Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1507822
58 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2023 the U.S. We feel this is a mar- ketable service. I presume you mean advanced packaging and substrates. Gleason: at's correct. at's where the interest is coming from. With this equipment, can this take your customers down into the space of ultra HDI? Glea son: Ab s o lutely. We're producing ultra HDI right now and we are looking into the IC substrate, which we feel is a step below ultra HDI. ere are mixed opinions about which feature sizes are ultra HDI. e 25-micron up to 50-micron range seems to be the ultra HDI sweet spot. We're doing that every day with the GreenSource Engineering equipment. With the momentum ramping up behind the U.S. CHIPS Act and HR 3249, do you see this as a market opportunity? Is the government involvement helping the market? Gleason: We certainly think it does. A full- blown greenfield site, obviously, is not a small ticket. It's a significant amount of capital for a company to pull forward, even if they receive funding. But there are elements which can be retrofitted to existing facilities. Now, automation can be very difficult to incorporate into an existing footprint with existing equipment, and that might be anti- quated. is is where the greenfield site, or an expansion to an existing facility, will help with setting up new lines. As Rick mentioned earlier, we've now gone through multiple generations of processing equipment for developers, etchers, pre-clean, and strippers, supporting primary imaging as well solder mask imaging. It's this feedback loop which we consistently utilize that allows us to continually improve on all these designs as we're lis- tening to the various needs of our customers. Are greenfield sites on the grow? Gleason: You know, every- one is waiting to see where the funds start dropping. If PCB shops are backed by venture capital or private equity, that will stimulate additional pri- vate funding. In our opinion, the best way to go is starting from the ground up to fully achieve the objective vs. trying to retrofit. Brownfield sites can be retrofitted to a certain point; ultimately, you're unlikely to get what you really want. Tell me about the equipment that you put on the floor. How have you automated the handling for that facility? Nichols: We didn't do all of it, but we're at least 90%. We're down to the last five pieces of equipment to be built and shipped to SEL. Closing thoughts? Nichols: I want to emphasize that one of the synergies was a rotation of SEL employees coming to GreenSource Fabr icat ion f or training and working on the equipment that represented closely what they would ultimately use. We trained their employees on the equip- ment that would be installed so they could hit the ground running. SEL have very capa- ble employees that can be very proud of what they have achieved. Congratulations must go out to SEL. Gentlemen, thank you for having this conversation with me. PCB007 Michael Gleason