Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1038326
OCTOBER 2018 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 85 cross-section is right, the line widths are right, we know what the impedance will be because we've modeled it. We looked at the copper al- ready, we know the line width, we know the line height, we know the dielectrics. Goldman: I want to go back to the Impex proX3. I understand there's a fiber that goes down into the holes? Brown: Yes, it's an 80-micron fiber-optic cam- era probe that will go down into the hole. We can do a virtual cross-section of a hole. Goldman: That is very interesting, because as a virtual cross-section, you see the entire circumfer- ence of the hole wall plus the length, I presume. Brown: And you're seeing the hole in the board. Not a "like" hole in a coupon that was located a foot away on the panel from the hole that you're concerned about. Plus, it's nondestructive. Goldman: And surface inspection? Brown: With the Schmoll X-ray drill that we have, we can look at the surface. It is so sensi- tive that we can basically do a vertical section through the X-ray. Goldman: Between the two of them, you get a lot of non-destructive inspection and verification. Brown: Correct, and for us, they're all in-process tools. We believe customers are going to find the data we collect to be valuable. Radio-frequency (RF) designers, for example, are very particular about being able to tweak lines because that's how RF works. They're very concerned about line geometries: What's the height of the cop - per? How trapezoidal is the trace? We can profile that. We can show the actual line plot to them and, if it is of concern, then through the additive manufacturing of SAP processes, we can make that sidewall almost perfectly perpendicular. Goldman: I'm sure a lot of your customers find that kind of reliability to be unmatched, what with the tools you have here. Brown: We believe so. Especially on the hole side, and particularly with microvias. Goldman: And the interesting thing about the coupons is there was always a question as to how representative they are. It's usually on the outside edge of the panel because you can't put it in the middle. But here you can show any number of holes. It ought to give a lot of assurance to customers. Brown: It's a tool that we can offer to them. To your point, do you want to pick some pat- tern on your board? We can do every hole depending upon how much data the custom- er wants to see to assure reliability on their end. If you want to do every hole, we can do every hole. Goldman: How long does each inspection take? Brown: It's going to depend on the thickness and number of layers, because you have to go slow enough that the optics can pick up what you're looking for. Goldman: Is it like a video? Brown: Yes. We have people that look at cross- sections and they can immediately find the problem and analyze it. The Impex is simi- lar. It's a better representation. It's an amaz- ing tool. Goldman: That's not all that's unique at Green- Source. Brown: Right. Then there's the Ludy vertical plating line. We're going to bring that up over the next couple of months. That is another unique piece of equipment. Goldman: I understand on the Ludy line there's going to be an extra tank for them to play with. Brown: There's going to be more than one. Goldman: More than one? So they can get to that 50:1 aspect ratio?