ultimate level of protection and heat dissipation.
Tel: 888-501-9203 www.electrolube.com
Electronic & General Conformal Encapsulation Thermal Management Contact Maintenance Purpose Cleaning Coatings Resins Solutions Lubricants & Service Aids feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update by Hemant Shah and Ed Acheson cation and contract manufacturers such as AE- Cadence Design Systems GIS, Cimnet, Direct Logix, Easy Logix, Graphi- Code, and Polar Instruments. Other members are EMS providers, contract manufacturers, fab- Intelligent, efficient PCB design data trans- rication companies, and IPC. fer to manufacturing has been a hot topic for the last three years. A small group of compa- Unprecedented Collaboration nies created the IPC-2581 Consortium in mid- The IPC-2581 Consortium has achieved un- 2011. Since then, many companies joined the precedented collaboration between PCB design effort to get IPC-2581—an open, neutral, in- and supply chain companies. When the con- telligent format—adopted. It has been a won- sortium was founded, there were several initial derful journey that witnessed unprecedented challenges. Through collaboration, the consor- collaboration amongst PCB design and supply tium has: chain companies, innovation with stack-up ex- change, and last but not least, steady progress • Developed software to export/import toward adoption. This article provides an up- IPC-2581 data date on IPC-2581 Consortium activities that • Developed methods to test and validate include collaboration, innovation and adop- data generated by software companies tion status. • Created an initial set of publicly available The IPC-2581 Consortium for an open, neu- sample test cases tral, global standard has been growing steadily • Conducted multiple three-way meetings and now has more than 60 corporate members between a design house, their ECAD and 48 associate members. Corporate members supplier and their fabrication/ include PCB design and supply chain compa- manufacturing suppliers nies from PCB ECAD companies such as Alti- • Identified areas in the 2581 specification um, Cadence Design Systems, Mentor Graph- that were ambiguous, design and ics, Zuken, ADIVA, Downstream, and WISE implement changes to clarify the spec Software, to name a few. Members also include • Identified improvements needed to make companies that provide software to EMS, fabri- the data hand-off even more efficient
24 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 We deliver Advanced PCB Solutions!
Fine line PCB, 2 mil line /space We have developed a unique set of processes based on electro-depositable liquid photoresist. CLICK TO LEARN MORE
Landless Via Technology We’re the only manufacturer in the world to have perfected a liquid photo-imageable resist (PiP) in electrolytic form, used for all our production. CLICK TO LEARN MORE
Our unique processes enable us to create and deliver Advanced Impedance Tolerance <5%! PCB Solutions that meet the With our panel plating process combined with needs of the demanding market continuous foil lamination, our impedance tolerances at competitive prices! are second to none! CLICK TO LEARN MORE
CANDOR INDUSTRIES, INC. ADVANCED PCB SOLUTIONS www.candorind.com | [email protected] | (416) 736-6306 feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update continues
Figure 1: Corporate members of the IPC-2581 Consortium.
Several design bureaus within the consor- • Assembly data: Library pin 1 orientation, tium ran their own internal tests to validate primary pin tag, pickup point for components, IPC-2581 output from their ECAD tools. They polarity markings. Library orientation data pro- partnered with their ECAD and manufacturing vides the assembly process a key to zero orien- partners to resolve any issues that came up dur- tation of device in the design relative to zero ing their validation process. Often design bu- orientation of assembly equipment. The orien- reaus would compare traditional outputs (Ger- tation options are based on the different library ber, ODB++) with IPC-2581 data. Cisco Systems standards across the globe. reported that they are evaluating 51 current pro- The “Pin one” attribute identifies the pri- duction designs of various technologies. They mary pin of a package to identify the key pin also reported excellent support and collabora- for placement verification and other processes tion between their ECAD and manufacturing with the fabrication, assembly and test process- partners and are in the process of updating their es. Various optical inspection tools for assembly internal stack-up generator tool to support 2581 verification can use an attribute associated with input and output. graphical object, such as the “+” polarity mark- This industry-wide collaboration led to the ing in silkscreen or copper. fastest revision of a standard in IPC history. The • Bill of material (BOM) updates include: consortium, in partnership with IPC, developed Enterprise data (person, role, design revi- IPC-2581 revision B in 12–14 months, from sion, history, software etc), instance-based identifying the list of changes needed to send- footprint reference, variant design support ing the specifications out for ballot approval by and enhancements to stack-up definitions. IPC members. The enterprise data embedded into the Revision B of IPC-2581 Enhancements in- IPC-2581 file contain contact information, clude: BOM revision data, board revision data and
26 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 INTRODUCING MEET YOUR COOLSPAN® TECA FILM SUPPORT TEAM Leading the way in... • Support • Service • Knowledge • Reputation SCAN THE CODE TO GET OUR CONTACT INFO. Rogers can help by being your reliable conductive adhesive film source Get the heat out of those high-power PCBs. COOLSPAN® Thermally & Electrically Conductive Adhesive (TECA) Films are ideal for dissipating heat in high-frequency circuits. COOLSPAN adhesives feature outstanding thermal conductivity (6 W/m/K) and reliable thermal stability. Keep things cool, with Rogers and COOLSPAN TECA film. Greg Bull Dale Doyle Applications Applications Development Development Manager Manager Northern Western CONTACT YOUR Territory Territory (U.S.) & (U.S.) SUPPORT TEAM Canada TODAY
John Dobrick Scott Kennedy Applications Applications Development Development Manager Manager Southern Eastern Territory Territory (U.S.) (U.S.) & South America
John Hendricks Kent Yeung Regional Regional Sales Manager Sales Director Europe Asia
www.rogerscorp.com If you are unable to scan a VR code please visit our Support Team website at www.rogerscorp.com/coolspan feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update continues
Figure 2: Rev B allows use of attributes associated with graphical objects, such as the “+” polarity marking.
Figure 3: a) Library Pin one orientation, b) Pin One/Primary Pin marking, c) Polarity marking.
Figure 4: a) Backdrilling of a via stub, b) V-groove parameters within IPC-2581 revision B. links to specific software for FPGAs as an ex- fied fabrication/assembly notes to the specific ample. objects. The SPEC definition could describe a • Drill-related improvements: Specific de- specific requirement for a part during the assem- scriptions for slots and cavities (depth, toler- bly process that would typically be described in ance, plating), Backdrill data attributes (size, the assembly drawing. The SPEC definition in tolerance, start, do not cut layer, max stub IPC-2581 would allow that note to be attached length), V-cut/V- grove (angle, offset, thickness, to the component instance and reference elec- tolerance) for panel and pallet construction. tronically, rather than shuffling through paper • The SPEC (specification) section enhance- documents. SPEC has a very wide usage within ments provide a SPEC dictionary. SPEC defines IPC-2581 as fabrication/assembly notes are em- design intent and can be attached to objects in bedded directly into the IPC-2581 file. the design. This will associate currently speci- • Last, but not the least, a set of enhance-
28 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 Engineering And Providing Balanced Interconnect Solutions MIRACO
Flexible Printed Circuits • Rigid Flex • Wire Harnesses • Complete Assemblies Our products and services are specifically designed to empower our customers to produce a product with superior performance and quality, as well as lower design, assembly, and system installation costs. Partnering With Your Engineering Team To Deliver The Best Solution
...connecting technology
Miraco, Inc. • 102 Maple Street, Manchester, NH 03103 • miracoinc.com 603-665-9449 • Fax: 603-665-9459
MiracoFullPageAd.indd 1 4/3/14 5:23 PM feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update continues
Figure 5: Image of PCB successfully built by Vellux. ments includes an expanded definition of the fabricator can exchange the proposed stack-up stack-up. This enhancement exemplifies the electronically, and since it can be consumed by innovation that the Consortium collaboration the PCB design tools, it saves a lot of time enter- has achieved. ing the data into the PCB CAD tools. More im- portantly, there is little chance of introducing IPC-2581 rev B Stack-up Exchange errors in the process. The stack-up definition The idea behind enhancing the stack-up has the capabilities to describe a stack-up in a definition within IPC-2581 was simple, yet designer’s perspective or from a manufacturer’s brilliant. As we all know, for many designs perspective. A design view may show a basic with high-speed requirements, design bureaus view of a stack-up, and a manufacturer’s view send their requirements to their fabrication/ may display the multiple materials to make up a manufacturing partner, such as achieving 75 dielectric or core layer build up. BOM references ohms on a certain layer. The fabricator sends for the stack-up materials are also built into the a suggested layer stack-up for review and ap- IPC-2581 data. proval. This collaboration happens today with spreadsheets, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Adoption Word documents and a few phone calls. The The consortium launched with 11 founding suggested stack-up is entered into the PCB members and has grown steadily over the past layout tools manually (painfully). Any discon- two years with more than 60 members today. nect between the fabricator and the design Consortium members have built boards using bureau is not discovered until after the design IPC-2581 through several manufacturing com- is completed. Last-minute changes to a com- panies. pleted design can be very time-consuming and Figure 8 depicts the latest support status for painful. IPC-2581, which is updated on the consortium With IPC-2581 rev B, the design bureau and website on a regular basis.
30 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update continues
Figure 6: Fujitsu Network Communications PCB fabricated using IPC-2581 by Sierra Circuits using Frontline Genesis 10.2 software.
Figure 7: Fujitsu Network Communications PCB fabricated using IPC-2581 by Sanmina-SCI using Frontline Genesis 10.2 software.
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 31 feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update continues
Figure 8: IPC-2581 support status: IPC-2581A widely supported by the majority of the software suppliers. Software vendors are also gearing up to support IPC-2581 revision B.
32 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 feature
IPC-2581 Adoption Update continues
Join This Industry-Changing Process – Leverage the consortium members to You can be part of this exciting, industry- help your suppliers come up to speed changing process—you can learn, participate on IPC-2581 and contribute. You can be the IPC-2581 expert within your company! Visit www.ipc2581.com to join, and start your wonderful journey with the consortium • Sign up as a consortium associate members. PCBDESIGN member and learn more about improvements being made to the standard through consortium efforts • Get your company to join the Hemant Shah is IPC-2581 Con- consortium as a corporate member sortium chair and product man- – Leverage the expertise in the agement group director for Alle- consortium’s technical team to do a gro PCB products with Cadence deep dive in the technical aspects of Design Systems. the specification – Use your PCB design software now to Ed Acheson is the IPC-2581 generate and send IPC-2581 to your technical committee chair and suppliers. Let them know that this is principal product engineer for the future of your release package for Allegro PCB products with Ca- PCB manufacturing – an intelligent, dence Design Systems. open, neutral data format with everything in one file
Video Interview Teradyne Shares View of High-Growth Market Overseas
by Real Time with... NEPCON China
John J. Arena, marketing manager at Teradyne, dis- cusses trends he’s seeing in manufacturing overseas, such as automation. He also dis- cusses the slowing growth in Click China and the return of man- ufacturing to North America, realtimewith.com and Teradyne’s plans for the future. To View
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 33 feature
by Julian Coates In the newest version of ODB++, v8, content Valor Division, Mentor Graphics has been added based on input received from the thousands of people who use ODB++ and solutions-development partners worldwide, ei- ODB++ is a complete PCB manufacturing ther directly or through the technical support exchange data format that contains all of the channels of CAD/CAM tool vendors. Version 8 data required for defining a PCB product in contains significant incremental improvements manufacturing. “ODB” stands for Open Data over the current mainstream version (ODB++ Base, with the format openly available to any- v7), and is designed to enable a smooth transi- one who registers as a member of the ODB++ tion to higher levels of process integration and Solutions Alliance. automation across the design/fabrication/as- All of the fabrication requirements such as sembly/test PCB flow. the graphical definition of the layers or me- ODB++ v8 enables software tools such as chanical information, the underlying data DFM analysis and CAM systems to perform represented in drawings such as the drill draw- their tasks with the minimum dependency on ings, fabrication instructions, layer buildup keyboard/mouse input and the maximum level definition, and also the information required of automation based on the intelligence embed- for bare-board testing and automatic optical ded in the software-model of the PCB product. inspection are included in the ODB++ product model. For PCB assembly, all of the manufac- What’s Contained in an ODB++ turing information is included: the solder paste Product Model definitions, the component placements and Within any ODB++ product model are the rotations, the BOM, and the approved vendor PCB Steps. Originating from the term “step and list for alternative parts, as well as the ICT test- repeat,” the ODB++ Step is a container for all point locations. All the product model content the elements required for a PCB object. A Step is contained within a simple archive that can can be a single PCB object, an assembly panel be sent to those in the manufacturing supply object, or a fabrication panel object containing chain. a number of assembly panels.
34 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 CHECK OUT THE DRAGON DRONES INSTAGRAM FEED!
Living proof that flying dragons are real! Dragon Circuits is proud to be at the forefront in unmanned aviation. Interested in unmanned aerial or ground vehicles? Dragon Circuits is developing the newest technology to enhance vehicle run-time, performance and durability to put your company at the top of the industry. Proprietary electronics, built in the USA with ITAR, AS9100 and MIL-SPEC standards. Contact us for more information on a range of services from design, manufacturing, and even flight school!
LEARN MORE »
www.dragoncircuits.com | 972.790.7610 feature what’s new in ODB++? continues
It includes the PCB product matrix that de- All of the drill-pair layer information is in- fines all of the layers required for the PCB with cluded, and for each one of those drill-pairs lay- their signal layers, power and ground layers ers, we have a drill tool layer that includes all or mixed layers, and the solder mask and sol- of the drills needed for that drill pairing and in- der paste layers…all listed in the correct order. cludes the finished drill size as well as the type Component layers are added for the top and of hole, whether it is plated or non-plated, or bottom sides of the PCB, and all of the drill maybe a via. This means there is no need to pairing information is included. Specific layers supply Excellon drill files, drill drawing, or any for routing and v-scoring information as well as drill table to define the drilling information be- documentation layers are included. cause it is self-contained in the ODB++ product Because all of this information is included model. in ODB++, a build-up drawing is not needed to Often, a netlist needs to be sent to PCB fab- define the layer stack. All of the physical layers ricators so they can perform bare board tests. detail is included such as the legend layer used ODB++ contains netlist information. The netlist during the silk-screening process, the solder is generated directly from the PCB CAD system mask layers for both top and bottom sides of that contains all of the functional net names. the board, as well as all of the copper layers re- ODB++ contains a second netlist derived direct- quired together with their thicknesses/weights ly from the copper features and the drill inter- and foil/laminate variations. This means that connects, and this netlist can be used to drive Gerber files, a listing of the layers, or any other the bare-board test. readme files do not need to be sent to the PCB The component layers are included in the manufacturers, as traditionally would be done. PCB product matrix, and they carry all the
Figure 1: Manufacturing processes to consider in PCB layout design for fabrication are the drilling process, etching, and galvanic plating processes. For assembly operations, key processes to consider include solder paste printing, placement, reflow, and test.
36 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 feature
what’s new in ODB++? continues component placement information required build-up information directly into the fabrica- for pick-and-place during assembly. ODB++ also tor’s material selection and stack-up validation includes the reference designators, along with processes. x and y coordinates, rotations, and placement This version fully implements metric units, side. This removes the need for any separate meaning that all aspects of the PCB product assembly drawings, pick-and-place files, or as- model, not just the feature coordinates, can be sembly instructions as a way of con- expressed in metric units. ODB++ veying the product model into now has equal value to engi- process-preparation. neering processes that use ei- The ODB++ product mod- ther the metric or imperial el also contains the BOM Traditional stackup measurement systems. that includes reference des- “ In ODB++ v8, DFM analy- drawings can be ignators, the manufacturer sis can take into account the names, manufacturers’ part eliminated from the direction of drilling, which numbers, and the quantities. flow, thus avoiding allows more accurate DFM In the case of an approved- analysis of buried and blind vendor list, alternative manu- the steps of producing vias, back-drilled holes, and facturer names and part num- the drawing, reading holes drilled with multiple bers can be included if more diameters. than one manufacturer’s part the drawing, and typing A profile with holes can can be used. the data back into the be created, which gives a ODB++ is a working so- more efficient definition of lution that has been used CAM system at the the PCB profile, requiring for millions of PCB designs manufacturing level. fewer layers of data for the across global supply-chains, complete definition. and adoption is growing daily. Feature-Level Improvements New in ODB++ v8 Attributes are now fully indepen- The following is a summary of the new dent of any software application, and have been items in the latest version of ODB++, v8, as well” categorized according to their primary pur- as implementation recommendations. pose—whether to support DFM analysis, to de- fine the product-model, or to define the intend- Changes to PCB Structure Information ed manufacturing process (split by fabrication, The PCB structure allows explicit modeling assembly, test, generic). This categorization sup- of flexible and flex-rigid PCB structures. By in- ports a wider use of the attributes-intelligence cluding an exact definition for entities such as across the design/manufacturing flow, thus en- covercoats, coverlays, stiffeners, bend radius, abling higher engineering automation overall. etc., DFM analysis functions can be automated The new version has an expanded range of to new levels for flex and flex-rigid designs. Fol- standard symbols, developed particularly for lowing DFM, the manufacturing process can be the purpose of designing solder-stencil open- derived more automatically based on the em- ings. With the introduction of all standard sym- bedded intelligence. bols known to be needed by the solder-stencil Multilayer PCB build-up information is process, ODB++ v8 enables fully automated stored in the product model. Traditional stack- solder-stencil design based on manufacturing up drawings can be eliminated from the flow, process rules. Those who are using it no longer thus avoiding the steps of producing the draw- have to create and maintain their own libraries ing, reading the drawing, and typing the data of custom symbols. back into the CAM system at the manufactur- The net name length has been enlarged (un- ing level. This is designed to save time and re- limited length). In all circumstances, net-names duce errors. It allows delivery of the multilayer can be preserved across the design/manufac-
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 37 feature what’s new in ODB++? continues turing flow, thus enabling effective net-related preparation functions to be based on package engineering collaboration based on the ODB++ type, which allows more efficient processing of data, even with the most complex PCBs. the product model.
Assembly and Test Improvements Bridging the Design-Manufacturing Gap ODB++ v8 supports definition of structural ODB++ has been implemented in the soft- test probes. The test probe diameter attribute ware of all leading CAD/CAM-solution ven- provides information on the size of test probes. dors. The latest version of ODB++ enables the This enables the definition and DFT validation comprehensive flow of critical structured data of physical test-access early in the design stage, files between PCB layout design and PCB manu- thus avoiding the need to redefine at the as- facturing disciplines. For example, with Valor sembly stage. It provides the means for explicit NPI using ODB++ version 8, DFM analysis can transmission of test intentions from design to be run concurrently at milestones during the manufacturing. PCB layout design. This process is compatible An unlimited number of BOM description with PCB design tools such as Mentor Graphics’ attributes is now supported, which means there Xpedition and PADS, Cadence Allegro, Zuken is no loss of component description data across CR5000 and CR8000, and Altium. the flow. This reduces the need for multiple BOM access points in the flow just to recover ODB++ v8 Enables Lean NPI Flow data lost during the BOM-parsing process. In a Lean NPI flow, the final manufactur- The introduction of package attributes en- ing outputs are derived directly from the mas- ables DFM analysis and manufacturing process ter ODB++ data that was used all along the way
Figure 2: When a complete Lean product-new product introduction (NPI) is done, the ODB++ product model is much more than just an alternative to Gerber. It delivers a complete definition of what has to be manufactured, including all of the information traditionally carried in paper or PDF documents, integrated into the structured data ready for immediate and automatic use by the next software tools in the flow.
38 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 feature
what’s new in ODB++? continues through the Lean, integrated product- and pro- Anyone who would like to get involved with cess-NPI stages. Depending on the exact manu- the ODB++ Solutions Alliance is welcome to facturing machinery to be used, the data output join. Visit www.odb-sa.com. PCBDESIGN can be modified to suit. In the best-practice Lean NPI flow, the man- ufacturing-level product model in ODB++ for- Julian Coates is the director of mat includes a fully constructed and verified as- business development for sembly panel in one structured data file. From Mentor Graphics Valor division. this master product model file, combined with Since joining Mentor Graphics a defined manufacturing process definition, the Valor division in 1994, Coates manufacturing-process data can be automati- has fulfilled a number of roles in- cally generated for fabrication, assembly, and cluding managing director of Valor’s European test. This makes the NPI process much faster, subsidiary, followed by product management, while reducing the possibility for error and low- marketing and business development. ering the risk.
progress new treatments to the clinic at a much New X-ray Imaging Allows quicker rate, a key goal of co-authors Dr. Martin Donnelley and Dr. David Parsons of the CF Gene Monitoringby Real Time with... of Treatment Therapy group at the Women’s and Children’s NEPCON South China Hospital and the University of Adelaide’s Robin- Scientists have developed an X-ray imaging son Research Institute. system that enables researchers to see “live” “Because we will be able to see how effective- how effective treatments are for cystic fibrosis. ly treatments are working straight away, we’ll Published in the American Journal of Respi- be able to develop new treatments a lot more ratory and Critical Care Medicine, the imaging quickly, and help better treat people with cystic method allows researchers to monitor the effec- fibrosis,” Dr. Morgan said. tiveness of a treatment for the life-threatening Dr. Morgan said the new imaging method, genetic disorder. which was developed using a synchrotron X- Dr. Kaye Morgan, lead researcher on the ray source, may also open up possibilities in as- paper from Monash University, said the new sessing how effective treatments were for other X-ray imaging method allows researchers to look lung, heart and brain diseases. at soft tissue structures, for example the brain, airways and lungs, which are effec- tively invisible in conventional X-ray images. “At the moment we typically need to wait for a cystic fibrosis treatment to have an effect on lung health, measured by ei- ther a lung CT scan or breath measure- ment, to see how effective that treatment is,” Dr. Morgan said. “However the new imaging method allows us for the first time to non-invasively see how the treatment is working ‘live’ on the airway surface.” Dr. Morgan said this X-ray imaging meth- od would enable doctors and researchers to measure how effective treatments are, and
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 39 PCB007 News Highlights
Viasystems’ PCB Segment: Q2 Shows well. All of the data required for manufacturing, Improvement testing, and assembly are contained in one file. “Second quarter results in our PCB segment reflect improvement in most of our end markets, both se- WUS Invests in Schweizer; quentially and year-over-year,” noted CEO David Acquires 4.5% Stake M. Sindelar. ‟However, we are still facing incon- Following the exclusive, long-term strategic alli- sistent customer project demand for our electro- ance for the high frequency (HF) segment, WUS mechanical solutions product offerings, which is Printed Circuits Co., Ltd. and Schweizer Electronic included in our assembly segment.” AG agreed on a capital transaction with WUS ac- quiring 4.5% of Schweizer’s shares. Spirit Circuits to Acquire Teknoflex Equipment HEI Reports 39% Sales Drop in Q2 Sadly, trading conditions and tough competition HEI, Inc. has announced unaudited financial -re have resulted in the demise of one the UK’s lon- sults for the second quarter of 2014, which ended gest-established flexible PCB manufacturers. Al- June 28, 2014. Sales in the second quarter of 2014 though confidence in UK manufacturing is grow- were $7,940,000, compared to $13,018,000 in ing, this highlights the challenges being faced by the second quarter of 2013. The company gener- many businesses that rely on a single product offer- ated a net loss of ($429,000) in the second quarter ing and that do not diversify and embrace trading of 2014, compared to a net income of $678,000 with offshore suppliers. in the second quarter of 2013.
Exception PCB’s Neil Day Awarded Wurth Elektronik Combines Rigid-flex, CID Certificate Impedance Testing Design Manager Neil Day has completed the IPC When calculating the impedances in rigid-flex CID training course and attained CID certification. printed circuit boards, the rigid and the flexible Training was completed at the PIEK International area must be considered separately. The cause of Education Centre in The Netherlands under the tu- this is the differing signal behavior due to the sur- torage of Rob Walls and is a significant investment rounding materials. Würth Elektronik uses a spe- in the design service from Exception PCB Solutions. cial software that calculates everything one step.
IPC: N.A. PCB B2B Ratio Returns to MFLEX Completes Restructuring, Parity in June Expecting Growth in Q4 “The PCB book-to-bill ratio has been hovering “At the mid-point of our guidance range, we expect around 1.00 since February, which explains the flat to generate breakeven net income, excluding im- year-to-date sales growth we are seeing,” said Sha- pairment and restructuring. With our improved cost ron Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “This structure in place, we should see a continued re- month’s growth in orders is a positive sign, how- covery in our profitability as we leverage anticipated ever, and if it continues we can expect to see sales stronger sales volume,” said Reza Meshgin, CEO. improve later this year.” AT&S Posts Positive Q1 FY 2014/15 Results Wurth Elektronik Embraces Modern The AT&S Group generated revenue of Euro 141.3 Data Formats million in the first three months of the financial A new generation of PCB data formats enable a year, which was in line with the previous year’s better exchange of data between CAD and CAM. total (Q1 2013/14 Euro 142.5 million). Earnings The ODB++ and IPC-2581 formats include not only before interest EBITDA amounted to Euro 29.1 the graphical information for the individual board million, an increase of 3.6%. Consolidated net in- layers, but a lot of important extra information as come for the first quarter rose by 14.6%.
40 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
feature column
Design for Manufacturing IPC-2581B Eases Stackup Development
by Amit Bahl Sierra Circuits
PCB manufacturers often find that impor- Now consider what occurs (or should occur) tant details are unclear or missing from the long before any complex design is completed designs that customers submit, and such proj- and sent for fabrication. The initial design step ects can’t move forward until the designers are leading to a successful PCB layout for any com- reached for clarification. In many of those cas- plex, high-speed circuit is close consultation es, it is the way design data are organized and with your manufacturer to determine the op- conveyed that is ultimately to blame. timum stackup. The process is iterative, a back- Whatever the EDA platforms that were used and-forth collaboration to select the right mate- to create them, most PCB designs are output rials; determine line widths, spacings, and layer and sent to manufacturers as a collection of thicknesses to meet impedance values; and Gerber files that graphically define the layers, a minimize the number of layers and nail down drill file, a netlist, a board drawing including the the via set within budget. Here again, there’s stackup, and a readme text of notes and instruc- no common protocol for how that’s accom- tions. Turnkey orders for combined fabrication plished. The process involves telephone calls, and assembly also include a BOM file and coor- drawings, and emails until consensus. On one dinate data for pick-and-place operations. There hand, there’s stackup information the designer is no common data format among all the files: will use as the foundation for the layout. On They’re simply bundled together and forwarded the other hand, there’s a detailed stackup from to the manufacturer to download and interpret. a manufacturing perspective, which describes And that disparity among formats can lead to how each layer will be constructed, and if the omissions on the design side and miscommuni- design will involve sequential laminations, how cation with manufacturers. the layers will be grouped for fabrication.
42 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 A HIGHER DEGREE OF THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY, WHERE AND WHEN YOU NEED IT.
Thermal Ceramic Fully Non-Glass Halogen Conductivity Filled Formable Reinforced Free VT-44A 1.0W/m.K.
VT-4A1 1.6W/m.K.
VT-4A2 2.2W/m.K.
VT-4B1 1.0W/m.K.
VT-4B3 3.0W/m.K.
VT-4B5 4.2W/m.K.
VT-4B7 6.5W/m.K.
VIEW THERMAL MANAGEMENT PRODUCTS
Wherever technology takes you, we deliver.
Ventec Europe Ventec USA Ventec International Group www.ventec-europe.com www.ventec-usa.com www.venteclaminates.com design for manufacturing
IPC-2581B Eases Stackup Development continues
IPC-2581 Advances That’s a big win in the early part of design, when I am a strong advocate of the IPC-2581B designers spend a lot of time talking with their unified file format, because it will simplify the fabricator about the choice of materials to meet transfer of PCB designs from CAD tools to board the design requirements they specified,” Carter manufacturers, incorporate rich attributes that explained. “Today, it’s the passing of napkins, help thoroughly explain exactly what designers telephone calls, and maybe at the end of the intend manufacturers to build, and ease stackup day a JPEG or PDF file from the fabricator fol- development. The standard aggre- lowing the dialog. Then they [the gates all the elements of a de- designers] have to hand-enter sign, every aspect from the the particulars back into stackup to assembly opera- their CAD system.” tions, in a single common Material stackup Carter continued, format for transmission “ “With RevB, we’ve dem- is now supported in from the CAD platform to onstrated the capability to the manufacturer. RevB. That’s a big win move information from a In my November 2013 in the early part of CAD system into a SI tool column in The PCB De- that has some knowledge sign Magazine, I described design, when designers of materials and from what my company experi- spend a lot of time there, back over to a fab- enced as the manufacturer talking with their ricator, who can respond of a test vehicle, a 12-layer with suggestions. We can network line card designed fabricator about the then go back into the same by Fujitsu Network Com- choice of materials to tool and verify that the at- munications, which was tributes of the suggested sent to us as an IPC-2581A meet the design materials do in fact yield file (version A preceded requirements they the correct results, and the current version of the then [seamlessly] go back standard). We traced some specified. into the CAD system to fi- minor anomalies to evalu- nalize the stackup, and off ation software supplied by we go.” our CAM vendor, which I un- There is no paper involved, derstand have been corrected, but and the bidirectional exchanges be- we proved the integrity of the IPC-2581A de”- tween the designer and the manufacturer dur- sign file. Under the auspices of the IPC-2581 ing the stackup development take place via Consortium, which now numbers 60 member the CAD tool that will render the design. The companies (see www.ipc2581.com), there have ability to develop and communicate design in- since been major enhancements to the standard formation in a consistent format in the same and there is work underway to explore how it electronic medium from the very inception of a could integrate other elements to augment con- project at the stackup stage all the way through ventional PCB description and manufacture, to the CAM equipment used for production en- such as device firmware. sures that no detail will be misplaced or misin- The most significant new provision in the terpreted. This is indeed a big win. PCBDESIGN B version, from my vantage point as a manu- facturer, is the ability to develop a stackup in- teractively with a designer. Gary Carter, one of Amit Bahl directs sales and the consortium founders and senior manager marketing at Sierra Circuits, for CAD engineering at Fujitsu Network Com- a PCB manufacturer in munications, put this in perspective during a Sunnyvale, California. He can recent conversation. be reached by clicking here. “Material stackup is now supported in RevB.
44 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
column
bob and me A PCB Potpourri
by Bob Tarzwell with Dan Beaulieu
Every Process Can be Improved Mike just put his head back and roared. Dan Beaulieu: I brought Bob Tarzwell into Then he said, “Really, you think you can do Rockwell Collins’ Cedar Rapids office to help that, huh?” with the company’s technology. On Bob’s first “I don’t think I can do that, I guarantee it.” day there, after he’d told them about being hit Bob said. by lighting twice in one day, Plant Director I could sense that Mike was looking at Mike Driscoll asked Bob if he wanted to take a me, but if he was, all he could see was the top tour of the facility. of my head because I was holding it in my Without batting an eye, Bob said, “Listen, hands and shaking it. And Bob just kept on Mike, I’ll not only go on a tour with you, but I going in a way that I thought was closely re- can promise you that by the end of the tour, I lated to the old saying, “Give a man enough will give you a list of things that you can do im- rope…” mediately that will save you at least $250,000 a Mike said, “You know Bob, I’ve got to tell year.” you that now you have my full attention. You Now he really had everyone’s attention. say that you can do that right now, today?” These were the guys who were responsible for “Sure, but before I do, I need to ask you running the shop as cost-effectively as possible. something.” In fact, Bob was telling them that they were not “Okay,” Mike said tentatively, “Go ahead doing their job right and he could prove it. and ask me.”
46 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 Since 1979, Eagle Electronics Inc. has With Eagle, you can expect: provided our Customers with the highest • Rapid Response to Quote Requests quality Printed Circuit Boards at fair and • Fair and Competitive Pricing/Costs competitive prices. We are committed to • 100% Quality Performance exceeding our Customers' expectations and • 100% On-Time Delivery Performance requirements, acheiving total customer • Flexibility Scheduling satisfaction on each and every job. It’s just • Stock/Consigned Inventory Programs the way we do business! • Thorough follow-up after job completion • Total Satisfaction!
click here for a virtual tour of our facility!
www.eagle-elec.com bob and me
A PCB Potpourri continues
“Are you going to hire me to bring heavy found a ton of things that we could save money copper into this place?” on and I had them all implemented right away. Mike laughed again and said, “Of course I’m That guy was worth a lot of money to us. You going to hire you; why do you think we flew gave us a pretty good deal with that guy.” you all the way out here today, for the hell of it? Why do you think you’re here?” The Board That Can’t be Built Bob smiled and said, “All right then, I’m Bob Tarzwell: Every once and a while, you ready for that tour now.” wind up in a situation where you just want to And off they went, trailed by all of those yell, “What are you, stupid?” A few years ago, I engineers ready to see what this was consulting for a high-tech com- lunatic had to say about their pany. The lead engineer was a shop. I had seen the shop and know-it-all who personified number of times, so I decid- Every once and a while, “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” ed to pass on the tour. The He had eight engineers under last I saw of them, Bob was you wind up“ in a situation him, all armed with PhDs, all waving his arms and talking where you just want to following him around like a mile a minute while Mike yell, “What are you, he was, in fact, the emperor. kept laughing and his boys They nodded their heads no took copious notes. stupid?”A few years ago, matter what he said. They were together for I was consulting for The story starts with me four hours on that tour, and being called into a meeting. judging from the way they a high-tech company. These engineers wanted to got along that night at the The lead engineer was make a new PCB for the em- steakhouse, I would say that a know-it-all who peror, and they handed me it was time well spent. a fancy piece of paper that Six months later, I was personified “The showed the design all neatly sitting in Mike’s office. We Emperor’s New Clothes.” done in AutoCAD. It certain- were going over the project ly looked like a real PCB. and talking about how we He had eight engineers As the engineers were could best move forward under him, all armed discussing the new design, when I remembered Bob’s with PhDs, all following I checked it out for the first challenge to Mike. time. The board measured “Remember when Bob him around like he 230 by 230, with nine 25 came here that first day and was, in fact, the wide holes in 25 wide pads you were about to take him emperor. They nodded with 25 wide traces. Now, on a plant tour?” I asked. mind you, none of the so- “And he told you that he their heads no matter called professionals had any could save you a quarter mil- what he said. PCB design or manufacturing lion dollars while he walked experience. through the plant.” I interrupted by blurting “Yeah?” Mike replied. This out, “Excuse me, but what scale time a grin spread across his face. are you using? Is this 230 mils, inches, millime- “Well, how did that turn out? Did he in” ters, or furlongs?” The room fell eerily silent, fact save you all of that money? Did you save because the lowly consultant PCB expert had $250,000 by using his suggestions?” dared to question the emperor’s men. The look “No we didn’t get $250,000 in savings.” on their faces said it all. Who is he to question “Really? That didn’t work, huh?” the emperor’s people who have PhDs? “No I didn’t say that. I said that we didn’t The emperor’s head guard royally stated, get $250,000 in savings, because what we did “Microns.” He shot me a look that said to keep get was $500,000 in savings,” said Mike. “He quiet. Now, here’s where I got fired. He kept dis-
48 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 bob and me
A PCB Potpourri continues cussing how they planned to make this PCB, temperature limit is not the only qualifying at- and I actually laughed out loud. tribute I consider. I need laminates that press I blurted out, “Microns?” Yes, unfortunate- out with a minimum of micro holes, flows well, ly, my mouth was in gear. “Are you guys nuts? and holds the minimum voltage rating with You want to make a PCB that’s .009” by .009” time and temperature. I like laminates that limit with nine .001” holes centered in a .001” pad?” electroless wicking, and polyimide does not do I then held up a blank piece of paper and put a a great job here. I cringe when designers quote pen dot on the center of the page. glass transition temperature (Tg) as the reason “You mean one-tenth as big as this tiny little for using a specific laminate. I have not used dot? How do you plan on routing these out?” or worried about Tg for eight years, ever since I The reply was, “With our drill router.” I discovered the challenge we face each day with laughed again. PCB and copper thickness in the holes. ”That old Excellon 2000? The best you can When I look for really tough laminates for do is 3–4 mils of tolerance half the size of the downhole PCBs or very high-current, high-volt- board. Any idea how you’re going to drill a age PCBs, I use Isola 370 HR or Panasonic 1755. .001” hole in a .001” pad?” I don’t look at Tg; I use decomposition tempera- The reply was, “With the same drill.” ture (Td), the temperature at which the lami- “News flash! At 160,000 rpm, you are not nate starts to lose mass. After I addressed the going to drill a .001” hole, and, oh yeah, you main worry about Tg, which is the higher ex- can’t buy .001” drill bits anyway.” pansion of the Z-axis, I moved up to Td. When I At an earlier meeting, our emperor had design higher-voltage PCBs, from 1,000–15,000 waved his mighty staff and decreed from on volts, I laminate in a flex sheet core with its high that we were not allowed to use a laser. I higher voltage per mil rating. The only time continued unabated, “As you’re not allowed to I use polyimide is for burn-in boards where it use a laser, how are you going to drill the holes? is all about maximum temperature with time. And what about plating and drill tolerances? But, mind you, some of the new laminates the You need bigger drills and bigger pads.” guys have been coming up lately with are great I got the strange sense that my presence new tools, and I look forward to working with was not appreciated or wanted. Oh well. I did some of them to help with the extreme boards I not much like the little emperor or his court of work with. PCBDESIGN meek yes-men. Time to look for another job!
Why the Focus on Polyimide? Bob Tarzwell is a PCB consultant Bob Tarzwell: I consistently do battle in one who has spent 50 years in the arena: Polyimide laminates. It seems that any- PCB industry, inventing technol- time a designer wants a tougher board or higher ogy and building almost every temperature, he demands polyimide and the type of PCB. He is the co-owner laminate of choice. Yet I design and make very of DB Publishing, the publisher high-tech, high-voltage printed circuits all the of the PCB 101 and Quality 101 time and I never use polyimide. Why? Because handbooks. Visit www.dmrpcb.com. it absorbs moisture at twice the rate of FR-4, and moisture is an enemy of high-reliability circuits. Dan Beaulieu is a well-known With polyimide, it is also hard to get the pre- industry consultant and co- preg to flow just right when we make multilay- owner of DB Publishing. His er boards, and it leaves micro holes all through column It’s Only Common the final PCB. Micro holes are also the enemy of Sense appears Monday high reliability due to trapped moisture, lower- mornings in the I-Connect 007 ing the laminate’s voltage ability over time. Daily Newsletter. He can be Yes, polyimide can take a higher tempera- reached at [email protected]. ture than any other laminate, but the upper
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 49 article
HDI PWB Reliability
by Paul Reid When it comes to HDI reliability, what we must do is consider two parts: the copper inter- connects and the base material. What one can An HDI PWB may be defined as a PWB do is test the reliability with thermal cycling us- with a higher wiring density per unit area than ing Interconnect Stress Test (IST) coupons. The conventional PWB. They have smaller lines IST coupon tests the copper interconnection and spaces, smaller vias and capture pads and and checks for material damage. The coupon higher connection pad density than employed is fabricated on the production panel with the in conventional PWB technology. HDI boards PWBs and has all the attributes of the PWB. So utilize microvias, buried vias and sequential the coupon has the same construction, copper lamination with insulation materials and con- weights, hole sizes, grid sizes, and copper plat- ductor wiring for higher routing density. HDI is ing as is found in the corresponding board. The an alternative to high layer-count and standard test thermal cycles the IST coupon, typically for laminate or sequentially laminated boards. 500 cycles, or until the coupon fails with a 10% HDI boards are characterized by high-den- increase in resistance due to cracks that develop sity attributes including laser microvias, fine in copper interconnections as a result of ther- lines, smaller grid sizes and high performance mal cycling. thin materials. This increased density enables By measuring capacitance change between more functionality per unit area. Higher tech- ground planes we can determine if there is any nology HDI PWBs have multiple layers of cop- significant material damage in the coupon. One per-filled, stacked microvias, which create a must measure the capacitance in picofarads be- structure that enables even more complex in- tween adjacent ground planes before testing (to terconnections. These very complex structures establish a base line), after preconditioning (a provide the necessary routing solutions for to- simulation of assembly and rework) and at the day’s large pin-count chips utilized in mobile end of test. We then compare the measurement devices and other high technology products. after preconditioning and at the end of test to
50 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
article hdi pwb reliability continues
Figure 1: Barrel crack due to metal fatigue. Figure 2: Interconnect separation.
Figure 3: Corner or knee crack. Figure 4: Lifted copper cap on buried via.
those original readings. A -4% change or great- happens over hundreds of cycles (500+ cycles). er indicates significant material damage and a Surviving 500 cycles without any significant in- cross section is processed to confirm or refute crease in resistance is considered a robust cou- this finding. pon. The major problem is the implementation In a weak coupon, the failure before 350 cy- of lead-free soldering that requires assembly cles may relate to a process problem, with the temperatures of 260°C. The FR-4 material is at most common problem being thin copper plat- its limit to withstand the heat when exposed ing. With thin plating, the barrel cracks may still to 260°C. The Z-axis expansion is at its highest be the cause the failure but it would be failing at this temperature, putting extra strain on the in less than 350 cycles. The PTH may also fail copper interconnects. for corner cracks or interconnection separation. The most common type of failure of a ro- Weak buried vias fail typically for barrel bust interconnection is a barrel crack that oc- cracks in the center zone of the structure simi- curs in the central zone of the plated through lar to PTHs and, less often, for corner crack or hole (PTH). When tested using thermal cycling interconnect separation. One of the HDI struc- to 150°C, this is a wear-out type of failure that tures includes microvias stacked on buried vias.
52 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 article
hdi pwb reliability continues
Figure 5: Microvia separation. Figure 6: Microvia barrel crack.
Figure 7: Microvia pull out failure. Figure 8: Microvia corner crack.
In order to have a microvia stacked on top of include corner cracks (seen in copper-filled mi- the buried via what we have to have is a con- crovias) and pull out types of failures where the ductive cap on the top of the buried via, which target pad cracks around the base of the micro- can also fail. There may be a separation of the via. copper cap from the top of the buried via or a In HDI PWBs one must also consider con- crack in the cap of the buried via (Figure 7). struction. One may produce multiple microvias Microvias are typically the most robust type structures as either stacked or staggered. Micro- of interconnection. Because of their robust- vias that are stacked are about four times more ness they are tested at 190°C. When tested at vulnerable to failure than the same structure in 190°C, robust microvias will survive 500 cycles which the microvias are staggered. Well fabri- while weak microvias will fail before 500 cycles. cated one- and two-layer microvias do not usu- The most common cause of microvia failure is ally fail prematurely. Three- and four-stacked a separation between the base of the microvia microvias tend to fail before 500 cycles when and the target pad. The second most common tested at 190°C and are a fabrication challenge. cause of microvia failure is a barrel crack toward The material damage is monitored in an IST the base of the microvia. Other failure modes coupon by measuring changes in capacitance
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 53 article hdi pwb reliability continues
Figure 9: Staggered vs. stacked microvias. between ground layers in the coupon. First, bundles as a group and epoxy of the dielectric. measure the capacitance between two flooded This type of failure is found typically on a 1 mm ground planes in the coupons in the as-received (.040”) grid or greater. state and then again after the coupon has un- The most common type of material damage dergone preconditioning, and at the end of is the cohesive crack, which is a crack that goes test. If there is significant material damage then through the b-stage, c-stage and glass bundles. a -4% or greater drop in capacitance is seen. To The cohesive failure is a breakdown of the ep- confirm the drop in capacitance is indicative oxy system due to high temperatures of assem- of material damage, one or two of the coupons bly. This type of failure is found typically on a are subjected to a microsection to check for the 0.8 mm (.032”) grid. presence of material damage. Crazing is the separation between glass fi- The major types of material damage found bers and the epoxy system. It looks like silver are adhesive delamination, cohesive cracks, and sheen on the glass bundles due to an envelope crazing. Adhesive delamination is typically be- of air around the glass fiber. Crazing provides a tween two laminated surfaces like the b-stage, pathway for conductive anodic filament (CAF) c-stage and copper interfaces. On occasion, ad- formation. This type of failure is found typically hesive delamination is seen between the glass on a 0.5 mm (.020”) grid.
54 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 article
hdi pwb reliability continues
Figure 10: Adhesive delamination. Figure 11: Cohesive crack.
Figure 12: Crazing with a CAF failure.
In conclusion, the use of HDI PWB reli- ability in lead-free applications is a dual-edged Paul Reid’s career in PCB fab- sword. The copper interconnections are more rication and reliability testing prone to a breakdown and the material is spans 35 years. One of his spe- more prone to damage. That is not to say cialties is producing technical that robust PWBs cannot be made, but there animations of failure modes is a challenge in producing them. One must induced by thermal excursions, test the interconnect and the material in order giving him insight into the mechanisms of to confirm robustness in a given application. circuit board failure. Reid is now retired. To contact the author, click here. PCBDESIGN
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 55 Mil/Aero007 News Highlights
Mass Design Earns DLA MIL PRF 55110 munity. Their outstanding reputation in the elec- Certification tronics industry coupled with a smart, solutions- Mass Design Inc. has been awarded the Defense driven and vertically integrated business model is Logistics Agency (DLA) MIL PRF 55110 Certifica- a win-win strategy for all parties.” tion, establishing this U.S.-based company as a key manufacturer of rigid, flexible, and rigid/flex PCBs Dragon Circuits Achieves MIL-P-50884E for the U.S. Department of Defense. Recertification The recertification will allow Dragon to continue IPC Responds to DoD on Flex Hybrid the manufacture of PCBs with adhesive/adhesive- & Packaging Tech less base for critical military-based applications. In an effort to accelerate development and adop- tion of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies Multilayer Completes MIL-PRF-55110 for making new, globally competitive products Recertification with commercial and defense applications, the De- Multilayer Technology is pleased to announce the partment of Defense (DoD) issued a Request for completion of an additional successful recertifica- Information (RFI) on future advanced manufactur- tion. This current recertification is in addition to ing centers called Institutes for Manufacturing In- the recent Aerospace Supplier (AS9100C) re-cer- novation, or IMIs. tification.
FTG’s Aerospace Segments Show Former Astronaut Helps Murrietta Dramatic Q2 Improvements Celebrate Award “FTG’s momentum has continued through the first When Murrietta Circuits received their Five Star half of 2014 with strong results across the com- Supplier award from Raytheon in Massachusetts pany, particularly at our two new aerospace facili- last June, former astronaut and now vice president ties in Tianjin and Chatsworth where we continued of Mission Assurance, Quality, and Raytheon’s Six to see progress on qualification activities, strong Sigma for Integrated Defense Systems (IDS), Rob- orders, and increased shipments,” stated Brad ert Curbeam, handed them the award. Bourne, president and CEO. Canadian Circuits Nets Controlled IPC PERM Council Addresses Goods Certification Lead-free Concerns Praveen Arya, president and co-owner of Canadian The IPC Pb-free Electronics Risk Management Circuits, Inc. announced that his company has re- Council is currently meeting in Toronto, to discuss ceived its Canadian Controlled Goods Certification. lead-free conversion issues related to the safety, This, along with their ITAR Registration, makes the performance, and reliability of electronics in the company a viable PCB source for all military and aerospace, defense, medical, and other high-per- aerospace companies requiring these certifications. formance markets. The Council develops and coor- dinates risk management approaches for the tran- DARPA Details Next-Gen GPS Technologies sition to lead-free electronics. Several new programs are exploring innovative technologies and approaches that could even- ACI Names Circuit Solutions tually provide reliable, highly-accurate position- Mid-Atlantic Region Rep ing, navigation, and timing capabilities when Bryan Ricke, director of sales and business devel- GPS capabilities are degraded or unavailable. opment, stated, “We are excited to partner with Penny-sized inertial sensors, pulsed lasers, and Circuit Solutions LLC, led by the team of John tracked lightning strikes are among the novel Vaughan and Jesse Vaughan, to promote our broad approaches to provide location-based insights in and unique product offering geared to the RF com- GPS-denied areas.
56 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
i-Connect007 Panel discussion video The Great File Format Transfer Debate
Sponsored by Gardien Group
Altium’s Ben Jordan moder- ates a multi-perspective look into file format transfer options with panelists Karel Tavernier (Ucamco), Dave Wiens (Mentor Graphics) and Click Hemant Shah (Cadence). realtimewith.com To View
Scientists Develop Thinnest- similar structures, which was key to creating the composite two-dimensional semiconductor. Possibleby Real Time Semiconductor with... Collaborators from the electron microsco- NEPCON South China py center at the University of Warwick in Eng- Scientists have developed what they believe is land found that all the atoms in both materials the thinnest-possible semiconductor, a new class formed a single honeycomb lattice structure, of nanoscale materials made in sheets only three without any distortions or discontinuities. First, atoms thick. they inserted a powder mixture of the two mate- The University of Washington researchers rials into a chamber heated to 900 degrees Cel- have demonstrated that two of these single- sius (1,652 F). Hydrogen gas was then passed layer semiconductor materials can be connected through the chamber and the evaporated atoms in an atomically seamless fashion known as a from one of the materials were carried toward a heterojunction. This result could be the basis for cooler region of the tube and deposited as sin- next-generation flexible and gle-layer crystals in the shape transparent computing, better of triangles. light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, After a while, evaporated at- and solar technologies. oms from the second material The researchers discovered then attached to the edges of that two flat semiconductor the triangle to create a seam- materials can be connected less semiconducting hetero- edge-to-edge with crystalline junction. perfection. They worked with two single-layer, Researchers have already demonstrated that or monolayer, materials--molybdenum disel- the junction interacts with light much more enide and tungsten diselenide--that have very strongly than the rest of the monolayer.
58 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
Top Ten
News Highlights from PCBDesign007 this Month
Mentor’s Solid Q2 Results Polar Unveils CITS a Driven by Auto Sector c at PCB West
“The second quarter was strong for Mentor and The company will preview its next-generation we exceeded non-GAAP earnings guidance,” CITS880s Controlled Impedance Test System at said Gregory K. Hinckley, president. “A four per- PCB West 2014, September 10, in Santa Clara, cent revenue upside to guidance, along with California. The system introduces Launch Point Ex- continued attention to expense control, drove trapolation, enabling PCB fabricators to improve an over 50 percent beat in earnings per share. impedance control for the latest high-speed PCBs Automotive had an exceptional quarter, with re- which use finer trace widths and thinner copper cord quarterly bookings three times the level of compared to conventional boards. last year.” Packaging Machinery Supplier Sunstone Announces d Selects Zuken’s E3.series b PCB123 Version 5.1.0 The E3.series will be implemented as part of a strate- “PCB123’s addition of drag-and-drop for parts and gic initiative to establish an integrated mechatronic the change in uniformity between control panels product development solution comprising me- for layout and schematic views, will have a very chanical, controls design, and software engineer- big impact on the user’s ability to save time and ing. The solution will be implemented over several money while designing their PCB,” said CAD/EDA phases using Zuken’s certified project management Marketing Manager Nolan Johnson. methodology to ensure achievement of the project scope in a planned and controlled approach.
60 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 Intercept Strengthens Mentor Graphics Launches e Canadian Representation h 25th Annual PCB with Kaltron TLA Program
“Kaltron is delighted to offer Intercept’s PCB, Hy- The company has announced the call-for-entries brid IC, and RF software solutions to our customers of its 25th annual Technology Leadership Awards in Canada. They complement very well our exist- (TLA) competition, continuing its tradition of ing portfolio of design services, components, and recognizing excellence in PCB design. Started in modules,” said Tom Martin, president of Kaltron. 1988, this program is the longest running compe- tition of its kind in the EDA industry. dalTools: New Commands at f Three Venues in September Zuken, SiSoft: i Multi-gigabit Design The company, a Cadence Connections partner, & Analysis Solutions has announced two new commands recently add- ed to the existing list of 80+ Skill commands in By integrating SiSoft’s advanced signal integrity so- dalTools: dal Enhanced Back Drill and dxf2mcm. lutions for state-of-the-art, high-speed digital sys- dalTools will exhibit these tools at three upcoming tem design with Zuken’s 3D multi-board, system- September events in the U.S. level platform, the two companies will provide a combined design and verification flow. The com- panies will initially focus on integration between Intercept Expands in China Zuken’s CR-8000 tool suite and SiSoft’s Quantum g with EDATC Channel Designer and Quantum-SI tools.
Intercept Technology Inc. announces its newest ANSYS Posts Q2 Revenue authorized reseller, Shenzhen EDA Technologies j Increase Co., Ltd. (EDATC). With over 12 years of experi- ence selling and marketing EDA software, Shen- ANSYS has announced results for the second quar- zhen EDA Technologies joins the Intercept team ter of 2014. The company reported total GAAP in its continued efforts to bring more streamlined, revenue of $232.4 million for Q2 2014, up from global solutions to the Chinese market place. $214.9 million for the same period in 2013.
PCBDesign007.com for the latest circuit design news— anywhere, anytime.
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 61 calendar Events MEDIX Osaka For the IPC Calendar of Events, click here. September 24–26, 2014 Osaka, Japan
For the SMTA Calendar of Events, click here. SMTA International 2014 September 28–October 2, 2014 For a complete listing, check out Rosemont, Illinois, USA The PCB Design Magazine’s event calendar. Standards Development Meetings September 28–October 2, 2014 Rosemont, Illinois, USA IMTS 2014 September 8–13, 2014 CEA Innovate! Chicago, Illinois, USA September 30–October 2, 2014 Litchfield Park, Arizona, USA PCB Design Conference West September 9–11, 2014 World Energy Engineering Congress Santa Clara, California, USA (WEEC) October 1–3, 2014 Hybrid & Electric Vehicles Forum 2014 Washington, DC, USA September 17–18, 2014 Munich, Germany NEPCON Vietnam 2014 October 9–11, 2014 Medical Electronics Symposium 2014 Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam September 18–19, 2014 Portland, Oregon, USA Austin CTEA Expo & Tech Forum October 14, 2014 FUTURA Austin, Texas, USA September 18–21, 2014 Salzburg, Austria Long Island SMTA Expo and Technical Forum October 15, 2014 Islandia, New York, USA
Connecticut Expo & Tech Forum October 21, 2014 Waterbury, Connecticut, USA
Intermountain (Utah) Expo & Tech Forum October 23, 2014 Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Industrial Automation Conference 2014 October 23–24, 2014 London, UK
62 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014 PUBLISHER: Barry Matties TECHNICAL EDITOR: PETE STARKEY +44 (0) 1455 293333;
PUBLISHER: RAY RASMUSSEN MAGAZINE PRODUCTION CREW: (916) 337-4402; PRODUCTION MANAGER: Mike Radogna SALES MANAGER: BARB HOCKADAY (916) 608-0660; MAGAZINE LAYOUT: RON MEOGROSSI MARKETING SERVICES: TOBEY MARSICOVETERE (916) 266-9160; [email protected] AD DESIGN: SHELLY STEIN, Mike Radogna EDITORIAL: GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: RAY RASMUSSEN INnovative TECHNOLOGY: BRYSON MATTIES (916) 337-4402; COVER ART: SHELLY STEIN MANAGING EDITOR: Andy Shaughnessy (404) 806-0508;
The PCB Design Magazine® is published by BR Publishing, Inc., PO Box 50, Seaside, OR 97138 ©2014 BR Publishing, Inc. does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained within this publication, regardless of whether such errors or omissions are caused accidentally, from negligence or any other cause. September 2014, Volume 3, Number 9 • The PCB Design Magazine© is published monthly, by BR Publishing, Inc.
Advertiser Index Coming Soon to Candor Industries...... 25 The PCB Design DM Electronic Int’l...... 51 Magazine: Downstream Technologies...... 9 Dragon Circuits...... 35 Dymax...... 13 October: Eagle Electronics...... 47 Signal Integrity Electrolube...... 23 EMA Design Automation...... 45 November: H&T Global...... 11 Outsourcing IPC...... 3 Designs: When Isola...... 1, 5 Miraco Inc...... 29 Does it Make Multilayer Technology...... 57 Sense? Murrietta Circuits...... 17 December: Prototron Circuits...... 21 Rogers...... 27 HDI Sunstone Circuits...... 7 The PCB List...... 2, 59 US Circuit...... 41 Ventec...... 43
September 2014 • The PCB Design Magazine 63