Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1525368
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2024 For 40 years, I have been involved in the printed circuit board, circuit board assem- bly, and semiconductor technology seg- ments, preaching about minimizing defects and improving yields. is is especially true as technology becomes increasingly complex, and additional focus must be placed on yield improvements. Process management and wet process control must be front and center, so it's quite interesting and timely to talk about wet process control and management for this month's issue. is theme fits quite well with today's global events. For this industry, the technical curve has steepened dramatically in the past few years. Things You Can Do for Better Wet Process Control The Current State of Affairs As the level of complexity increases (higher layer counts, HDI and ultra high density designs, and smaller footprint IC substrates, etc.), the process windows for wet chemical processing (etching, developing, and plating) are narrowing. is is because the fabrication process needs to minimize variation in line widths and spaces, circuit trace thicknesses, and overall plating uniformity. ese factors influence critical properties, including imped- ance, reliability, and assembly. To further com- plicate matters, many fabricators tend to opti- mize their operation around cost, rather than quality and yield considerations, and if either Trouble in Your Tank Feature Column by Michael Carano, IPC CONSULTANT