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20 PCB007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2024 Feature Article by Tarja Rapala and Joe Beers iNEMI e ever-increasing demands on printed circuit boards to satisfy the needs of tomor- row's products means that PCB manufacturers must continuously evolve and react to a wide variety of technological and market require- ments such as: • Functional density: Finer features, higher density, and increased layers • Signal integrity: Higher frequencies, driven by higher data transfer speeds and increased data needs • Material properties refinement: Must meet performance as well as environ- mental demands Stringent High-speed Requirements Pose Technology Challenges • Smart manufacturing: Automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and machine learning are all part of the future PCB manufactur- ing floor • Time-to-market: Increased urgency to facilitate new design implementation, prod- uct introduction and qualification, quicker market differentiation, and survival To meet these stringent requirements, driven by expanding data needs and increasing transfer speeds, the electronics industry turns to high-speed PCBs and substrates. is arti- cle, based on the iNEMI Roadmap 1 , looks at some of the future requirements facing high- speed PCBs and substrates and discusses tech- nical needs, gaps and solutions.