Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/857644
70 The PCB Magazine • August 2017 In the first part of a series of columns fo- cused on microvias, the importance of adopting HDI technology as a strategic initiative for the PWB fabricator is presented. The major drivers for HDI are listed. Introduction Let's face it. If you are in the printed cir- cuit board fabrication business (and want to stay in—assuming you want to make money as well), acquiring HDI capability is very impor- tant. Part and parcel to this is adopting enabling processes and technologies that encompass de- sign, material selection, improved wet process- es and imaging technology, laser formed micro- vias and equipment packages. If designed with the proper architecture, printed circuit boards with microvias offer the most significant op- portunity to reduce the layer counts and overall board thickness. In addition, the cost may be re- duced while improving electrical performance and density of the interconnect. Design for HDI Blind microvias are a surface feature. With the optimum architecture, routing densities are increased and some of the layers in a tradition- al through hole designed multilayer board lay- ers can be removed. An example of this is illus- trated in Figure 1. Moving into Microvias: The Interaction of Materials and Processes, Part 1 TROUBLE IN YOUR TANK by Michael Carano RBP CHEMICAL TECHNOLOGY Figure1: Various layer assignments available when using HDI and microvias (Source: Happy Holden).