Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1436094
DECEMBER 2021 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 87 levels of integration and more power per unit area, more attention was paid to thermal man- agement using a variety of techniques and materials, combining multiple functions as well as dealing with the heat. Bushie commented on the increasing convergence of RF and digital circuitry in the same design, together with the growing need for thermal management. Peo- ple were starting to integrate metal cores into these designs, to decrease the overall package size. His example was a multi-function PCB with the control circuitry on one side of the structure and RF circuitry on the other side. Low-loss RF materials, high-speed digital materials, thermally conductive materials, and metal cores were integrated to increase the functional density of the structure. With flex- ible circuitry being progressively incorporated to minimise connector real-estate and increase reliability by eliminating cables and connec- tors, all these materials were coming together into a multifunctional circuit board, and what may have been two, three, or four discrete cir- cuit boards could be combined into one smaller package with a higher level of functionality and a variety of circuit structures. Johnson remarked that with all these dynam- ics in play—metals, materials, thermal man- agement—designers were faced with difficult choices, maybe for the first time, oen with limited experience. He asked Bushie what advice he would offer. "is starts to sound like an old song...get your fabricator involved!" Bushie responded. "ere's a wealth of knowledge and applica- tions engineering experience at your fabrica- tor; we're here to help. At the end of the day, we want to help you design something that we can make—rapidly, reliably, and functioning as you wanted it. Feel free to utilise us." In 12 minutes, this RealTime with... video combined a primer in thermal management, an indication of how complex a topic it could turn out to be, and a comforting assurance that there is an abundance of support and assistance avail- able to guide the designer through the maze of material selection and structural possibilities, provided that the fabricator is consulted at the beginning of the process rather than expected to sort out the deficiencies of an inferior design when it is presented for manufacture. I enjoyed the experience! DESIGN007 Pete Starkey is an I-Connect007 technical editor. Visit I-007eBooks to download your copies of American Standard Circuits' micro eBooks today: • The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to… Fundamentals of RF/ Microwave PCBs • The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to... Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals • The Printed Circuit Designer's Guide to … Thermal Management: A Fabricator's Perspective