Contract Manufacturing
Component miniaturisation in electronics
Devices are getting smaller which makes it even harder to fit all of the components in a device. Martin Skinner, custom team manager at Corintech talks about the issues with component miniaturisation
and still used on a daily basis) with today’s smartwatches. The TI-81 can do maths. A smartwatch knows my location and heart rate, wirelessly communicates with other devices, has audio capabilities, runs a host of apps (including a calculator) and even tells the time.
Advancements in miniaturisation are clearly positive, but alongside choice comes a requirement for wisdom. With a desire for successful design and manufacturing outcomes, what should we take into consideration in order to make appropriate decisions when specifying components?
Martin Skinner G
iven the challenge, it’s certain that for any year in the last three decades, an article covering the
subject of electronic component miniaturisation could be found. Despite the risk of repetition, as engineers, designers and specifiers continue to be given access to ever smaller devices, the topic remains current and the conversation should remain open.
Miniaturisation at silicon level continues its forward march, bringing a myriad of benefits. Year-on-year we see smaller devices with faster processing capability, increased memory capacity, higher pixel density and the list goes on. Alongside advances in semiconductor fabrication, we see the increasing availability of small-scale passive components. In the 1990s we worked with 0805 (2.0mm x 1.2mm) components, today there’s a large selection of passive components down to 01005 (0.4mm x 0.2mm) and in some cases down to 008004 (0.25mm x 0.125mm) theoretically taking up a little over one per cent of the board area of 0805 components.
This expanding range of ever smaller components gives greater flexibility of choice and the ability to engineer products with form factors we would not have dreamed possible a decade or two ago. Compare my Texas Instruments TI-81 calculator (purchased in the mid-nineties
22 October 2016
Product form factor Product form factor will always be a significant driver in component selection. A smartwatch the size of my TI-81 calculator would not be a likely contender for market success. The increase and diversification of wearable technologies, Internet of Things devices, low mass assemblies for aerospace and even micro-sized invasive medical products have only been made possible through the miniaturisation of electronic components.
Product function Products must always meet a functional specification. Power levels in circuits will often be the limiting factor on the degree of miniaturisation possible. Smaller components inevitably exhibit lower power handling characteristics. Voltage levels will dictate the degree of component density and PCB track density possible, with creepage and clearance for voltage isolation becoming a consideration.
Complexity
Using technologies that are new and components that are leading-edge will inevitably affect project time-scales. New requirements will need to be understood and new processes learned. Smaller components and higher component densities will also often increase the complexity and time taken to complete PCB layouts.
Thermal performance The increased densification made possible on PCB designs can lead to difficulty with thermal management in
Components in Electronics
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circuits. This may not appear to be a significant issue for low power devices, but even low levels of change in temperature can have a significant effect on the performance of sensitive measurement electronics.
Reliability For high-reliability applications including aerospace and defence, we rarely see the smallest of components specified. High- reliability can be achieved alongside miniaturisation, but more established components and techniques are often preferred, giving a higher degree of perceived product confidence.
Availability
Component availability affects design project timescales and on-time delivery of manufactured product. A new, smaller component, may appear to be the solution to a design problem, but if only available from a single source or manufacturer, may not always be the best selection.
Manufacturability
Designers and engineers need to ensure that they can find electronics manufacturers capable of assembling their products. It helps to work with a manufacturer throughout the design phase, to use their expertise and experience in order to avoid manufacturability pitfalls.
For CEMs like ourselves the continual miniaturisation of electronic components, along with the new product forms and categories enabled, offers great scope for growth. In order to
capitalise on this opportunity, manufacturers must
understand the importance of investing in both technical know- how and leading-edge assembly, inspection and test equipment.
Manufacturing right first time When working with components that are hardly visible to the human eye, remedial work becomes increasingly difficult. Getting production runs right-first-time is tantamount to success.
Ensuring component traceability Component traceability is key to ensuring high-quality and high-reliability outcomes for end customers. This becomes increasingly important as components get smaller and more difficult to identify. CEMs must incorporate the requirement for traceability into their quality management systems and their operational processes. Working in line with robust quality management standards like ISO9001 and AS9100 has helped us greatly here.
Expanding horizons with shrinking devices
Component miniaturisation brings many challenges to the designer and to the manufacturer, but also opens a host of new opportunities. I’m excited to see what the next decade or two holds. What products will my grandchildren be using and how-on-earth are we going to produce them?
www.corintech.com
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