Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1460418
12 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2022 ere's another approach called a 3DMD stackup risk analysis tool, which is also a good example. ese are standard/routine solutions at WUS. Signal integrity, rougher or smoother copper, better mate- rial— that's pretty routine, as you say, with respect to material selec- tion—but what we want to offer is crosstalk mitigation, improved shielding, and so on by innovative interconnect solutions. e advanced capa- bility, value engineering cost, material perfor- mance, and stackup risk—it's all there and of interest to today's designers and fabricators. I get to talk a lot about material, but because of the advanced capabilities requirements, those conversations lead us in many dif- ferent directions. For e x a m p l e , w h e n y o u exhaust standard plated through-hole ( PTH ) back drill technology, you have to go to HDI build-up with multiple lamination designs, or change your design to more costly structures like buried or blind via structures. J o h n s o n : E ddie, thi s is a s ymbiotic situa- tion, isn't it? You have advanced techniques driving materials and m a t e r i a l s d r i v i n g advanced techniques. Mok: Yes, so many things are hap- pening. ese are where most of our activities are. We're constantly looking at different Class 8 mate- rial (ultra-super low loss grade), for example. Johnson: is is for your long-tail legacy work? Mok: Yes. But that's also where we can't separate mater ial with technol- ogy. You can't buy a Ferrari and equip it with budget tires. Customers today will share that they plan to rely on the material to minimize insertion loss. But I make sure to ask them, "What about your shielding? What about your crosstalk? at can't be done by mate- rial alone; the interconnect structure needs to help with this." Eddie Mok This table (right), courtesy of Eddie Mok and WUS, provides a high-level view o f h o w m a t e r i a l s a n d applications match up. This table only captures a subsection of the total market but illustrates that careful selection of mate- rial for the correct applica- tion is increasingly critical.