Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1309864
30 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2020 ent solutions to solve industry problems. VeCS is one of them. We're now testing a new back drilling and sliver detection method togeth- er with a machine fabricator to solve indus- try problems and make life easier. Some parts of what the industry does are too complex and operator-dependent; it's not process by design. That's what we want to achieve instead of hav- ing the operator controlling the setup of the process. That's the general idea of NextGIn. Johnson: VeCS has the interest of people in the HDI industry. For example, Happy Holden is very excited about the work you're doing. What is VeCS? Tourné: VeCS is Z-axis interconnect technolo- gy where we focus really on how you make the transition from layer to layer and what the function of a PCB or semiconductor package is. The idea was with the tools available in the PCB industry, meaning processes and ma- chinery, what can we do differently in terms of building a new product or a new technique without building a new factory or department or developing a new machine? Using indus- try processes and equipment to come up with a different way of making the Z-axis connec- tion was the idea, and with that, we overcome the issues with sequential lamination because that has a lot of limitations. I introduced microvias to the industry in the early '90s, buying the first laser in Europe. Even at that time, we were fighting with plasma etching and photo-defin- able dielectrics. That was an easy technique that could make a mil- lion holes in 10 minutes, whereas The Impacts and Benefits of VeCS Technology Feature Interview by the I-Connect007 Editorial Team Joan Tourné of NextGIn Technology and Joe Dickson of WUS PCB International give an overview of vertical conductive structure (VeCS), its benefits, how it changes design, and what the considerations need to be for that, as well as an update on their current reli- ability testing data. Nolan Johnson: Thanks for joining us. First, what are your current roles? Joe Dickson: I work for WUS PCB Internation- al. We're an advanced PCB manufacturer in Asia, including Taiwan and China. We started working on the VeCS technology three years ago, developing many of the manufacturing methodologies, optimizations, and best prac- tices. We're continuing to do that, and we feel like this has disruptive capabilities for regular HDI vias and through-hole vias. Joan Tourné: I'm the founder of NextGIn Tech- nology. Our objective is to come up with differ-