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FEATURES

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
A Startup for Startups
MassChallenge may have a “wacky model,” but that’s not stopping the not-for-profit accelerator program from helping innovators get to market.
by Mike Buetow

PCB DESIGN
Super Small Via-in-Pad
Via-in-pad as an issue won’t go away. But the answer to how to treat them remains the same.
by Duane Benson

EMS COMPANY OF THE YEAR
New Vision at Lightspeed
Small tier EMS companies are perpetually undercapitalized and short of resources. But every so often, one emerges that has the vision and the capability to rival their larger competitors.
by Mike Buetow

RETROSPECTIVE
In Memoriam
A look back at friends and colleagues who left us in 2013.

FIRST PERSON

• CAVEAT LECTOR
  The Year of the Startup.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  Bad models.
  Peter Bigelow
  

• FOCUS ON BUSINESS
  Reliability trends.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• DESIGNER’S NOTEBOOK
  Go with a pro.
  W. Scott Fillebrown
  
  

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FEATURES

BOARD DESIGN
Solving ECAD/MCAD Co-Design
New generation ECAD systems address multi-board and native 3D design capabilities, along with direct translation to leading mechanical computer-aided design systems, enabling complete packaging and electronics assembly information to be transmitted between different disciplines in a fraction of the time required in the past.
by Humair Mandavia

PCB WARPAGE
How and Why to Use the IPC-9641 Standard
IPC-9641, High Temperature Printed Board Flatness Guideline, is the first standard to address local area PCB warpage across reflow profile temperatures. The standard is both educational about the general topic of PCB warpage measurement and specific in its guidelines for how such measurement should be done. A summary of the contents of IPC-9641, plus notes about how to implement it.
by Ken Chiavone

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  A matter of perspective.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  Living without.
  Peter Bigelow

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  Apple’s Newton: Passé or predictive?
  E. Jan Vardaman
  

• Designer’s Notebook
  CAD empathy.
  John Park
  

• Flexperts
  Stretching fingers.
  Mark Finstad
  
  

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FEATURES

SNAPEDA
Making Simulation a ‘Snap’
A new vendor-agnostic platform captures what designers know about components and how they perform electrically in real-world applications, and redistributes that knowledge on a wide scale.
by Mike Buetow

PCB FABRICATION
Real-Time Etching Using Ozone
Etching traditionally uses hydrogen peroxide, an
unstable oxidizing agent with a large process window. A new alternative closed-loop process uses ozone instead, with repeatable results.
by Marcus Lang

COMPONENTS
A Custom BGA for Particle Physics Experiments
Deep inside the CERN collider, detectors capture faint electrical signals the particles produce during their transit. How a novel high-yield and higher functioning BGA package was designed to replace a more expensive COB part in the sensors.
by Benjamin Buck

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  Unintended consequences.
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• ROI
  On the benefits of planning.
  Peter Bigelow
  
  

• Focus on Business
  Similar in Singapore.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• Designer’s Notebook
  Dual row QFNs.
  W. Scott Fillebrown
  
  

• In Flex
  Flex thermal management.
  Dale Wesselmann
  
  

• Final Finishes
  Specs for QFNs.
  Lenora Toscano