FEATURES

• Packaging Substrates
  A Novel Low CTE, High Stiffness Ceramic Composite Core
  A new substrate meets attributes for solder joint reliability, dielectric reliability, low warpage and microvia reliability.
  Nitesh Kumbhat, P. Markondeya Raj, Raghuram V. Pucha, Venky Sundaram, Ed Bongio, S. Sitaraman and Rao R. Tummala

• PCB Trends
  2007: The Year of HDI?
  Our survey of more than 5,100 subscribers reveals this will be the year microvias and embedded passives join the ranks of conventional technology.
  Mike Buetow

• EMS Business Models
  Outsourcing Technology Enhancement
  One-stop shopping is highly touted within the EMS industry, but the formula has variations – and warts. Using strategic alliances to support application-specific technology enhancement can provide access to more specialized expertise and optimum resource utilization.
  Bruce Biggard

• New Standards
  The Moisture Sensitivity Standard Goes Pb-Free
  The updated industry spec for characterizing components, J-STD-020D, gives the boot to the peak package body temperature (Tp) term.
  Tom Adams and Steve Martell

• Cover Story
  America’s Best Manufacturer?
  Emerging from the shadow of former parent IBM, Endicott Interconnect Technologies is coming off its best year and primed for growth.
  Mike Buetow

• ESD Controls
  Improving ESD Program Discipline
  A detailed look at how General Dynamics manages its ESD auditing and training procedures.
  James Colnar and Roger Peirce

FIRST PERSON

• Caveat Lector
  China’s latest irony
  Mike Buetow

MONEY MATTERS

• Focus on Business
  EMS firms get specialized.
  Susan Mucha

TECH TALK

• On the Forefront
  The outlook is mixed for 2007.
  E. Jan Vardaman

• Screen Printing
  Thermal interface materials: print or dispense?
  Clive Ashmore

• Better Manufacturing
  Banish the big box.
  Peter Grundy

• Soldering Tips
  Intermetallic growth and micro-voiding.
  American Competitiveness Institute

• Wave Soldering
  Two alloys, one line.
  Gerjan Diepstraten

• Test and Inspection
  Vectorless test’s evolution.
  Chris Jacobsen

• RoHS Revisited
  The EU’s next directive review.
  John Burke

• Pb-Free Lessons Learned
  Myths of the solder bath.
  Chrys Shea

• Equipment Advances
  Universal’s high-speed pick-and-place.

• Technical Abstracts

DEPARTMENTS

Industry News
Market Watch
Assembly Insider
Ad Index
APEX Product Preview

On the cover: Highly engineered boards are the specialty of Endicott Interconnect. (Photo courtesy Endicott Interconnect)