Review Webinar by Pete Starkey I-Connect007

EIPC TECHNICAL WEBINAR – WEDNESDAY 17^TH MARCH 2021, 15.00 CET

WOKE UP!

There is a relatively new word in the English Dictionary, it’s ‘woke’. We have a new definition, and it is linked to that very important current topic – mental health. WOKE stands for Working On Knowledge Extension, and this can only be achieved by attending an EIPC Webinar.  EIPC has always had mentally extremely fit members, which may account for its success, so on 17^th March you can have a work-out (actually it will be a work-in as you will be at home) with three of them who will be delighted to share their exercises with you.

The topic will be 5G. -The signal speed in electronics applications is driven by 5G. There is a clear demand in the whole PCB supply chain on finding solutions to decrease signal losses at the PCB level. The understanding of loss savings in signalling at PCB level is meaningful from functionality but also from the signal point of view and as well the total power consumption of the product. Thus OEMs are challenging the supply chain to find the solutions to decrease signal losses and improve the signal quality at the PCB level.

In this session we will have interesting papers on the dielectric material, copper foil, and testing solutions, supporting the challenge of signal losses driven by these high-speed products.

Paul Waldner from Multiline International Europa has agreed to be the moderator.

Our 3 speakers are:

Dipl.-Ing. Manfred Huschka, Vice-President Global Marketing, AGC Multi Material General Division.  A PCB industry professional, the title of his paper is Electrical and Mechanical Reliability of an RF Laminate are Key Requirements For Selection in 77 GHz ADAS sensor. 

In essence, his paper describes how the selection of non-reinforced PTFE laminates for 77/79 GHz is the correct one. In fact, certain features demonstrate a second generation laminate is needed in order to meet the requirements of next generation 77/79 GHz ADAS. Late 2019 saw this laminate going into its first ADAS sensor mass-production, and in mid-2020 a second one followed, of even bigger sensor volume.

The market introduction of “almost no profile” ED copper foil provides an even improved insertion loss over rolled annealed copper foil, in addition to its lower cost. Only PTFE laminates result in high enough copper peel strength even at repeated rework cycles.

All European and Asian pcb manufacturers capable of making 77/79 GHz ADAS pcbs have processing experience of this new laminate; therefore larger-scale introduction is just the logical development.

 Julie Mouzon from Circuitfoil in Luxembourg will present a paper on ultra-flat ED-Copper foils dedicated to high-speed digital and RF circuit boards. 

High speed signal transmission is more and more required in order to support huge amounts of data transfers in electronic devices. The roughness of the copper foil has become a significant factor that influences conductor loss in high speed digital and RF PCBs, particularly as they move above the 10 GHz range. At high frequencies, the current density is larger near the surface of the conductor (skin effect). When the so-called skin depth reaches the same dimensions as the roughness profile of the foil, the current follows its contour, inducing additional loss. The challenge is therefore to offer the smoothest copper foil profile while ensuring a good level of peel strength. In this context, a full characterization of the copper foil profile is also of prime importance.

 Martyn Gaudion is the face of Polar Instruments , and needs no introduction. He will indicate the primary drivers for insertion loss on high speed base material.

PCB fabricators and designers are very familiar with the drivers for controlled characteristic impedance traces on highspeed PCBs, trace width, height over substrate and base material dielectric constant that set conditionsfor signalling up to 2GHz or so. But when pushing above that region to multi GHz operation, a raft ofnew physical properties need to be taken into account. The drivers for impedance are still important,but they must be considered alongside the physical effects of copper conductivity, substrate dielectric loss, and the impact of surface roughness on signal loss. Careful stackup design can sometimes save on stepping into more exotic materials, so the ability to model all these effects before evaluating physical product is an important time and cost saving step. The presentation wraps up with some insights into testing at up to 40GHz.

Each speaker will have 15 minutes and we will end with a panel discussion.