Designers Council Lunch and Learn Designing with Embedded Resistor Components

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Designers Council Lunch and LearnDesigning
with Embedded Resistor Components

• Ticer Technologies
• May 12, 2008

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• Company Information

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History of TCR and Ticer Technologies

• 1980s Gould Electronics researches ED
  resistor films
• 1997 Gould develops vacuum deposited thin
  film resistor
• 1999 Patents granted
• - 6 patents
• 2001 Commercialization of TCR thin film
  resistor
• - 25, 50, 100 and 250 OPS thin film
  resistor foils
• 2002 Global market development
• 2006 Ticer Technologies spun off from
  Gould, exclusive license
• from Nippon Metals and Mining for
  N.A.
• 2007 Ticer introduces 1000 OPS material to
  market
• Ticer and Rogers Corp introduces TCR on
  Rogers 4000
• laminate systems

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Global Marketing and Support

• European customers supported by Gould GmbH,
  Eichstetten, Germany and Nippon Metals Mining,
  Tokyo Japan.
• SEA, S.A., China and Japan markets supported by
  Nippon Metals Mining, Tokyo Japan.
• North American market supported by Ticer
  Technologies, Chandler, Arizona.

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Ticer Technologies Facility
Ticer Technologies2555 West Fairview
StreetChandler, Arizona USA

• New 8,700 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in
  Chandler, AZ.
• Manufacturing and Applications Laboratory
  on-site.

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Agenda

• Overview of embedded passives
• How embedded resistor technology can improve
  performance and reliability
• Software solutions to design embedded resistors
  are available
• Industry activity on embedded passive

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Overview of Embedded Resistor and Capacitor
Technology
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Embedded Passive Technologies

• Resistor
• Thin Film (e.g. TCR)
• Thick Film Paste
• Capacitor
• Dielectric Films Sandwiched between Copper Foil
• Standard laminates
• Special coatings
• Embedded Resistor and Capacitor products can be
  combined to form R-C Networks

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Drivers and Barriers to Implementation
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• Drivers
• Need for more surface real estate
• Improved electrical performance
• Improved routing
• Improved reliability
• Reduced costs

• Barriers
• Awareness of embedded passive as a solution
• Perception that supply chain is limited
• Perception that embedded passives increase costs
• There is a learning curve to designing with
  embedded passives

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Designing with Thin Film Embedded Resistor
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• What are thin film embedded resistors?
• Why design with thin film embedded resistors?
• How do I design with thin film embedded resistors?

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What are Thin Film Embedded Resistors

• Resistors formed by selectively etching resistor
  foil on innerlayers
• By varying sheet resistance and resistor shape a
  tremendous range of resistor values can be
  covered

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Embedded Resistor Formation
COPPER FOIL
Thin film Resistive layer
DIELECTRIC PREPREG

• Construction
• Thin metal in laminate in sheet form
• Less than 1 micron thick
• Common Dielectrics, glass styles thicknesses

COPPER FOIL
Selective etching results in ? reliable embedded
resistors
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Capability by Sheet Resistivity
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Availability of Laminates and PCB Manufactures

• Laminates w/ TCR
• Rogers 4003C 4350B
• Nelco 4000-6, -13SI, -29
• Isola 406, 408, 370HR
• Arlon CLTE
• Taconic

• PCB Manufactures
• TTM
• DDI
• Coretec
• EIT
• Merix
• Sanmina
• Unicircuit

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Whos using Embedded Resistors

• Military
• Automotive
• Telecommunication
• Medical
• Instrumentation
• Consumer

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Why Design with Embedded Resistors?
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Why Design with Embedded Resistors?

• Increase surface area for active components
• Improve electrical performance
• Improve routing
• Improve reliability
• Reduce costs

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Embedded resistors increase surface real estate
for active components
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Improved Signal Integrity
50 ohm SMT resistor
50 ohm embedded resistor
Courtesy of Applied Laser Technology

• Embedded resistors provide 30 improvement at 1
  Gb/sec

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Improved Routing Capability
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Improved Reliability

• Reduction of through holes
• Elimination of SMT resistors
• Assembly rework would drop
• Less solder joints

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Reduced Costs

• Smaller form factor of PCB would increase panel
  utilization
• Possible reduction of assembly cost
• Best when paired with microvia technology

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Case Study
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PCB Technology

• 14 layer multilayer
• Multiple subassemblies
• Stacked microvia
• Higher than standard plating aspect ratio on
  microvias
• 4 mil tracks and gaps
• Impedance controlled
• High performance dielectrics
• All ½ oz. copper construction

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Goals

• Smaller form factor
• Reduced weight
• Equal or better performance
• Equal or less complexity of routing of PCB
• Higher yields through assembly
• Higher panel yields through better utilization
• Higher part yield

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Requirements

• PCB size reduction 20 minimum
• Total assembly cost neutral on first re-spin
• Additional layers could be added but kept to a
  minimum
• Thickness to remain the same
• Impedance adjustments minimal
• Maximize of resistors captured

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Bill of Materials

• BOM included mostly terminating and
  pull-up/pull-down resistors
• Resistor values from 10 ohms to 1 MegOhm
• Resistor tolerances typically /-5
• Some critical resistors at 1

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Resistor Pareto
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Conclusions

• Size reduction could be accomplished by freeing
  additional surface area
• Smaller form factor of PCB would increase panels
  utilization by app. 20
• Implementation of embedded resistor could be cost
  neutral on initial design spin
• Embedded resistor scenario of 25 and 1000 OPS
  captured app. 90 of SMT resistors
• Assembly DPMO would drop due to elimination of
  0201 SMT resistors
• Reliability - TBD
• Recommendation of handling PCBs with embedded
  resistor as ESD components to be implemented
• Better solutions available if this were a new
  design not a re-spin

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How to get started
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• Ticer Technologies provides a resistor calculator
  which, based on design inputs, provides resistor
  dimensions
• Software packages are available which integrate
  resistor dimensions into the circuitry

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Resistor Calculator Example
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Resistor Calculator Resistor Footprints
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Available Software Solutions
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Design and Cost Modeling

• Design
• Mentor Graphics
• Expedition Embedded passives toolkit and PADS
• Zuken
• Cadence
• Cost Model
• Savansys

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MG Expedition Planner Tool
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MG Expedition Materials Set-up
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MG Expedition Process Editor
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TCR Resistor with Mask
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The SavanSys Solution
SMT Place
Design
Manufacturing
Reflow
Test
Rework
Final Assembly

• BOM (Bill of Materials)

• Activity based cost and yield model

• Technology Data

• Factory specific characteristics

Optimal Product
Analysis with SavanSys includes both design and
manufacturing designers are able to optimize
their products for cost, yield, size and
performance in both domains.
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SavanSys Manufacturing Library

• SavanSys Process Flows
• Substrate Fabrication Flows
• Embedded Passives (PTF, ceramic paste, thin film
  cap., thin film res., PVD)
• Embedded Actives - Flex
• Inner Layer Pair Double Sided Printed Wiring
  Board
• Photovia Printed Wiring Board Multilayer
  Printed Wiring Board
• Sequential Lamination Laser Drilled Via
• Assembly Flows
• Mixed technology (SMT, through-hole, wirebond,
  TAB, flip chip)
• Test and Rework Adhesive Flip Chip
• Solder TAB Metallurgical Flip Chip
• Wirebond Through-hole
• Single-sided Surface Mount Double-sided Surface
  Mount
• Paste-in-Hole Lead Free
• Manual Assembly - Small Discretes (0201 01005)

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Embedded Cost Modeling Applications
Effect of Embedded Passives on Cost
Assembly Component Cost
Materials Equipment
Fabrication Cost
OPTIMAL PRODUCT
Board Size
Materials Equipment Manufacturers
Board Assembly
OEMs
Board Fabrication
Cost
Price
Cost
Price
Cost
Price

• Savansys was a member of the AEPT (Advanced
  Embedded Passives Technology) Consortium
• Applications have been done for material
  providers, board fabricators, and OEMs to target
  the best applications and designs for embedding

SavanSys is the recognized industry leader in
embedded cost modeling
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Design Tools Summary

• Both Mentor Graphics and Zuken have embedded
  passive design capabilities built into their
  software
• Resistor properties (e.g. power handling) are
  built into that software
• Software provides resistance tolerance
  verification
• Savansys can aid in design and cost analysis

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Industry Activities on Embedded Passives
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Activities on Embedded Passives

• IPC Specification for Embedded Devices.
• Regular IPC EDUG conference calls
• Multinational Consortiums
• i.e. Crane Project, SHIFT
• Embedded Devices Hands-On Training
• Crane
• Recent Publications
• TechSearch International
• IPC

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Summary

• Use of embedded resistor technology can improve
  performance and reliability
• Supply chain for thin film embedded resistors in
  place
• Software solutions to design embedded resistors
  are available
• Industry activity on embedded passive is
  increasing