Circuits Assembly - July 2008 - (Page 29)

Cover Story Bibliography 1. Applied Materials, appliedmaterials.com. 2. DEK, deksolar.com. 3. Fraunhaufer Institute, ise.fhg.de. 4. International Photovoltaic Conference, photovoltaicconference.com. 5. Intersolar North America, intersolar.us. 6. Prismark Partners, prismark.com. 7. SMTA, smta.org. 8. Solar America Initiative, www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/ solar_america. 9. Solarbuzz, solarbuzz.com/technologies.htm. Irene Sterian is manager, advanced process development, at Celestica (celestica.com); isterian@celestica. com. Figure 3. A representation of an amorphous silicon thin-film module (solar) line (Applied Materials). months to become fully operational. Therefore, similar to SMT lab/prototype lines, which can cost $100,000 and provide a proof point for a larger investment (i.e., a $3 million automated SMT line), solar module lines may be a good entry point. Is it the right time to invest? I recently came across a quote from Ray Kurzweil, a technologist and inventor, who said, “The solar power industry will have exponential growth, along the same lines as another silicon-based sector: semiconductors.” Interestingly, there are a number of similarities between the electronics and solar industries; for instance, military and defense requirements originally drove both. Electronics were driven by military/defense in the 1950s, by personal computers in the 1980s, and today, by consumer products such as cellphones and gaming equipment. Those who invested in surface mount technology in the early 1980s were able to benefit from the increase in demand driven by the rampant growth of the Internet, telecommunications and computing products. Similarly, the solar industry was driven by defense, followed by remote power. Today, it is driven by on-grid power and consumer demand (solar panels, solar farms, environmentally sound solutions). To that end, those investing in solar today may benefit from the growth of this industry during the next 20 years. There are opportunities for everyone in the industry to benefit from the shift to environmentally friendly thinking and the resulting demand for alternate energy. Electronics manufacturers, OEMs and suppliers are investing in research and development and looking at business opportunities. If you are interested in what’s next for the electronics industry, this may be it. n T A K E C HA R G E O F YOU RS TA TI C CH Maintain your ESD program with Staticide topicals or ESD Safety Shield. AL LE NG ES Two types of coatings to cover your needs: biodegradable topicals and stable coatings. Staticide topicals eliminate static and prevent tribogeneration while Staticide ESD Safety Shield maintains resistivity by dissipating static at a safe rate. For details and ordering instructions for these user-friendly and highly effective coatings for plastic from the nation’s most reliable producer, visit our website. www.aclstaticide.com With Staticide protection, you’re in charge! When it comes to static protection, Staticide has you covered. circuitsassembly.com Circuits Assembly JULY 2008 29 http://smta.org http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america http://appliedmaterials.com http://www1.eere.energy.gov/solar/solar_america http://deksolar.com http://solarbuzz.com/technologies.htm http://ise.fhg.de http://conference.com http://celestica.com http://intersolar.us http://prismark.com http://www.aclstaticide.com http://www.aclstaticide.com http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - July 2008

Circuits Assembly - July 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business Global Sourcing On the Forefront Screen Printing Tech Tips Will Electronics Follow the Sun? ‘Warm’ Manufacturing Heats Up Reputation Trumps Recession, China ‘Web Circuits’ A Novel Non-VOC Conformal Coating Krypton: Benchmarking Customer Satisfaction 2008-09 CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Buyers Guide Wave Soldering Pb-Free Lessons Learned Process Doctor Materials World SMTA Int'l Product Preview Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - July 2008

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