Signal conditioning


Moore’s Law tells us that the speed and capability of computers will double every two years due to the growing number of transistors that a microchip can contain. So, as microelectronics marches on, what d oes this mean for manufacturers? Here Matt Nicholas, product design manager at sensing and


measurement specialist Mantracourt, explains how electronics assembly is evolving and how manufacturers can keep up with the latest assembly trends.


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REDUCING COMPLEXITY AND DRIVING FORWARD MICROELECTRONICS


he Microelectronics Revolution brought us the silicon chip, which has transformed our lives significantly. Producing transistors using silicon meant they could be made small enough to fit on a microchip for the first time, opening the door to a new world of gadgets and devices. Now, we are experiencing a second Microelectronics Revolution, where manufacturers are applying their expertise to reducing component size and improving efficiency.


T


THE CHALLENGE OF ASSEMBLY Traditionally, electronics assembly was seen as challenging because engineers would need to take various components and bring them together in one composite unit. For instance, at the design stage, they must choose a ground plane before selecting and positioning the different components.


Like any technical industry, dedicated skills and expertise are vital, whether this is gathering, soldering or integrating certain components. For example, assembling a printed circuit board (PCB) for a device like a pressure sensor is no mean feat: once the components have been soldered and installed on the PCB, the necessary components must be attached to a fully operational electronic device.


THE RISE OF MICROPROCESSORS One area where we are seeing remarkable advancements is microprocessors, which are becoming more powerful and contain new features to improve accessibility. For example, the proliferation of analogue-to- digital converter (ADC) functions are enabling micro-processor-controlled circuits and other digital logic circuits to communicate. Most sensors produce analogue output


March 2023 Instrumentation Monthly


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