Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1213413
FEBRUARY 2020 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 85 with X revenue generated. But this has been consistently pushed back, and while growth is certainly not stagnant, the lessons are still being learned on how to design, manufacture, and integrate the technology for cost-effective solutions. It's definitely going in the right direc- tion. The supply chain has been one of the hur- dles in ramping up products as well. Relevant applications typically require specifically de- signed components for an embedded applica- tion. They've been thinned. Some have unique passivation layers on them, and others require different termination metallization, etc. There is a supply chain ecosystem that has to be there first before this becomes commercially viable, and building this up takes time. Johnson: For those who end up using embed- ded actives, you'll know you need it when your design constraints tell you that you need it. Ryder: As a PCB or substrate manufacturer who's engaged in that kind of manufactur- ing and marketing of embedded technologies, ideally, you want your customer to quickly recognize the benefits you envision for them. Any top-tier manufacturer's roadmap is well ahead of their customer's current dilemmas. You must say, "Imagine what you could do with X real estate and a given performance en- hancement if you were to embed this." The re- ality is they will likely first explore solutions using the tools that they already have in fa- vor of time-to-market or economy. However, the larger and more established the embedded component supply chain ecosystem becomes, the more we'll see commonplace use of this technology shelf. Johnson: At ESI, would your customers gener- ally be on that part of the supply chain? Ryder: That's correct. Johnson: What sort of challenges do your cus- tomers face through all this? Ryder: Assuming that a PCB supplier or sub- strate manufacturer has done their R&D home- work and gone through the initial process of finding and evaluating embedded solutions, ESI's new Geode system machine.