Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1530610
76 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2024 is problem-solving. Our goal is to be a solution provider. Matt has identified an unmet need in the market. We are confident that our material effectively addresses that need and solves the problem. Lake: You're talking about old school, and you looked at me (laughs). Seriously, though, over all these years people have continually asked for this product. e old school guys are the ones who identified these challenges and asked for a product like NAMICS. It's just frustrating that it's taken us this long as a laminate industry to step in and provide it. The segments talk past each other. It's like chips and PCBs. They use different languages for everything. Araujo: Exactly, but at its core, it's the same thing. W h e n w e t a l k a b o u t advanced packaging, we u s e "inter p o s er " much more commonly, but then someone in semiconduc- tors says, "No that's an IC substrate." It's the same concept. Which now may be becoming a PCB. Araujo: Right. It's all about increasing the den- sity and then transferring it to larger bumps so you can put it on a board. It makes you wonder why nobody has tried to do this before. Araujo: It's because the different industries don't communicate. Within each industry, everyone knows everyone. It's one big family. I come from advanced packaging where companies collabo- rate and share ideas. Now, as we move onto the substrate market, it's encountering a different group of companies and learning the terminol- ogy to break the barriers of communication. We have people in the same industry who don't want to talk sometimes. Araujo: Exactly, add the difference in terminol- ogy and sometimes people just don't piece it together: "When someone hears the term inter- poser, it is the same as IC substrate." It's all about building up a layer and changing how the con- nections are routed. We just need a thesaurus for the whole industry. Araujo: Even that still wouldn't work. Maybe AI could help bridge the gap. Lake: To be fair, part of this has come down to finally being able to truly define a 0.002" line and space for processing. e evolution of equip- ment and technology—such as copper technol- ogies, plating and imaging technology, photo- imageable materials, and photo-definable films— has made it possible. It's not that existing solu- tions are inadequate, but it's time to give the tradi- tional laminates a boost. It's time to elevate our game and respond to new challenges with new material solutions. Araujo: We are excited about all that is ahead. Lake: To me, 2025 will be a breakthrough year for this type of product. e buzz is out there on the IC substrate, whether it's called that or inter- poser. With CHIPS Act money driving innova- tion, this is a prime opportunity to bring this technology into the U.S. manufacturing mar- ket. Globally, this concept isn't new, but how we regain the domestic market is the key question. I am confident it will happen. e beauty of this product is it meets and exceeds what's already available. It's been very interesting chatting with you both. I look forward to following up, maybe at IPC APEX EXPO. Until then, good luck. Lake: ank you, Andy. PCB007 " Within each industry, everyone knows everyone. It's one big family. "