Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1526407
18 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2024 Feature Interview by Andy Shaughnessy I-CONNECT007 Soo Lan Cheah is kind of a unicorn in the industry. She is an IPC instructor based in Malaysia, and she has years of experience designing integrated circuits and printed cir- cuit boards. I knew I had to get her thoughts for this issue on silicon to systems. I asked Soo Lan to discuss her cross-discipline background and what silicon to systems means to her. Andy Shaughnessy: Please tell us a little about your background. It's rare to meet someone with experience designing ICs and PCBs. Soo Lan Cheah: I am currently an instructor for IPC PCB design certification in Asia and instructor-led online training. I've spent the past 20 years in Malaysia in engineering edu- cation and training, designing technical cur- ricula for professional development, as well as national projects for upskilling local graduates and engineers in the semiconductor industry. Before this, I worked in Singapore as an engi- neer, for 15 years in the data communication network, doing R&D for the National Com- puting Center, Defense Advanced Electronics Laboratory, and Microelectronics Institute. I started PCB design as a team member working on signal integrity simulations and test board designs for advanced PCB board products in the defense industry. I acquired electromagnetic field solver knowledge and techniques at the microelectronics institute while working on semiconductor IC package electrical design. e PCB and IC design's formal certification for training came under a local training center in Malaysia, with a tech- nology transfer program (PCB, IC design, and IC testing) from Japan to Malaysia. My con- PCB Designers: 'Level Up' IC, Packaging Knowledge