January 20, 2020 — The  IPC APEX EXPO 2020 best technical conference papers in the domestic and international categories have been selected; the paper authors will receive their awards during the opening keynote session on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
          
Taking top honors in the domestic paper category, the winning paper is, “Reliable Nickel-Free Surface Finish Solution for High-Frequency-HDI PCB Applications” by Kunal Shah, Ph.D., LiloTree. Dr. Shah will present his paper at Technical Conference Session 15 (Surface Finishes 1) on Wednesday, February 5.

Honorable mention went to “Comparative Corrosion: Engineered Aqueous Cleaner vs. pH Neutral — Round 1” by David Lober, Kyzen Corporation. His co-author was Mike Bixenman, DBA, Kyzen Corporation. This paper will be presented at Technical Conference Session 25 on Thursday, February 6.

The winning paper in the international paper category is “High-Density PCB Technology Assessment for Space Applications” by Maarten Cauwe, Ph.D., IMEC-Cmst. Dr. Cauwe’s co-authors were Erwin Bosman, ACB NV; Alexia Coulon, Thales Alenia Space; Stan Heltzel, European Space Agency; Chinmay Nawghane, IMEC; Marnix Van De Slyeke, ACB NV; Bart Vandevelde, IMEC; and Joachim Verhegge, ACB. This paper will be presented at Technical Conference Session 7 (High I/O Designs) on Tuesday, February 4.

Honorable mention went to “Optimization of PCB SI Coupon Design that Minimizes Discontinuity through Via-In-Pad Plated Over (VIPPO) Technique” by Juhee Lee, ISU Petasys. His co-authors were Kyeongsoo Kim, Kyungsoo Lee, and Namdong Lee, ISU Petasys. This paper will be presented at Technical Conference Session 27 (PCB Fabrication and Materials) on Thursday, February 6.  

The papers were evaluated by the IPC APEX EXPO Technical Program Committee and judged on their technical content, originality, test procedures and data used to deduce conclusions, quality of illustrations and the clarity and professionalism of writing as well as value to the industry.

To register for the IPC APEX EXPO technical conference or for more information on all the activities taking place including standards development committee meetings, professional development courses, the exhibition and more, visit  www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.