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DECEMBER 2024 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 9 Imagine the day when placing components and routing signal traces and power planes are not constrained by 2D PCB fab- rication processes and materi- als. Astronauts working on the space station have equipment mounted on all axes. They are not constrained by having to stand on a flat surface. They already have a 3D printer at the space station. Why can't we create PCBs in a 3D space? With additive manufactured electronics (AME) and printed electronic (PE) technologies, reviewing the schematic and component placement routing strat- egies can utilize all three X, Y, and Z axes. Compo- nents can be additively formed using the intercon- nect materials. Traces and power distribution can be configured with unique shapes and routes on any angle, with the cross-section varying along its path, if required. Die and packaged components could conceptually be mounted on or under non-planar surfaces. Multiple conductor and dielectric materi- als are simultaneously being deposited to create the PCB. There are several additive manufacturing (AM) generic processes available and a multitude of potential hybrid approaches. New techniques are developed every year, being driven by 3D-minded designers and researchers...continue reading. PCB designer can utilize this technol- ogy. With the constant demand for ever- smaller electronic devices, advanced packaging might be exactly what design- ers need. is month, we asked our expert contributors to discuss the impact of advanced packaging and stackup design— from SI and DFM challenges through the variety of material tradeoffs that design- ers must contend with in HDI and UHDI. Kris Moyer kicks us off with a conversa- tion about the complex interrelationship between advanced packaging and stackup design. Cherie Litson explains why many old rules no longer apply, particularly regarding stackup, HDI, and UHDI. Columnist Barry Olney covers an inter- esting idea: AI-driven inverse stackup optimization. Columnist Kelly Dack dis- cusses advanced packaging through the view of the Gartner Hype Cycle method- ology; that's a new one for me. Colum- nist Vern Solberg takes a deep dive into the current and emerging semiconductor and material technologies that can affect stackup design. We also have an interview with IPC's Peter Tranitz, who discusses the new Pan-European Electronics Design Con- ference, set for Vienna, Austria in Janu- ary. Anaya Vardya brings us part two of his series on UHDI bleeding-edge manu- facturing applications, and we have col- umns from our regular contributors Matt Stevenson and Joe Fjelstad. I hope you all get to spend time with your families during the holidays. You deserve some time off. DESIGN007 Andy Shaughnessy is managing editor of Design007 Magazine. He has been covering PCB design for 23 years. To read past columns, click here. Dana on Data: Merging 2D Electrical, 3D Mechanical Worlds