Weiner International Associates is now offering a suite of private seminars, tutorials, and workshops on the most recent developments in the materials and process elements of the electronic interconnect, packaging, and display industries. These are designed to help you assess your capabilities to choose a successful strategy and path forward for your company.

The most recent additions include a complete suite of tutorials on bare board and HDI fabrication processes. Designed by Dr. Karl Dietz, Executive Associate, these contain hundreds of descriptive illustrations that accompany the presentations.

Other topics include printed electronics, nanotechnology, embedded passives and other components, and microelectronic processes and materials.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information.

Prelamination Surface Preparation

This tutorial introduces the different types of copper surfaces encountered in printed circuit board fabrication. Important chemical and topographical characteristics of surfaces are presented. These parameters are then correlated with dry film resist performance, notably resist adhesion through development, etching, and plating, as well as stripping characteristics. Measurement techniques for chemical composition and surface roughness are then described and specifications for acceptable surfaces are derived. A discussion of a variety of surface preparation methods follows, and the most common surface preparation processes for various copper surfaces are covered.

Dry Film Resist Lamination and Resist Tenting

This tutorial describes the process of hot roll lamination. Important process parameters that affect resist conformation and adhesion are covered. Suggestions for process controls are offered. Typical lamination defects, such as lamination wrinkles, are introduced and their potential causes are described. A variation of this process, the so called wet lamination process is introduced, and the results of this process are compared with standard hot roll lamination. Special considerations, as they pertain to the so called tenting process, are discussed. Vacuum lamination is briefly covered as an alternative to hot roll lamination. To complete the technology of resist deposition, a short overview of liquid soldermask and etch resist applications such as roller coating, spray coating, blank screen printing, and electrophoretic deposition are reviewed.

Exposure

This tutorial covers the generation, storage, and proper use of phototools and the conventional contact printing process and its control. This section includes the basics of photolithography as well as a review of the various resist compositional elements and their respective functions. Alternatives to contact printing are then covered. This includes LDI (laser direct imaging) of photoresist, laser ablation processes, inkjetting of resist, and processes that are capable of generating recessed conductor lines (lines embedded in the dielectric). The tutorial also includes a description of defects related to problems in the exposure process and measures to prevent them.

Exposure - LDI (laser direct imaging) & other alternatives to contact printing

This tutorial captures a variety of non-conventional circuitizing technologies, some of which have matured into mass production, some being developmental, some abandoned or dormant. Many of the processes involve the use of lasers, but other techniques are also covered. The laser technologies cover LDI photolithography as well as a variety of ablation processes.

Photoresist Aqueous Development

This tutorial covers all aspects of aqueous development, including development chemistry, chemistry replenishment methods and controls, process parameters and controls such as pH, resist loading, active carbonate and total carbonate concentrations, break point (wash-off) point, and the use of antifoam. Equipment and process parameters such as spray nozzles, conveyor systems, rinsing, and rinse water quality are discussed.

Etching

This tutorial covers copper etching, including different etchant chemistries (e.g. acid cupric chloride, alkaline etchant, ferric chloride, and hydrogen peroxide), as well as etchant concentration controls and replenishment. Parameters affecting the undesirable etch undercut (etch factor) are introduced, including etchant composition, etch channel geometry, resist and copper thicknesses. The limitations of fine line etching, i.e. subtractive processing, are reviewed, in particular as it relates to the copper thickness to be etched in different subtractive processes. Etch non-uniformity and its causes and remedies are discussed, e.g. etch non-uniformity due to the “puddling effect”, etch non-uniformity due to obstructions to a uniform spray pattern, and etch non-uniformity due to circuit patterns.

 Plating

This tutorial covers the various plating processes encountered in printed circuit board fabrication, including acid copper electro-plating, electroless copper, tin and tin/lead plating, nickel and gold plating. In addition, so called direct metallization processes are covered. Acid copper electro-plating is covered in detail, explaining the effects of e.g. acid concentration, current density, organic additives and their controls, and agitation. Plating defects are described such as hole voids, plating pits, and plating nodules. Causes of such defects are analyzed and preventive corrective measures are explained. Problems such as under-plating, over-plating, and poor plating uniformity are discussed and improvement measures are offered.

Stripping, Environmental, and Health Aspects of Dry Film Resist Processing.

This tutorial covers all aspects of the dry film resist stripping process, including the stripping chemistries, the control of the strip chemistry composition and other process parameters and controls such as conveyor speed, resist wash-off point, and temperature. The effect of the resist chemistry on strip speed, stripper resist skin size, and trace metal content in the spent stripper are discussed. Equipment parameters such as filtration systems are described. This tutorial, depending on audience interest, can include aspects of safe use of the dry film photoresist, potential health effects, environmental considerations such as waste treatment, bio-degradability, and ultimate disposal of aqueous and solid waste.

HDI, Fine Line Processing and Related Topics

This tutorial covers HDI (high definition imaging) with emphasis on microvia processes, materials and equipment. HDI circuit boards are often synonymous with circuit boards for cell phones, yet microvia technology is also practiced in other applications, notably in high end flip-chip substrates. As cell phone boards become more complex with smart phone applications, the more advanced HDI technologies practiced in substrate fabrication will find acceptance in conventional HDI boards and will therefore be covered in this tutorial. In addition, proprietary processes that allow the formation of stacked microvias, core-less structures and “parallel processing” are introduced.

 The above tutorials are available singly or in any desired combination.

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Printed Electronics Technology (PET)

Recent advances in the field of printable functional inks have enabled the formation of printed integrated circuits, analogous to the first devices that Texas Instruments developed in 1958.  Printed Electronics Technology (PET) encompasses a suite of applied sciences and technologies that are positioned to not only replicate the growth of the silicon based semiconductor industry, but in numerous ways expand upon it. The low cost and flexible nature of PET devices opens new market opportunities for using these uniquely fabricated devices.

The PET value chain spans: 1) materials, 2) processing equipment platforms, 3) printing services, 4) system testing, and 5) design and applications.  As opportunities exist along the value chain for companies to extract value, established companies as well as start-ups are positioning themselves to be players in this growing field.  Novel systems solutions to printing, electronic design and integrated products provide a wealth of opportunities for new products and new markets.

PET devices have been demonstrated for 1) Printed Transistors, Logic Devices and Printed Integrated Circuits, 2) Printed Displays, 3) Printed Energy and 4) Printed Sensors.  While these devices make use of similar printing technologies, the functional ink systems used in the printing processes are fundamentally different, and provide a unique basis for each technology space. 

Printing technologies are ideally suited for producing large volumes of material at relatively low cost.   While reel-to-reel or sheet-fed processes cannot presently match the sub-micron resolutions typically realized in conventional wafer fabs today, significant business opportunities exist for PET-based devices that don’t require that level of technical sophistication.  The successful strategy is to complement the silicon semiconductor industry, not compete with it.

Weiner International Associates is pleased to offer private company seminars in the Printed Electronics Technology space.   We can provide seminars across the complete spectrum of the PET value chain:

• Materials systems for printing transistor and integrated circuit structures, printed displays and printed energy.
• Printing processes including ink-jet, screen printing, flexography and gravure.
• Printed display including electrophoretic and electroluminescent processes.
• Printed energy technology including batteries and electrochemical capacitors
• Printed sensors including printed Chem-FETs
• Designs and applications
• Technology and company benchmarking
• Market opportunities

With the ability to print logic devices, energy sources, displays and sensors, the Printed Electronics Technology space is poised to produce a new industry.

Nanotechnology

Addressing size scales less than 1 micron, Nanotechnology is the field of applied science and technology whose focus is the control and manipulation of matter and fabrication of devices below that boundary region. With the passage of the US National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) in FY2001 the nanotechnology field saw unprecedented growth in US federal funding.  This spurred significant university research and launched numerous start-ups.  Additionally, investments by established industrial companies increased significantly. 

With the NNI providing funding for a broad range of technologies including biology, chemistry, solid state physics and materials sciences, an explosion in nanotechnology research occurred. Separating the research that could be translated into marketable product from the immense hype overwhelming the technical space became challenging.  The broad based nature of Nanotechnology required that the field be bounded by technical or market drivers so that value chains and market opportunities could be properly assessed and established.  

Weiner International Associates is also pleased to offer private company seminars in the Nanotechnology space that address value chains of interest to companies that address the electronics market. Typically addressing the impact of nanotechnology on the surface, structure and assembly of  materials and devices, these seminars will be of value to the electronics fabricator, assembler or  designer    We can provide seminars across the Nanotechnology value chain including:

• Nanotechnology materials and systems for electronic and photonic devices
• Free Standing Quantum Dots: theory and device applications
• Nano-particle doped polymers:  impact on mechanical properties
• Mechanical adhesion and assembly
• Surface finishes and surface color
• Environmental concerns with nanotechnology materials
• Business models and market opportunities

Products incorporating nanotechnology based solutions are already being commercialized.  Opportunities exist to use nanotechnology to improve your products and produce them more cost effectively.