Materials/Packages

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As promised, we are off to the races, untangling the convoluted subject of PCB surface finishes.  This is a complicated subject, so bear with me as I try to break it down into bite-sized, manageable portions! This week I will discuss each available surface finish and the pros and cons of each one.

Multilayer printed-circuit boards (PCBs) have gained in popularity as designers seek to shrink their circuits. They offer the opportunity to stack a wide range of functions on one multilayer design, even combine analog, digital, and microwave circuits on a single circuit assembly. Designers have learned how to stack laminates with different relative dielectric constants, such as PTFE-based laminates and FR-4, in compact multilayer circuits, but creating such circuits requires careful planning and a good understanding of the role that bonding films and prepregs play in multilayer circuits.

SemiGen Inc. , an RF/microwave assembly and automated PCB manufacturing house, has announced the opening of its new RF Supply Center and will begin accepting orders for epoxies, bonding tools, gold wire and other supplies used in the manufacture and test of microwave modules and components on January 3rd,...

Remtec , a leader in ceramic packages based on Plated Copper on Thick Film (PCTF) technology, has developed an efficient, cost effective chip scale packaging approach for flip chip power devices. It allows for simple, effective packaging of various Si, SiC and GaN FET transistors -- MOSFETs and eGAN...

Chalmers University of Technology will receive the lion's share of a SEK 40 million Swedish research grant for the investigation of the "supermaterial" graphene. Following the new financing from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, a group of some 30 Swedish graphene researchers will be formed, in close collaboration...

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a prototype wireless sensor capable of detecting trace amounts of a key ingredient found in many explosives. The device, which employs carbon nanotubes and is printed on paper or paper-like material using standard inkjet technology, could be deployed in large...

Rogers Corp. , a supplier of high performance printed circuit boards for use in high frequency applications and harsh environments, including defense, aerospace, telecommunications and automotive, will showcase some of its materials at Productronica 2011 from November 15 to 18 in the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in Munich,...