Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1520956
MAY 2024 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 45 rience or experience related to the field of research. ey need to fit in and be trainable. We want them to want to stick around. We are very thorough with our interview process and make sure that they're a right fit. As Gary men- tioned, we have a lot of people with extensive experience, but you have to keep that chain going. It's not always a hit, but we've been very lucky in the past couple of years where our choices have been successful. Recently, I was at a UHDI conference and heard presentations from Intel and AMD. The levels of miniaturization, fine features, and the number of I/Os were mind-blowing. What kind of equipment gets you to these levels? Abel: We have ultra fine line equipment, and we're looking at new etch technology, a com- bination of differential etch with rotary etch. We're looking at 6-micron print imagers, and anything that deals with miniaturization, including the latest laser technology. We have gotten down to 3-mil laser vias, and we've seen requests to go below that. Are you doing additive metallization? Abel: Yes. at's how we made the ultra-high- definition phase array antenna—by building up the copper in an additive metallization process vs. a subtractive process. tors on the floor and involve them in the pro- cess. Juan, for example, has been working on the plating line for 40 years. He has more experience than me. We tap everybody around here for opinions and ideas. We have pre-release and work-in-process meetings. I spend a lot of time on the floor working with our team. I'm impressed with Winonic's top-down, bottom-up approach to developing your products and processes. Abel: It is a core value for us. From manage- ment down, everybody here is hands-on. I've been doing this in Orange County for 47 years and have a lot of friends in the business. I know where the communication breaks down. When it comes to the folks on the floor, I don't look at them supporting me, but rather me supporting them. at's pretty much the attitude of every- one here, and because of that, we build a more robust product. Workforce is a huge concern for most of us. How do you approach developing your workforce? Koulougli: In terms of staffing, we are very selective when reviewing a candidate's pro- file and assessing a cultural fit with our team. We like to hire those with some previous expe-