What's New - May 2010

• Reliability Issues with Embedded Planar Capacitors
• Register for the Fourth International Symposium on Tin Whiskers
• CALCE and SMTA Host Counterfeit Symposium at West Coast Venue
• CALCE Named Co-Organizer of IMPACT 2010
• CALCE Researcher Wins SESEA Best Student Presenter Award
• Upcoming Webinars - May and June

Reliability Issues with Embedded Planar Capacitors

Passive components are the highest part count items in most electronic products.  These low cost parts play an important role in modern electronics.   With the use of higher speed processors and ASICs, combined with the demand for higher packaging density, embedded capacitors have become attractive.  Embedded capacitors are currently available in both embedded discrete and planar form.  Embedded planar capacitors are incorporated during the board fabrication process by laminating a capacitive core between internal metallization layers, which are etched to define individual capacitors and connected through vias.  The capacitive core consists of a thin, polymeric dielectric material, often filled with fine ceramic particles, such as BaTiO₃, to increase the capacitance.  CALCE has been conducting accelerated testing of embedded planar epoxyBaTiO₃ capacitors under elevated temperature and voltage conditions, as well as under temperature-humidity-bias conditions.  We have identified sharp insulation resistance drops as well as gradual capacitance degradation as two failure modes that need to be considered for long-term product reliability.  Degradation mechanisms associated with these failures are the subject of active study.  Contact Dr. Michael Azarian (mazarian@calce.umd.edu) for more details.

Register for the Fourth International Symposium on Tin Whiskers
June 23-24, 2010
Samuel Riggs Alumni Center
University of Maryland
College Park, MD, USA
Cost: $500
Register Here

Tin whiskers, which grow unpredictably from tin finished surfaces, present a critical reliability concern for electronic products and equipment. Since the 1940s, the presence of tin whiskers has led to countless electronics failures. With lead (Pb) being a common whisker growth mitigator, the global transition to lead-free materials in electronics has placed manufacturers that employ pure tin or tin-rich alloys for terminal and lead finishes in danger of tin whisker related failures.

On June 23 and 24, CALCE, in collaboration with the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research (ISIR) at Osaka University, Japan, will host the Fourth International Symposium on Tin Whiskers at the University of Maryland,College Park. This symposium will provide over 20 technical presentations covering the latest research on tin whisker growth, failure mitigation strategies, and risk evaluation methods.

Registration opened April 5th and will continue while seating is available. The registration fee is $500 USD and CALCE Consortium members will receive a 20% discount. The symposium agenda and registration page can be found here. For more information on the symposium, please contact Dr. Michael Osterman at osterman@calce.umd.edu.

CALCE and SMTA Host Counterfeit Symposium at West Coast Venue
June 8-11, 2010
Honeywell Deer Valley
Deer Valley (Phoenix), AZ

Counterfeit electronics are unauthorized or improperly manufactured electronic parts sold through global black markets. These unauthenticated parts can cause critical failures when integrated with functional electronics systems. The rising prevalence of counterfeit electronics in a range of products, from telecommunications to avionics and military systems, threatens the safety of consumers and the credibility of electronics manufacturers.

CALCE and SMTA will hold the annual Symposium on Avoiding, Detecting, and Preventing Counterfeit Electronic Parts at Honeywell’s Deer Valley facilities in Deer Valley, AZ, from June 8-11, 2010. The symposium, held for the first time at a West Coast venue, will present solutions for identifying and preventing the integration of counterfeit electronics into life- and mission-critical systems. The four-day event will include an enriching mix of presentations, technical sessions, workshops and panel discussions on such topics as Physical & Material Testing, Supply Chain Best Practices, Worldwide Intellectual Property Protection, and External Visual Inspection of Electronic Parts.

Registration is now open and will continue until June 7. For more information on the symposium, please contact Melissa Serres at melissa@smta.org, or visit the information page here.

CALCE Named Co-Organizer of IMPACT 2010
October 20-22, 2010
Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center
Taipei, Taiwan

CALCE was recently announced as a co-organizer for the 2010 International Microsystems, Packaging, Assembly and Circuits Technology (IMPACT 2010), to be held from October 20-22 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center in Taipei, Taiwan.

IMPACT 2010 is the fifth conference organized by IEEE CPMT Taipei, ITRI, IMAPS Taiwan, National Tsing Hua University, SIPO and TPCA. With more than 190 papers presented in the conference and past attendees from 17 nations, the IMPACT conference is one of the preeminent events in the international technology and packaging industry. The theme of this years conference is Embrace IMPACT, Create Possibilities. At  IMPACT 2010, researchers, engineers and experts from the packaging industry will gather to discuss developments and challenges in semiconductors, packaging, assembly and printed circuit board manufacturing.

Abstracts will be accepted until June 11. For information on the scope of submissions, please visit the information page here.  To learn more about attending IMPACT 2010, please contact:

Secretariat
Taiwan Printed Circuit Association
Tel: +886 3 381 5659 #405 (Sylvia Yang)
Fax: +886 3 381 5150
Email: service@impact.org.tw

For more information on the IMPACT 2010 conference, please contact Prof. Michael Pecht at pecht@calce.umd.edu or visit the information page on the CALCE website, found here.

CALCE Researcher Wins SESEA Best Student Presenter Award
Lili Ma, a visiting CALCE researcher from Chengdu, China, won the SEMI ESC Student & Engineer Award (SESEA)  Best Student Presenter Award for her presentation on the Effects of Moisture Content on Dielectric Properties of Printed Circuit Board Materials at the China Semiconductor Technology International Conference 2010(CSTIC 2010) in Shanghai, China.

The SESEA Award recognizes outstanding research in fundamental and applied semiconductor industrial field by students or young engineers. Winners earn a free one-year ECS membership and free registration to one ECS or SEMI conference. 

CSTIC is organized by SEMI and ECS, and is co-organized by China's High-Tech Expert Committee (CHTEC). It is co-sponsored by IEEE-EDS, China Electronics Materials Industry Association and Chinese Society of Electrochemistry.

For more information on Ms. Ma’s research, contact Mr. Bhanu Sood at bpsood@calce.umd.edu.

Upcoming Webinars
May - Free Air Cooling of Telecommunication Equipment
May 18, 11:00 am US EST
On May 18, the CALCE webinar series will continue with a seminar on Free Air Cooling of Telecommunication Equipment, presented by Dr. Diganta Das. The seminar will update the audience on free air cooling, a method used by telecommunication infrastructure to reduce the cost of controlling the operating environment. It will cover the methods used to implement free air cooling, the ambient operating environment under free air cooling, and the possible reliability risks arising out of free air cooling. Registration for the webinar is free to EPSC members, and $300 USD for non-members. For more information on the May webinar, or to register, contact Dr. Diganta Das at digudas@calce.umd.edu, or visit the webinar information page here.

June - Characterizing Lithium-Ion Battery Deterioration Factors
June 22, 11:00 am US EST
On June 22, the CALCE webinar series will kick off the summer with a seminar on Characterizing Lithium-Ion Battery Deterioration Factors, presented by Mr. Bhanu Sood, Director of the Test Services and Failure Analysis (TSFA) Laboratory. The seminar will provide a review of lithium-ion battery degradation behavior, based on research from the CALCE TSFA Lab. Registration for the webinar is free to EPSC members, and $300 USD for non-members. For more information on the May webinar, or to register, contact Mr. Bhanu Sood at bpsood@calce.umd.edu, or visit the webinar information page here.