Northwest Passage Near Nature; Near Perfect
07/01/2008
By Gail Flower, editor-in-chief
In one of the most beautiful areas imaginable in the Pacific Northwest amidst flowers and greenery, two companies do leading-edge research and development work that affects how electronics work. As packages grow in functionality and performance densities increase, temperature goes up. Honeywell Electronic Materials provides materials for thermal management from a chemical, materials science, and metallurgical point of view. Its facility specializes in thermal interface materials including those that go between the die and heatsink as TIM 1, between heat spreader and heatsink as TIM2, C4 underbump metallurgy, die attach, preforms, low alpha and lead-free offerings, and metallization of die backsides with indium.
Mentor Graphics also deals with issues of increased functionality and performance with a decrease in cycle time, but their approach is one of systems design. For both advanced package and PCB design, engineers at the company do library and design data management for electrical design, PCB layout, and manufacturing optimization. In high-density interconnects, microvias, embedded passives as well as actives, wire bonds, flip chips, stacked die, and integrated RF, Mentor engineers work out both package and PCB design.
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We visited Honeywell Electronic Materials in their Spokane, WA location. We toured their R&D center and talked about their thermal management and electrical interconnect products. (L-R) Andy Delano, Ph.D., R&D manager, advanced thermal and thermal interface materials, interconnect packaging solutions; Scott Miller, product line manager, interconnect packaging solutions; Patrick Underwood, R&D Manager; heat spreaders, interconnect packaging solutions; Devesh Mathur, Ph.D., R&D director, interconnect packaging solutions, and Gail Flower, editor-in-chief, Advanced Packaging magazine.
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Bruce McAlary, Shannon Carrier, Gail Flower, Pat Carrier, Ayuekanbe Atagabe, David Wiens, director of business development for Mentor’s Systems Design Division; Weston Beal, corporate applications engineer; Marty Fouch, customer support manager; Steve Weiner, Rob Yoder (back), Neil Fernandes (front), Matt Killinger, and Min Manug — all corporate application engineers in Mentor’s Customer Support Division.
Honeywell Electronic Materials, Spokane, WA
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Miller points out some of the many assembly materials that Honeywell contributes to the packaging area from thermal interface films, to die attach, preforms to heat spreaders in diverse formats.
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The air flow test chamber draws air across a package to see how the heat is dissipated, Delano explains.
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Rick Townsend and Dave Steele do thermal impedance testing to see how materials work.
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Organic polymers with metal fillers are produced in film form.
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These singulated tapes with release tabs enhance a heat sink’s cooling ability. They are shown in a release test.
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The R&D lab at Honeywell tests material performance.
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Many of the thermal interface materials for TIM 1 and 2, solders, performs, burn-in materials, are produced as polymers with metals and distributed through rolling mills.
Mentor Graphics, Wilsonville, OR
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Gail Flower in the entrance to Mentor Graphics.
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Suzanne Graham, senior public relations manager, Mentor Graphics Corporation and Wayne Wiggins, manager, West Coast, Advanced Packaging magazine gather in front of original Northwest art in the lobby.
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Marty Fouch (left) and Neil Fernandes (right) viewing a HyperLynx BoardSim simulation.
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Shannon Carrier (left) and Steve Weiner (right) viewing a Design Architect schematic (right) and a Board Station RE circuit board (left).
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A gazebo on the pond of the Mentor campus offers a quiet setting for employees to enjoy in a relaxed atmosphere.