Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1339822
74 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2021 Feature by Michael Carano RBP CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY Introduction It is quite interesting and timely that the ed- itorial staff of I-Connect007 has chosen the theme of benchmarking and process control/ management for the February 2021 issue. is theme fits quite well with the global events of today. Moreover, this includes navigat- ing through the global pandemic, adjusting to customer demand, and maintaining efficient operations regardless of the manufacturing business. Having been involved in the printed cir- cuit board, circuit board assembly, and semi- conductor technology segments for the last 40 years, I have preached ad nauseum about minimizing defects and improving yields. is is especially true as the technology is becom- ing ever so complicated, and additional focus must be placed on yield improvements. is is where process man- agement and control must be front and center. Between a Rock and a Hard Place is is what we see here today. ere is an even larger chasm between quality (higher yields, less scrap, etc.) and productivity. "What happens to quality when there is a push to get more work out the door?" To further compli- cate matters, many fabricators tend to optimize their operation around cost rather than qual- ity and yield. us, when optimizing around costs, quality and yields suffer, the blame game begins. ings go wrong (TGW). Stuff happens. But this is not the attitude to have when yields are headed south, and processes can indeed be out of control. It's important to know what, exactly, is out of control. For example, is it the pH of the resist developer solution or the specific gravity of the alkaline etchant? Are these special causes or common causes? A special cause indicates that something in the related processes caused the change. In other words, there is an assign- able cause. Where is the process control man- agement plan and where was this listed? What if there wasn't a significant change and you don't have a specific, assignable cause? Process Management and Control— Benchmarking Best Practices