As featured in the December 2024 'Fabs and Labs' of Microwave Journal, Microsembly, based in Merrimack, N.H., brings together prototyping, manufacturing, and testing capabilities in a 20,000-square-foot facility equipped with ISO 14644-1-compliant (AS-9100 pending) facility with Class 7 and Class 8 cleanrooms. The company is positioned to serve two main types of customers: smaller and medium-sized RF/microwave designers/suppliers looking to fulfill specific, high-performance requirements, and larger manufacturers who need to maintain tight delivery schedules without compromising quality. In both cases, Microsembly provides scalable, flexible support that allows clients to manage fluctuating demands without extensive capital investments.

Prototyping with a Focus on Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

For both customer groups, the prototyping stage at Microsembly emphasizes Design for Manufacturability (DFM), integrating practical manufacturing insights into the design process. Smaller companies will benefit from a partner who can refine designs to avoid costly adjustments during production, while larger manufacturers leverage DFM insights to validate product iterations before scaling. The cleanroom environments support contamination-sensitive processes like die-attach, critical for high-frequency RF and optical components, helping clients achieve high reliability in even the most demanding applications.

Advanced Manufacturing Processes

Once a design is validated, Microsembly’s manufacturing capabilities offer a range of specialized techniques suited to high-performance RF/microwave applications. Microsembly’s manufacturing processes include eutectic, and epoxy die attach, wire and ribbon bonding, and the direct attachment of beam lead diodes for minimized parasitics in high-frequency circuits.

Additional manufacturing capabilities include:

• Custom Coil Fabrication and Feedthrough Soldering – Essential for clients requiring specific RF and magnetic properties, allowing tailored solutions for unique design needs.
• Encapsulation and Wafer Processing – Adding protection and durability to components, readying them for rigorous environments.

With these advanced processes, Microsembly supports complex builds and component integrations, adding significant manufacturing capacity without the need for clients to expand in-house facilities.

High-Frequency Testing and Quality Control up to 110 GHz

Microsembly’s testing capabilities reach up to 110 GHz, enabling precise validation of RF/microwave and millimeterwave chips, components and assemblies across the full range of critical electrical and mechanical performance metrics. For smaller design suppliers, these capabilities eliminate the need for costly in-house high frequency testing equipment, while larger manufacturers benefit from an immediate capability to augment their quality control (QC) and inspection needs. The testing suite covers RF and EMI/EMC performance, mechanical stress, and environmental conditions, ensuring reliability from basic active and passive components to complex, fully integrated microwave assemblies (IMAs) like upconverters and transceivers.

Quality control is built into each phase of production, with rigorous in-process inspections and certifications including ISO-9001, ITAR Registration, ANSI/ESD S20.20, and IPC-A-610, along with J-STD-001 (Space Addendum). These practices reinforce a commitment to precision, so that products meet the most stringent requirements before reaching the field.

Through its prototyping, manufacturing, and testing services, Microsembly provides a flexible, cost-effective, on-demand partner relationship. Stocking plans are also available to respond to just-in-time delivery requirements.

Smaller RF/microwave suppliers are relying on Microsembly for full contract roles, allowing them to scale in performance, quality, and throughput, while larger manufacturers are employing them as an extension to fill specific design, production, and testing gaps. For customers of any size, Microsembly handles complete manufacturing and supply chain demands with unique expertise and service capabilities.

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