EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2020 – Nexlogic

The year 2019 will be memorable in the PCB business.  We saw clear signs that traditional large rigid PCB design, assembly, and manufacturing technologies certainly maintained their status quo.  But a new breed of OEM customer kept pushing the envelope in 2019.  Those PCB projects are best characterized as considerably smaller PCBs with a majority involving matchbook size rigid and rigid-flex circuits, bare die, and wire bonding.

As we move into 2020, this new breed of OEM PCB customer requires such technologies as flip chip, chip on board (CoB), and wire bonding, meaning wire bonding connecting bare die onto a substrate or small rigid or rigid-flex circuit.  In effect, our industry is moving from traditional SMT PCB manufacturing to PCB hybrid manufacturing, which combines both traditional SMT manufacturing and microelectronics manufacturing.

Based on recent industrial, medical, mil/aero, and computer OEM customer requirements, the trend today is for a combination of traditional SMT manufacturing and the growing popularity of microelectronics/wire bonding manufacturing used to perform bare die attach/wire bonding on the PCB.  This new PCB manufacturing discipline is gaining traction because OEMs continue to require smaller PCBs and packaging.  Bare die attach and wire bonding are required in smaller PCBs where real estate is at a premium.  However, in a number of cases, SMT manufacturing of that PCB is first performed followed by microelectronics/wire bonding manufacturing.

There are three aspects for successfully merging traditional SMT manufacturing and microelectronics/wire bonding manufacturing.  Those are process intricacies, thermal profile considerations, and saving the microelectronics working area from the SMT area.  The latter means that PCB areas where microelectronic components are to be placed must be preserved and completely clean of flux residues, solder splashes, or fingerprints.

Process intricacies refers to assuring that any aspect of SMT manufacturing doesn’t adversely affect microelectronics manufacturing.  Thermal profile considerations take into account differences between SMT packages and microelectronics components and the differences there may be with different epoxies with different chemical compositions, for instance.  This would also include different thermal profile requirements for SMT versus microelectronics packages.

PCB microelectronics plays a big role in the continuing-to-grow IoT device, wearable, and portable product market segments.  In particular, PCB microelectronics is finding newer medical electronics applications with ingestible and implantable devices.   Some headway has been made in these emerging medical electronics markets.  But the jury is still out in determining the right technologies to apply since these products are going inside the human body.

Savvy EMS Providers Ahead of the Game

But savvy EMS providers have already started laying out their game plans.  For example, there is a number of carefully orchestrated details that must be considered and implemented for implantable medical device assembly and manufacturing.  For instance, epoxies must be dispensed using highly precise techniques.  When certain compounds have to be mixed together, they must be mixed in exact proportion, all the while keeping pot life in mind, meaning after mixing the epoxy, it has to be used within a certain time period. Or else, either it will dry up or lose its potency.

Further, those compounds need to be in a temperature-controlled environment before, during, and after they are mixed. When curing a conductive epoxy or coating, specific instructions should be given in minutest details, for example, curing a specific compound mixture with a curing temperature range and specific time.

Even to store the device before or after for an encapsulation epoxy, details like optimal storage temperature, ambient or temperature controlled, need to be reviewed and implemented, keeping in mind the epoxy’s technical specification data sheet.

When MEMS are used, especially sensors, it’s vital that the sensing membrane is protected for the MEMS since this is the pressure sensor die.  If it’s not assembled properly, a malfunction can result.  That’s because it is so sensitive that the slightest of vibrations or even when applying wire bonding can adversely affect the membrane and in worst cases, they can damage the sensing membrane. Sometimes, a glass layer can be placed in the middle of a MEMS device to assure that the pressure sensor is properly protected.

It’s also important for the implantable medical device OEM to know that product undergoes assembly and manufacturing in an ISO Class 100,000 or 10,000 clean room.  Moreover, questions have to be raised about ESD control requirements in the clean room and SMT floor.

There can be devastating effects if cleanroom and SMT floor personnel aren’t properly grounded, humidity isn’t controlled, and ESD is not properly maintained. MEMS devices, sensors, and other key devices can be affected so that they don’t work in an optimal fashion.

In summary, 2020 has in store considerably newer opportunities driven by PCB hybrid manufacturing and especially PCB microelectronics targeting newer, yet smaller devices, such as ingestible and implantable medical devices.

Tags: Predictions

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