Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1530610
74 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2024 work well in these applications. e NAMICS product is a thermoset material. e range of thicknesses fits perfectly into the PCB mar- ket. It's been very well received, and enough to keep me from fully retiring. Ken, what are the specifics of this thermoset material, and how was it originally developed for the semiconductor packaging industry? Ken Araujo: We developed this film called ADFLEMA (Advanced Flexible Materials) well over 15 years ago. e idea was to develop a very low-loss A-stage thermoset film that can be used in developing build-up layers in advanced packaging, commonly on the wafer level. Years ago, I tried to expand into PCB-level packaging, but it was challenging because we had no presence in this industry. Our expertise has always been in the back end of electronics packaging, offering innovative adhesives into the U.S. for well over two decades for a wide range of industries including high reliabil- ity market with customers such as Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. I ran into Matt at an IPC APEX EXPO, explained to him what I was trying to do, and he said, "is is exactly the type of material that the PCB fabrication industry needs. An unreinforced thermoset film that will provide very low loss properties to expand their markets." Our technical team members have strong technical backgrounds developing cutting- edge materials. Our challenge was not creat- ing the material but learning how to enter the PCB market. Over the past year, Matt has been instrumental in helping us develop a strategy for attacking the U.S. market. While the material is unreinforced, we can utilize proprietary fillers to control the mate- rial's coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) while still allowing it to be used in standard vacuum lamination processes. e material is available in thicknesses ranging from 25 microns up to 100 microns, or 0.001–0.004" mils thick, and offers excellent dielectric prop- erties. As frequencies push into the greater than 30 GHz range, these properties become critical. is material supports ultra high den- sity interconnects (UHDI) and miniaturized form factors because the material can be easily processed and laser drilled with excellent flow to fill fine line pitches less than 1 mil. Does this material require a PCB fabricator to get new equipment or use special chemicals? Araujo: It basically drops in, since one of its key advantages is that it integrates seamlessly into existing processes. It's simply a new type of layer that can help redefine how people are building up their boards. One key benefit is that it offers excellent adhesion strength to a variety of substrates. When working with low-loss coppers, which typically have very smooth surfaces, adhesion strength can be a challenge. e ADFLEMA products address this. Additionally, they are halogen-free, low moisture uptake, and offer superior reliability. ese are qualities the PCB industry has been searching for. What has been the reaction from fabricators? Araujo: It depends on who you're talking to. PCB designers are interested because they see the benefits in simulations due to the very low dielectric properties—particularly the dissi- pation factor being well below 0.002" dissipa- tion—which can really benefit their signal. e challenge is finding the first fabricator to adopt it. Matt has helped us identify those key cus- tomers, especially in the high-reliability mili- tary sector. " NAMICS has been making this material for a long time but for a different industry. "