The Future of Wire Bonds in Electronics Assembly and Packaging
The Future of Wire Bonds in Electronics Assembly and Packaging
Wire bonding is a workhorse of electronics assembly, providing the connections between an integrated circuit (IC) and the outside world. This deceptively simple technology has been around since the 1950s and has grown alongside the electronics industry, maintaining its position as the dominant form of chip-to-package interconnection for several reasons: reliability, cost-effectiveness, and adaptability.
Navigating the Human Side of Electronics Failure Analysis: Evidence, Supply Chains, and Uncomfortable Conversations
In electronics, failure analysis is a lot like detective work—except we’re hunting for clues inside microscopic components, instead of fingerprints and DNA. The technical side of this work is demanding, but what's often even trickier is how to turn the evidence from failure analysis into meaningful, effective action when navigating the human complexities of a supply chain.
Solder Joint Issues? How to get to an effective solution first-time.
Just when I think I’ve seen it all, something new and different crops up. To me, there is nothing better. I love challenges! They give me an opportunity to really think through a problem and go from “hmm, I’ve never seen that before” to “this is what, why and how to fix it”.
Hermeticity of electronics packages: How do you prove an ultra-low leak rate?
Earlier this year, I attended an excellent IMAPS-UK semiconductor packaging workshop. I had the pleasure of learning from Prof. Anne Vanhoestenberghe of King’s College London as she explained requirements for reliability of active implantable devices. Eleven years on from its publication, I was surprised and proud to have my hermeticity book referenced and recommended by her. I’ve been working on a few projects in this field lately and it seems, hermeticity issues are still leaking through the cracks (pun intended, I’m not even sorry 😊).
How to conduct an effective electronics failure analysis investigation
Last night I went out with friends and bumped into someone I haven’t seen since high school. It was lovey to catch up, but two things struck me; firstly, there’s nothing like meeting a friend you last saw at 16 to make you realise that time is passing, fast! And, secondly, I squirm awkwardly, mumble something about problem solving then change the subject when someone asks me what I do for a living.
