Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1454922
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2022 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 71 why we're here. at's something we've been focusing on quite a bit as well. Johnson: IPC has been involved in advo- cacy and lobbying, if you will, for the industry, to the U.S. government, zero- ing in on the legislation and the discus- sion there about how to help bring tech- nology back into the U.S. supply chain to create some resilience and local inde- pendence. And that's certainly happen- ing. How do you think that message is getting across at this point? Neves: Well, let me re-characterize what you said. I think the IPC as an organi- zation is looking to help the industry worldwide resolve the issues that it faces. In the U.S., we face an issue dealing with the sup- ply chain, and I think we have put together an effort to help with that issue, but that's not the only issue, the only effort that we're putting forward. We're doing the same thing in Asia, on the Asia GR committee. We are looking at the regional issues there, trying to help our membership deal with the issues surrounding it, whether it's government relations, supply Presenter: Kevin M. Kusiak, Associate Fellow, Lockheed Martin What is the most interesting question that your IPC APEX EXPO presentation answers? How does my design influence reliability of my microvias? What is your answer to that question, and why? There are many factors that influence the reliabil- ity of the end-product. Two main factors include the processing of the bare boards and the design. There are many steps when it comes to microvia formation and each fabricator may have a slightly different approach and different processing equip- ment, such as horizontal microetch, vertical micro- etch, different electroless chemistries, different laser formation processes, etc. Much of this is out of the designer's control, but the designer should con- duct due diligence to ensure their fabricators have a robust process for microvia formation. The process- ing is so complex that I think the most important thing that a designer can do is follow good design practices that give the fabricator a larger process window. What is the most important piece of advice that you have for your audience? Know the end use of your design and take risks accordingly. Don't push the design limits if loss of life is a risk due to the failure of your product. Even in non-life-threatening applications the reputation of your company may be at stake if you put out a product with reliability issues. This needs to be weighed against the ben- efits of pushing certain design limits. IPC APEX EXPO: Conference Speakers Speak Out Microvia Reliability Testing Utilizing D-Coupons to Understand Best Design Practice