The tech industry – and world at large – could use some moderation.

Moderation and balance seem in short supply throughout the world these days. Between war on two sides of the globe and political extremes in vogue all over, the proverbial pendulum is swinging wildly, rarely landing in the center. And business and industry are no exception to current trends.

In business and especially technology, the hot area is everything artificial intelligence (AI). Whether hardware or software, AI is the holy grail de jour. The regulatory environment is similarly out of balance. With security leaks, loss of privacy and potential pirating that could lead to everything from automobiles to aircraft and even weapons being manipulated by the “bad guys,” layers of regulations, standards, audits and inspections have taken off in every segment of industry. Again, balance and moderation have given way to extremism.

In fact, industry has never needed balance and moderation more than now. “Reasonable” and “pragmatic” are two words that should be applied across a multitude of areas.

Capacity is about to peak, and demand has slackened.

Printed circuit board buyers can capitalize this year on cost-saving opportunities if they’re smart about it. Here are some factors to consider:

• Compared to a year ago, fluctuations in material pricing have settled.
• Worldwide semiconductor revenue declined by 11% and overall personal computer shipments fell almost 15% last year.
• Lead-times from Asia are relatively short compared to this time last year.
• PCBs manufactured in China and then imported into the US still face a 25% tariff. But the tariff exemption on two and four-layer rigid boards has been extended through the end of May 2024.
• Speaking of tariffs on boards made in China (as well as “Out of China” policies being adopted by some customers), new board houses are being built in India, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia to help offset those tariff costs and offer purchasers the option to buy elsewhere.
• Many companies in China are allowing employees to leave early to enjoy the Chinese New Year holiday because business there is down.

A one-size-fits-all approach can lead clients to your competition.

Recently I had an under-the-slab plumbing leak. I’ve been using a plumber who has deliberately kept his business small for over three decades. He is responsive, but complex jobs often take longer because he doesn’t have all the tools the larger plumbing firms carry in their vans. He also doesn’t have their overhead, so for most jobs he is more cost competitive. I called and he walked me through shutting off the water at the meter because he couldn’t come until the next day. Part of my childhood was spent in Florida, so I applied my post-hurricane water management skills while I was without running water.

Sadly, when he arrived, he was unable to determine the source of the leak. Watching the meter spin, he mentioned it was a big one. He recommended a water leak detection firm. Its voice mailbox was full, however, and said it sometimes took a couple of days for them to return calls. My plumber reassured me he would come back after we found the leak. I got on the computer and found a water leak detection firm that operated 24/7. Fifteen minutes later they were at my house and 30 minutes after that we knew where the leak was. They were able to cut a hole in the wall and cut off the bad pipe so I could have water in the rest of the house. They couldn’t fix the leak until the next day, and it would likely involve more demolition to reroute the pipe, so I had a decision to make.

Should the ground connections share vias?

Just like it says "on the tin," wafer-level chip-scale packaging (WLCSP) is a technology that shrinks the substrate down to a size quite close to that of the actual silicon, gallium arsenide or whatever material makes up the die. Rather than calling it a substrate, the WLCSP material is known as a redistribution layer, or RDL for short. It's a subtle but important distinction.

By definition, WLCSP devices exclude wire bonding, leaving flip-chip technology as the method of die attach. That means that there is no die cavity where a solid ground plane on the bottom of the die would normally act as the mating surface. Instead, the chip is mounted face down with BGA-style balls on a pitch that is typically less than 0.5mm. Right there, the challenge can be to maintain a good thermal path through the tiny connections (Figure 1).

The solution is to have numerous ground balls to help dissipate thermal energy. The ground balls can be distributed around the device or gathered into a central square or rectangle, maybe both. Either way, it's best if every one of the ground connections gets a dedicated via rather than combining them to share a via.