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32 The PCB Design Magazine • March 2017 AMERICAN STANDARD CIRCUITS RELEASING eBOOK ON DESIGNING FLEX AND RIGID-FLEX Imaging technology advanced by re- searchers at Rochester Institute of Technol- ogy and Florida Institute of Technology is being tested on the International Space Sta- tion and could someday be used on future space telescopes. A new twist on the charge injection de- vice camera, originally developed in 1972 by General Electric Co., fine tunes the ar- ray of pixels for improved exposure control in low light conditions. The enhanced tech- nology could give scientists a new method for imaging planets around other stars and improve the search for habitable Earth-like planets. Zoran Ninkov, professor in RIT's Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science, and Daniel Batcheldor, head of physics and Space Sciences at FIT, designed the charge injection device cam- era to capture contrasts between light emitted by astronomical objects. "CID arrays offer considerable promise in many applications due to the focal plane architecture that allows random pixel access and non-destructive readout," said Ninkov, a member of RIT's Center for Detectors and Future Photon Initiative. "In ad- dition to improving presently available devices, the development of next-generation imaging arrays promise considerable flexibility in read-out and on- chip processing for the future." A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, on Feb. 19, carried the charge injection device to the International Space Station in the cargo of supplies and science experiments. Astronauts have installed the camera on a platform outside the space station. They will test the camera for six months. "We expect to start seeing results by the end of April," said Batcheldor, lead scientist on the project. "A complex test pattern will be sent from a success - fully operated camera through the ISS systems and down to the ground. A successful demonstration of CIDs on the International Space Station will put this technology at the NASA Technology Readiness Level 8, which means it's ready to fly as a primary instrument on a future space telescope." RIT Helps Advance Space Camera Being Tested on ISS market statistics from IPC, this is indeed the fastest growing market segment. So it is a great technology to invest in and a great product to design in. We have invested in both equipment and people to be able to provide our customers with all the flex and rigid-flex boards they need today and are going to need in the future. Vardya: As Dave stated, they are now being used in essentially every market and in just about ev- ery electrical product being designed today. Goldman: When is this book coming out and how can people get it? Vardya: The book is being released March 6, and it will be available for free download on a special website that we are designing for it. Goldman: Once again, congratulations on this effort and on behalf of the industry, thank you and American Standard Circuits for giving this guide to us. Vardya: Thank you. PCBDESIGN For more information about The Printed Circuit Designers' Guide to…Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals, click here.