f there is one takeaway from the Symposium on Counterfeit Parts and Materials sponsored by SMTA and CALCE that took place in August, it is that the problem is getting worse. This should be alarming, given the amount of attention that has been paid to the presence of “fake” parts in the supply chain.

Discussion of counterfeits in the supply chain usually starts with the military. It’s the one sector that has both the budget and the concentration of sourcing to effect change.

It was less than a decade ago that the US found fake electronic parts in military aircraft. The discovery spurred a yearlong investigation resulting in bipartisan legislation (remember what that is?) establishing new policies and practices for counterfeit avoidance.

CUPERTINO, CA – The US Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that discusses the manufacture of smart fabrics with specialized equipment that could be used to form fabric with integrated electrical components, according to reports.

Apple’s patent application notes it may be beneficial to incorporate electrical components into fabric, but since fabric is flexible, new techniques are required. The company’s invention covers interlacing equipment: for example, weaving equipment, knitting equipment, and braiding equipment.

Woven fabric may include insulating and conductive material, and conductive strands may form signal paths through fabric, coupled to electrical components such as light-emitting diodes and other light-emitting devices, ICs, sensors, and haptic output devices.

End products for next-generation fabric intertwined with electronics could relate to smartphones, computers, or other portable electronic devices, Apple says in the application.

Apple’s patent application was filed in March, but some of the original work dates to 2019. (CD)

“HINDSIGHT IS 20:20” refers to a vision measurement, not this crazy year. But from a planning standpoint, the year “2020” has rewarded electronics manufacturing services (EMS) companies that built resilience into their operational plans. As I write this, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spur an era of new normal. The introduction of vaccines will hopefully drive a return to something close to the old normal. While this challenge is ongoing, however, it is important to look at some of the operational investments that have proved most beneficial.

Here are five areas that stand out to me:

IT. Companies that were already supporting employees working remotely as a result of business travel, remote home offices or a need to work in multiple time zones more comfortably had an edge in converting a larger portion of the workforce to work-at-home scenarios. VPNs, internal systems capable of supporting secure and fast access to remote users, videoconferencing tools, seamless transfer of work phones to mobile phones, and existing policies/training on maintaining security in home office environments are all key elements enabling employees to effectively work at home. Companies with these in place simply had to scale up to accommodate a larger user base. Systems strategy has also been integral in managing the supply chain and forecasting disruption driven by Covid-19. Companies with systems that can quickly assess inventory levels, material availability and production status globally were better off than those with facility-specific systems or systems that required much manual interpretation to gather that information.

According to a recent statement by US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord, national electronics procurement is at a crossroads.

“[America] can no longer clearly identify the pedigree of its microelectronics,” she said. “Therefore, we can no longer ensure that backdoors, malicious code, or data exfiltration commands aren’t embedded in our code.”

According to Lord, a variety of price pressures – ranging from government regulations to labor costs – have driven manufacturing of electronics offshore and created not only an economic imbalance but a security threat as well. “That’s what we need to reverse,” she said.

One of the often-overlooked aspects of a board design is the moat. Perhaps this conjures up images of Monty Python’s Holy Grail, but moat does not refer to the ring around a castle. Instead, this is the clearance between pads and a surrounding copper plane, sometimes also referred to as embedded clearance.

These clearances often are 0.004″ to 0.005″ wide. This may seem like plenty of room, but Pareto analysis tells us this can lower overall manufacturing yield. These clearances often lead to unexpected yield loss, depending on certain design and processing factors. Believe it or not, etching these moats or clearances is difficult, due to the closed-ended, circular nature of the clearances. They do not image or etch well and are prone to shorting.

This month I speak with the PCEA Educational Committee regarding the team’s take on the PCEA’s role in education. What do they have in store? Next, PCEA Chairman Steph Chavez weighs in on the strength of the Education Committee and why it is crucial to the PCEA’s mission. Finally, with our normally provided list of professional development opportunities and events, I give a preview of next month’s column.

PCEA updates. The PCEA Educational Committee discusses the importance of well-rounded technical curricula, as well as how they started in the industry. It covers PCEA educational resources, including technical books, papers, and lunch-and-learn webinars, as well as chapter presentations and field trips. Upcoming presentation topics include materials, high speed, advanced placement and routing, power distribution, and flexible circuits. You will also learn more about the PCEA’s mentor pairing program.

Most electronics engineers know there is no 1.1mm BGA or CGA package. Because we are forced to use a 1mm pitch package, we live with tradeoffs. A slight increase in the pitch size, however, could satisfy the needs for today’s high I/O pin count designs.

This conclusion comes from my observations of building Class 3 and aerospace 1mm pitch products, and the challenges, setbacks, redesigns, returned product, and field failures we all endure.

Ideally, we would have the following allowances in a design for performance, layout, compliance and yield:

Beyond conception, bringing a new product to life is a challenge. From the saying that “hardware is hard” to the number of failed product launches and missed deadlines (behind the scenes of all major consumer products we use today), we’ve compiled a few important lessons learned to help founders and engineers on their product development and manufacturing adventures. Too many design projects go to waste or must restart from scratch because manufacturing at scale wasn’t a building block of the development plan. Here are five things OEMs and EMS companies should do to better ensure a seamless transfer of programs from proto to volume:

1. Ensure the build priorities are thought-out and communicated to the team. Don’t assume the team should know your project’s priorities. We like to start development builds by explaining we are not building things: PCBA, subassemblies, or finished units. Rather, we are building information, developing the process, and solving problems. The units being built will never be sold and are not useful on their own; they are a means to an end, not an end unto themselves. Do we want to solve problems 10 at a time or 10,000 at a time? When the team asks if they can move forward, even though the MES system is not set up to collect data, or asks why Lean matters in a build of 40, we ask if their solution meets the stated goals or is just a shortcut to get the units out.

Most multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) have no marking and cannot easily be distinguished from their package, which gives unscrupulous vendors opportunities for fraud. Here, the authors introduce several test methods for MLCC compliance verification, namely 1) the effect of DC bias on capacitance, 2) capacitance temperature characteristics, 3) high-voltage testing of DCW (dielectric withstand voltage) and IR (insulation resistance), 4) cross-section (dielectric layer and terminal comparison for flex types), and 5) electron microscopy (EDS) material analysis to match with known good device chemical composition.

One important step must be performed before testing Class II capacitors. This is referred to as the “capacitor precondition test.” The standard way to do this, according to Murata, is to perform a heat treatment at 150+0/-10°C for 1 hr., then let the part sit for 24±2 hr. at room temperature, then measure its electrical characteristics.

In the wake of Covid-19, SMTA International is virtual this year, and so is the Women’s Leadership Program! It is a challenging time for everyone, but we can concentrate on developing our careers by charting a positive course now. Join the “Road Trip” for a program of technical presentations, speed networking and a connection reception. Although some aspects of the WLP will be different – such as two speakers instead of three, and a completely virtual event – we believe it will still be one of the best platforms to connect with colleagues within our industry.

Virtual networking can be an effective way to build professional relationships. The virtual program this year can be especially beneficial for parents who may have to limit their travel due to family commitments at home and helpful to everyone in overcoming the challenge of obtaining travel funding. (No travel cost is associated with the virtual program this year!)

Outside of sheer printing machine capability, the stencil is arguably the next most important element of the printing process. Stencil material, thickness, aperture integrity, sidewall smoothness (or lack thereof), and tension all play a role in the quality of the solder paste deposit. And, like all consumables, metal stencils have a lifetime: They do not last forever. Unless a stencil is damaged, tension loss is the factor that most often determines when a stencil has run its course. A properly tensioned stencil enables a good, solid release of the paste deposits onto the board. Alternatively, a stencil that has lost tension and has begun to “sag” may result in defects such as “dog ears”¹, bridges, or insufficient paste on pad, to name a few.

Today, stencil tension is more important than ever. Historically, when stencil thicknesses averaged 200µm, one was far more likely to retire a stencil from damage than from wear. Now, however, with the exceptionally thin 60µm foils required for miniaturized designs, tension loss can occur sooner, as repeated stencil pressure during the print stroke eventually reduces stencil elasticity. As has been addressed in this column, there is a proven correlation to changing tension and the output of the printing process.²

This month we illustrate dendrites and corrosion on board assemblies. The example in FIGURE 1 is straightforward. Saltwater was found on the surface of the metal board. It caused intermittent operation of the LED before failure at 25 meters. Yes, you guessed it: My underwater light leaked due to a rubber gasket failure. The rubber had been out in the sun too long and hardened, then cracked. The image shows chemical reaction with dendrite formation on the surface of the joints and some green verdigris.

FIGURE 2 is a dendrite under a component that caused intermittent failure. This was the result of not evaluating a new solder paste correctly after a change in solder paste supplier, plus a failure to change the reflow profile.