Integrated Passive Component Technology

Citation

Goosey, M. (2004), "Integrated Passive Component Technology", Circuit World, Vol. 30 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2004.21730aae.001

Integrated Passive Component Technology

Integrated Passive Component Technology

Richard K. Ulrich and Leonard W. Schaper (Eds)

University of ArkansasIEEE Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology SocietyIEEE Press, Wiley-Interscience,A John Wiley & Sons PublicationISBN: 0-471-24431-7Year of Publication: 2003

Keywords: Integrated, Passives

At the outset of this review it is important to state both how timely the publication of this book is and how useful it will be for all those having an interest or involvement with the circuit board industry, whether they are designers, fabricators, assemblers or end-users. This is a large and detailed work of some 380 pages and 14 chapters, which brings together a huge amount of valuable information. Richard "Rick" Ulrich has not only edited this very important work, but also played his part in contributing to over half of the book as well. There is also an impressive list of additional contributors from the USA, Canada and Belgium, which helps to ensure good coverage of all the important subject areas. At the time of writing of this review (June 2003), the book is still with the printers, although when this review is published it should be widely available and I am indebted to Rick and the publishers for getting me a pre-production copy for review in time to appear in this special issue of Circuit World, which appropriately is also focussing on embedded passives. It is also worth noting that two of the contributors to this book have papers published in this issue.

So, to the book itself. The authors have given themselves the clear objective in this work of providing an overview of the technology, potential applications, motivations and problems associated with integrating passive components such as resistors, capacitors and inductors into circuit boards. The book is primarily aimed at engineers or scientists working in industry who are seeking to learn more about the possibilities offered by integrating components into specific product types. Because the integration of passives onto ceramic substrates is an established technology that has been used successfully for many years, this work focuses on organic substrate materials, where the technology is both relatively new and also rapidly evolving.

The book begins, not surprisingly, with an introductory chapter, which outlines the issues and topics that are covered in more detail in subsequent chapters. In this way, once the reader has completed chapter 1, it is possible to move on to any of the remaining chapters in order of personal interest. There is also a plentiful supply of references at the end of each chapter, which provide the more inquisitive reader with a good source of additional information.

Taking the book on a chapter-by-chapter basis, it flows relatively logically from the introduction into two chapters on resistors covering the characteristics and performance of planar resistors as well as integrated resistor materials and processes. The following seven chapters are then devoted to a more detailed exposition on various aspects of integrated capacitor technology. That seven chapters are devoted to capacitors, compared to the two for resistors, is perhaps an indication of both the relative complexity of the topic and the fact that there are many more potential issues to be addressed with capacitors and their integration. Topics covered in detail include, materials, size and configuration issues, processing, defects and yield issues, electrical performance and the important topic of decoupling. The book then moves on to a single, albeit relatively long chapter specifically dedicated to integrated inductors, while the following chapter covers the modelling of integrated inductors and resistors for microwave applications. The final three chapters cover other applications and integration technologies, the economics of embedded passives and the future for this technology.

This review has been conducted on an unbound pre-production copy of the book and so it is not possible to comment on the quality of the final commercially available item but, based on the contents, I have no reason to doubt that it will be produced to the usual high standards of this publisher. When reviewing a technical book of this type, the reviewer is always expected to highlight any deficiencies in order to give a balanced perspective. In this case, I struggled to find any negatives that could really be justified. Maybe there could have been more on embedded resistors and I would have liked to have seen more about existing and proposed embedded passives specifications such as those from the IPC. However, these are no more than preferences and in no way constitute a significant criticism.

To summarise, this book is, as far as I am aware, unique in its coverage of a very important new technology area and one which will be a key enabler for future generations of electronic products. The book is comprehensive, well written and illustrated and will provide an essential guide both for those who wish to consider the possibility of using embedded passives in their products and those who have a broader interest in the evolution of interconnection and component technology. Richard Ulrich and Leonard Schaper are to be congratulated on putting together such an interesting and useful book; I whole-heartedly recommend it.

Martin GooseyShipley Europe LtdJune 2003