Printed Circuit Design & Fab - December 2007 - (Page 2)

DECEMBER 2007 • VOL. 24 • NO. 12 FEATURES Designers talk about salary, perks and job satisfaction. Cover image ©iStockPhoto.com/fpm 16 DESIGNER SALARY SURVEY THE 2007 PCB DESIGNER SALARY SURVEY The survey suggests the U.S. designer resource is aging at an excellerated rate, so we need to ask, “Where is the next generation of PCB designers?” by KATHY NARGI-TOTH 26 RF DESIGN POINT OF VIEW 4 OUR LINE The times, they are a changing. Integrating RF into PCB Design In RF designs, it’s important to identify and correct circuit interactions as the system design evolves to reduce cycle time and prevent unnecessary re-spins. by PER VIKLUND 32 NOISE REDUCTION Kathy Nargi-Toth 14 ROI Sometimes, the break up of longstanding business relationships is the only way to move forward. Benefits of Implementing Differential Pairs When using differential circuits, specific design rules can maximize the advantages while minimizing design-induced difficulties. by SYED W. ALI 36 SUPPLY CHAIN Peter Bigelow 22 INTERCONNECT STRATEGIES After almost 150 years, Maxwell’s equations still have a strong influence on modern SI tools and methodologies. An OEM Guideline for Selecting PCB Suppliers When choosing a PCB supplier, site inspection and qualification testing are important, but doing your homework ahead of the facility visit can save time and money. by RENEE MICHALKIEWICZ 40 DfM Dr. Abe (Abbas) Riazi 24 POSITIVE PLATING Careful control of the drilling can lead to improved plating quality. The Critical Parameters in the DfM Equation A successful DfM program is part methodology, part design environment and part toolset, with a foundation based on fabrication processes. by NOLAN JOHNSON Michael Carano 48 THE SIGNAL DOCTOR Understanding how to reproduce a signal integrity problem is the first step in finding the root cause and resolving the anomaly. DEPARTMENTS 6 9 Dr. Eric Bogatin MARKET WATCH AROUND THE WORLD 12 28 HAPPENINGS AD INDEX 43 44 OFF THE SHELF MARKETPLACE ONLINE EXCLUSIVES pcdandf.com Visit our Web site for news, products, extra features and columns, and more. Subscribe to the daily PCB UPdate e-mail newsletter: Circuits Assembly Online Metalization Options for COB Assembly circuitsassembly.com How they produce different metallurgical interactions with the various die pad and substrate metalizations, the resulting intermetallic structures and growth, and how they impact reliability and cost. by MUKUL LUTHRA pcbupdate.com/subscribe UP Media Group’s virtual expo and conference (Feb. 12-13, 2008): An A-to-Z Guide to X-Ray Inspection X-ray inspection is a way to inspect solder joints and locations in a nondestructive manner with products that cannot be inspected optically, such as BGAs and CSPs. It can also be used to investigate the wire attachment quality within semiconductor device packages and certain SMT components. More recently, x-ray techniques have been used for production quality and process control. by DR. DAVID BERNARD Virtual-PCB.com POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB, P.O. Box 35646, Tulsa, OK 74153-0646 http://iStockPhoto.com/fpm http://circuitsassembly.com http://pcdandf.com http://pcbupdate.com/subscribe http://Virtual-PCB.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Printed Circuit Design & Fab - December 2007

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - December 2007 Contents Our Line Market Watch Around the World Happenings ROI 2007 PCB Designer Salary Survey Interconnect Strategies Positive Plating RF Design Ad Index Noise Reduction Supply Chain DfM Off the Shelf Marketplace The Signal Doctor

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - December 2007

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