COVER STORY Practical Design of Differential Vias A scalable, topology-based equivalent circuit model can accurately match via behavior to a bandwidth well above the application bandwidth, typically above 10 GHz. A look at a very simple way of modeling a differential via and translating its geometry into an equivalent circuit model. by Eric Bogatin, Bert Simonovich and Yazi Cao
DfF Are Your PCB Data Unprepared? It is great to have a fabricator that can provide its “secret sauce” to make the design work, but be ready to get locked into that supplier, because another fabricator’s recipe will be different. As a designer, is that a risk you want to take? by Jeff Champa
MONEY MATTERS
Global Sourcing China’s labor shortage. Tom Coghlan
The aging (graying, some say) of the printed circuit board design field continues, or so says our annual survey of the industry. What 400 designers have to say about their chances for survival in the era of automation and outsourcing. By Chelsey Drysdale
SEA/NPI Awards
A pictorial look at some of the 2010 winners of the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Service Excellence Awards (SEA) for best-in-class customer service and the PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY New Product Introduction (NPI) Awards for the best new product during the past 12 months.
Process Improvement The DfM Continuum Design and manufacturing often are thought of as separate processes, with some interdependencies. But absent a feedback loop, development will be marred by unnecessary defects and re-spins. by John Isaac and Bruce Isbell
Signal Integrity Open 'Eyes' in the Frequency Domain Although final performance is measured in the time domain, a detour may be the faster route to a signal integrity solution. by Dr. Eric Bogatin
Materials Engineering Heat Transfer in LED Assembly LEDs may seem cool to the touch, but they all produce heat. So while they offer significant benefits over filament and fluorescent lighting, dissipating heat within an LED assembly involves the selection and use of thermally conductive and (usually) electrically insulating materials. by Chuck Neve
FIRST PERSON
Caveat Lector Toyota's painful lesson. Mike Buetow
Impedance Control Accurate Impedance Control, Part II Choosing the right method for determining impedance control of multi-GHz or multi-Gb boards. by Istvan Nagy
Signal Integrity Designing PCBs with High-Speed Constraints SI rules must take into account signal quality, timing and crosstalk. by Patrick Carrier
Cover Story Could Printed Electronics Replace Traditional Electronics? Over the next 10 years, printed electronics will make gains in RFID, displays, packaging, ICs, and alternative energy. But a glorious future isn't set in stone. by Randall Sherman
CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Top 50 The Trials of 2009 When it comes time to write the story of the EMS industry in 2009, foremost will be the effects of the recession. The subtext, however, will be the dramatic fall of Elcoteq, whose final chapter is still being written. Plus: The 50 largest EMS companies. by Mike Buetow
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