Media Coverage

Printed-circuit-board quality challenges extend from design through production test and inspection and on to field diagnostics. Meny Gantz, VP of marketing for Orbotech’s PCB division, cited some key trends in the PCB arena. The increasing sophistication of smartphones, the proliferation of automotive electronics, the emergence of Industry 4.0, and the rollout of 5G are all leading to small-form-factor, high-density-interconnect (HDI) boards requiring fine traces with good impedance control, which in turn requires tighter control of conductor dimensions, he said.

The global printed circuit board (PCB) industry went into a slightly decline in 2016. According to the research report from the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK), the value of PCB production in 2016 was US$ 58.2 billion, representing a 1.9% decline compared to the previous year. But 2017 has brought about a change as the industry faces both challenges and opportunities. The recently released iPhone 8 and iPhone X require high-end HDI (High Density Interconnect) PCBs using advanced technologies such as mSAP (modified semi-additive process), which is a substrate-like PCB (SLP) process

A £50m project is aiming to be Europe’s leading centre for compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide for LED, radio and power applications. The Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult will be based in Newport, Wales, with support from the University of Bath. It is about to appoint a chief executive and create a technology campus.  

Three years ago, US-Israeli printed circuit board inspection company Orbotech bought a semiconductor equipment maker in Wales in a surprise move. Today, SPTS retains its branding and is seeing a resurgence in LED manufacturing equipment and a range of opportunities for a new plasma dicing technology.

A £50m project in the UK is aiming to build the equivalent of the Belgian research company IMEC for compound semiconductors such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide for LED, RF and power applications.  

Vendors are taking a variety of approaches to boosting semiconductor quality and reducing time to market. Offerings range from instrument modules in PXI and LXI formats to complete test and related systems—and finally on to software that manages “data lakes,” applying AI/machine learning for analytics. Application areas are similarly varied—extending from analog to high-speed digital and on to RF, with wireless and IoT devices gaining considerable attention. SEMICON West, scheduled for July 11-13 in San Francisco, will provide companies an opportunity to highlight these products and technologies.

Three companies in the Newport and Gwent area are among six in Wales to receive a Queen's Awards for Enterprise for their contribution to international trade and innovation. The awards are now in their 51st year with a total of 176 businesses winning in 2017. Among the Welsh winners is Newport-based SPTS Technologies Group, which won in the international trade category.

Business Secretary Greg Clark today named the winners of the Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s 91st birthday. This included six businesses from across Wales who have been recognised for their contribution to sustainable development, international trade and innovation - including SPTS Technologies Group Ltd.

Sharon Cohen, President, Orbotech West, explains how Orbotech translates ideas into reality providing the imaging and inspection tools to meet the needs of next-generation interconnection density.

Printed-circuit-board test and inspection becomes challenging as component sizes shrink and access disappears. Solutions include design and DFT software; probes and fixtures; in-circuit, flying-probe, and functional test; and optical and X-ray inspection as well as computed tomography. IPC Apex Expo 2017 scheduled for Feb. 11-16 in San Diego will provide a deeper look at the available tools.