Fine lined? Multilayered? Highly dense with IC packages on top? Flex offers an array of choices with a growing number of benefits. For managing high temperatures successfully, reducing weight and space and saving on assembly costs, flex can be the answer you've been searching for. Learn about new manufacturing technologies, high density flex and applications at the IPC International Conference on Flexible Circuits being held February 12-13, 2008, in Phoenix, Ariz.

Flex circuits are now being used in high volume consumer applications and high reliability medical solutions. No other conference provides so much timely information on the amazing potential of flex.

Registration Information
Please pre-register by February 8, 2008, to secure your seat at this event, or you can register on-site. Complete the registration form and fax or mail to IPC. The technical conference and tabletop displays will be held on February 13, 2008. Please see the conference agenda for specific times. For more information, or if the registration deadline has passed, contact an IPC registration representative at +1 847-597-2861 or send an e-mail to registration@ipc.org.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations received before February 11, 2008 will be refunded in full. Refunds will not be issued after the start of the program. Individuals failing to cancel will be billed for the registration fee. If the events are cancelled, participants will receive a full refund. If you are unable to attend, you may send a co-worker in your place.

Location and Hotel Accommodation

The educational courses and technical conference will take place at the Grace Inn Phoenix, 10831 S. 51st Street, Phoenix, AZ. To reserve your room, contact the hotel directly at +1 800-843-6010 and ask for the IPC conference rate of $99 (single/double) per night. Rate is subject to change after January 7, 2008.

Tabletop Exhibits

At this year's conference, we expect more than 100 attendees to visit the tabletop display area during the conference breaks and lunches on February 13, 2008. For pricing information and tabletop application here(.pdf).

Media Sponsor

PCBs are the electrical interconnection platform for nearly every electronic product. This tutorial provides a detailed overview of this indispensable technology. It reviews the materials and processes that comprise the wide array of electronic interconnection substrates used today — and explains why they were chosen. You will learn about multilayer, metal core, embossed, flexible and rigid-flex circuits and much more. Discussions will also include newer HDI/microvia and embedded passives technologies, new PCB design concepts and a brief look at the impact of lead free on PCB manufacturing. Join us for this tutorial, and benefit from a solid overview of key fundamentals.

What you will learn

• History of PCBs
• Material and finish choices — what and why
• PCB structures – MLB, flex, MIDs, etc.
• HDI manufacturing processes
• New developments

Who Should Attend
This subject matter is of value to anyone in the electronics industry needing a better understanding of PCBs. Material suppliers, PCB designers and buyers will particularly benefit.

About the Instructor

Joseph Fjelstad is the, founder of Verdant Electronics and co-founder of SiliconPipe. Fjelstad is a recognized authority in the field of electronic interconnections with more than 35 years of experience. He has written or authored several books and writes monthly interconnection technology-related columns for industry magazines. Fjelstad is also a prodigious inventor, having more than 170 U.S. patents either issued or pending. He is a recipient of the IPC Presidents Award. Results of an industry poll recognized him as one the most influential persons in the electronics interconnection industry.

Flexible circuitry, the original printed circuit, continues fast-paced advances as products shrink and performance expands. Flex is a top enabling technology for a wide range of electronics, especially portable consumer products. Flex delivers the highest interconnect density system in an extremely thin, lightweight, pliable and durable format.

Materials uniqueness is an important reason for the excellent cost/performance value of flex and this will be covered in detail. Flex is halogen free and easily handles high temperature lead-free solders. All flex materials, including Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP), will be described and compared. Both standard and newer processes are covered, including laser machining and fluid jetting (inkjet). Also discussed will be RFID products and the emerging area of "flexible electronics" (organic/plastic electronics).

Additional topics will include special properties and unique characteristics of flex dielectrics, metal conductors, polymer inks. We'll compare flex to rigid PCBs and point out where each is best suited. Join us to learn more about this powerful and enabling technology.

What You Will Learn

• The fundamentals of flexible circuitry
• Advantages and limitations
• Flex materials: base films, conductors, finishes, masks, coverlayers, and backers
• Adhesiveless vs. laminates
• Think in 3-dimensional
• Dynamic vs. flex to install
• Assembly: SMT, COB, TAB and Flip Chip
• The total cost picture
• Newer areas: RFID tags and printed (organic/plastic) electronics

Who Should Attend

Technical and marketing managers, designers, material suppliers, circuit fabricators, test engineers and assembly personnel in the general printed circuit field. IC fabricators, electronic package designers and technologists will also benefit.

About the Instructor

Dr. Ken Gilleo holds a Ph.D. in chemistry earned under a full NASA scholarship at UCONN. He has developed new products for 30 years and is an inventor in electronics, circuitry, materials and packaging with 30 U.S. patents. His products have received three R&D 100 Awards. Dr. Gilleo has authored over 500 papers, presentations and workshops. His 7th and 8th books: MEMS/MOEMS Packaging and Industrial Forensics will be published in 2005. He gained flex experience while heading R&D at Sheldahl, Poly-Flex Circuits, and Tessera. Ken is CEO of ET-Trends LLC, a consulting, electronic package design, and IP firm dedicated to Emerging Technologies. He is an active member of IEEE and is vice president of technical programs for the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA).

Flexible circuitry remains the most versatile and valuable interconnection system in electronics today. Flex — the "hidden" enabler — makes tens of thousands of products possible.

We will discuss the flex attributes of high density, remarkable durability, designed flexibility, extreme thinness, and exceptional thermal resistance. Flex-based packages offer efficient miniaturization, lightness and durability while providing 3D configurability for stacked multi-chip modules. Flex packages include CSPs, WLCSPs, Chip-on-Flex, TAB, Tape Carrier Packages, microBGAs, TapeBGAs, FlexBGAs and folded arrays. Find out why flex, the original chip carrier, has the highest performance.

But flex is a paradox! Products range from expensive complex military to the world's lowest cost PCBs using polymers instead of copper. We'll compare traditional copper-flex to efficient Polymer Thick Film (PTF) now used to make value-maximized keyboards, calculators, medical sensors, and RFID tags. Solderless assemblies are included.

This workshop will examine dozens of fascinating flex examples and samples — from inner (implantable) to outer (aerospace), along with biggest (ECHO), longest (Space Station), farthest (Mars Rover), and emerging flexible electronics.

What You Will Learn

• Overview of flex materials & processes
• Dynamic flex for "motion electronics"
• Flex in portable products
• Flex packages; TAB, Flex-BGAs Flip Chip-on-Flex, CSPs and 3D Multi-chip
• High performance Flex; TBGAs, FlexBGAs, TAB, integrated TAB
• Polymer Thick Film (PTF) applications
• RFID Tag choices; metal vs. PTF
• "Flexible Electronics"; printed transistors

Who Should Attend

Technical and marketing managers, designers, circuit fabricators, test engineers and assembly personnel in the general printed circuit field should attend. IC fabricators, equipment suppliers, electronic package designers, material scientists and most technologists will benefit.

About the Instructor

Dr. Ken Gilleo holds a Ph.D. in chemistry earned under a full NASA scholarship at UCONN. He has developed new products for 30 years and is an inventor in electronics, circuitry, materials and packaging with 30 U.S. patents. His products have received three R&D 100 Awards. Dr. Gilleo has authored over 500 papers, presentations and workshops. His 7th and 8th books: MEMS/MOEMS Packaging and Industrial Forensics will be published in 2005. He gained flex experience while heading R&D at Sheldahl, Poly-Flex Circuits, and Tessera. Ken is CEO of ET-Trends LLC, a consulting, electronic package design, and IP firm dedicated to Emerging Technologies. He is an active member of IEEE and is vice president of technical programs for the Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA).

Understanding the intricate nature of materials and processes is critical to ensuring highly reliable performance of printed wiring boards. In this workshop, you will gain insights and get recommendations on the desmear and metallization of flexible, rigid-flex and high-performance rigid materials. Direct metallization will be compared and contrasted to conventional electroless copper systems. Best practices with respect to imaging and electroplating of metallized substrates will be discussed in detail. Surface finish issues will be discussed in the context of improved solderability. Finally, performance and process-related issues with respect to liquid photoimageable soldermasks and flexible coverlayers will be presented. Join us for this enlightening workshop!

What You Will Learn

• Overview of desmear of flexible materials
  • Alkaline permanganate
  • Plasma
• Metallization of flexible substrates
  • Overview of electroless copper
  • Direct metalization for flex
  • Critical success factors
  • Reel to reel and continuous processing
• Electroplating for flex
  • Surface prep
  • Plating processes
• Solderable Finishes

Who Should Attend

Anyone involved in the design, fabrication and assembly of flex circuits will benefit. In addition, those involved in specifying or purchasing these types of circuits will gain knowledge, as well.

About the Instructor

Michael Carano is vice president of technical operations for Electrochemicals, Inc. He is a member of and a teacher for the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society. He has authored numerous articles in the areas of copper plating, tin plating, PCB technologies, and analytical control of electroplating baths. He is also on the IPC Board of Directors.

What are the critical success factors for a defect-free PWB fabrication process and maximum long-term reliability? This course tackles the answers! Join us for this half-day workshop and gain the process-technology know-how you need to improve the yield, quality and reliability of complex printed wiring boards. Emphasis is on identifying and preventing defects with respect to electroless copper and direct metallization, electroplating, drilling and multilayer fabrication. The most common PWB defects will be presented, and corrective action and preventive steps will be discussed.

What You Will Learn

• Lamination and other multiplayer related defects
• Electrodeposition defects: mouse bites, pitting, nodules, crown or dome plating, dog bone defects
• Copper plating reliability
• How to improve plating distribution and throwing power
• Metallization: microvoids/voiding, interconnect separation, hole wall pullaway, glass
• coverage, metalizing
• High performance resins, wedge voids
• Solderability and assembly issues
• Why assemblers want to blame the fabricators for defects
• Black pad phenomenon: new details on its cause and how to eliminate it
• Issues affecting solder hole fill and solder paste spreadability
• Effect of reflow profile and flux on solderability
• Imaging: defects, surface preparation, soldermask issues and defects, process control

Who Should Attend

Management, engineers, technicians, project managers, purchasing managers, QA engineers, researchers and others involved in forming and implementing lead free finish and solder manufacturing strategies.

About the Instructor

Michael Carano is vice president of technical operations for Electrochemicals, Inc. He is a member of and a teacher for the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society. He has authored numerous articles in the areas of copper plating, tin plating, PCB technologies, and analytical control of electroplating baths. He is also on the IPC Board of Directors.

Looking for Savings?

• Early Registration - Register by January 14, 2008, and save an additional 10% off of the prices shown below.
• Group Discount - Register three individuals from your company at the same time and receive the fourth
  registration FREE. * Note: The discount will apply to the lowest cost registration.