Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Current Issue

Material Gains

Alun Morgan Why PCB substrates are well-suited to lab-on-a-chip applications.

The semiconductor industry has pursued Moore’s Law for more than 50 years. Some now say it is dead: Progress has certainly become increasingly difficult in recent generations. On the other hand, chip design is only at the beginning of some very exciting avenues, two of which could revolutionize digital healthcare.

We know the world must deal with aging populations. Diabetes rates are increasing, particularly in North America, Europe and parts of Asia. As our transport networks shrink the globe, travelers can pick up viruses or diseases almost anywhere and present to their local practitioner, who likely has little or no experience of the exotic strain they are carrying. Our doctors are only human; we cannot expect them to know all the symptoms of all the ailments in the world and diagnose the right treatment in time, every time.

Read more: Medical Micro-Technologies Could Mean Better Healthcare for All

Alun Morgan The nature of ADAS could revive CAF fears.

In a previous column, I enthused about the prospects for 5G to transform lives for the better, supporting new services that take advantage of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) and capacity for massive machine-type communications, or mMTC. One place the impact of 5G will be felt is on the road, where machines will assume the entire decision-making from humans.

Leveraging 5G’s guaranteed latency below 1ms for effective real-time performance, the prospects for mission-critical V2X vehicle-to-everything communication can become real. Vehicle-to-infrastructure interactions with smart signs should result in smoother, safer journeys, and vehicle-to-vehicle connections that share information about presence and position should avert huge numbers of “sorry, I didn’t see you” accidents. Of course, it will take time for smart infrastructure to evolve and for V2X-equipped cars to enter the market. But it’s quite clear, even now, that cars are destined no longer to be islands. Ultimately, it’s a matter of when, not if, our road journeys come to be handled by fully self-driving vehicles.

Read more: Will Self-Driving Vehicles Sharpen Our Focus on Reliability?

Alun Morgan And a plan for resolving the disconnect.

In any industry, standards provide a vital catalyst for market development by supporting a variety of assurances that are needed by product suppliers and buyers. Over time, however, the pace of technical development can outstrip standards-making processes, and a change of approach is needed.

Specifications for flammability or electrical safety such as those maintained by UL are unequivocal. Those that influence general performance, on the other hand, provide limits for parameters like dielectric constant (Dk) and dissipation factor (Df). These limits are now often simply too wide for designers to predict PCB behavior based on conformance to industry standards alone.

Today, we find that end-user demands across markets from consumer mobile and automotive to industrial automation and wireless infrastructure are pushing signal frequencies higher and higher in search of ever-faster data rates and lower latency. So, even some of the most humdrum devices we use every day must be designed within exacting parameters to meet demands for functionality, performance form factor and cost. When an accurate assessment is needed, such as knowing exactly how much signal attenuation to expect, simply knowing the substrate material conforms to a category of materials based on a broad definition of its chemistry will not provide the answers.

Read more: Industry Standards are Often Too Wide to Predict PCB Behavior

Alun Morgan Securing the supply chains against uncontrollable events demands trust and cooperation.

International trade is facing some significant uncertainties right now. Decisions about Brexit hang in the balance. Tensions over tariffs and subsidies are ongoing between the US and China. And there is potential for disagreement between the US and EU over approaches to trade and development.

These are, of course, only the latest in the never-ending stream of events within the continuing drama that characterizes international relations, many of which are potentially disruptive for those of us in the commercial world. We need to be aware of what’s happening and do what we can to protect ourselves against possible threats. As we say, hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

Material Gains

Medical Micro-Technologies Could Mean Better Healthcare for All

Will Self-Driving Vehicles Sharpen Our Focus on Reliability?

Industry Standards are Often Too Wide to Predict PCB Behavior

The Return of VMI?

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