For those who missed last week’s Apex/Expo conference (which is almost all of you), here’s a look at the technical conference:

IPC Printed Circuits Apex Expo 2010

Production of Flexible Circuits in Reel-to-Reel Horizontal Production Systems — Stephan Kenny, Atotech

A New System for Automatically Registering and Exposing Solder Mask and Other Photopolymeric Materials Requiring High Energy Lamp Sources — Lionel Fullwood, WKK Distribution Ltd.

Toughened Laminates for Printed Circuit Boards: Correlation of Drillability to Material Properties — Lameck Banda, Dow Chemical

Lead-free Flux Technology and Influence on Cleaning — Ning-Cheng Lee, Indium

Selecting Cleaning Processes for Electronics Defluxing: Total Cost of Ownership — Mike Savidakis,Petroferm

Validity of the IPC R.O.S.E. Method 2.3.25 Researched — Mike Bixenman, D.B.A., Kyzen Corporation

The Use of Inkjet Printing Technology for Fabricating Electronic Circuits: The Promise and the Practical — Thomas Sutter, Dow Electronic Materials

Industrial PCB Development using Embedded Passive & Active Discrete Chips Focused on Process and DfR — Arnaud Grivon, Thales Corporate Services, France

A Novel Primer Coating on Organic Substrate for Reliable Inkjet Printed Circuit — Minsu (Tim) Lee,, Doosan Corp. Electro-Materials BG, South Korea

PCB Design and Assembly for Flip-Chip and Die Size — Vern Solberg, STC-Madison

The Universal PCB Design Grid System — Tom Hausherr, Valor Computerized Systems

A Strategy for Via Connections in Embedded Sheet Capacitance Design — J. Lee Parker, JLP

Lead-Free Acceleration Factors: Overview, Testing and Validation — Jean-Paul Clech, Ph.D., EPSI

Solder Creep-Fatigue Model Parameters for SAC & SnAg Lead-Free Solder Joint Reliability Estimation — Werner Engelmaier, Engelmaier Associates

Nanotechnology for Lead-Free PWB Final Finishes with Organic Metal — Jim Kenny, Enthone Cookson

Comparison of the Electrochemical and Physical Properties of Nanocrystalline Copper Deposition in the Fabrication of Printed Wiring Boards — David Lee, Johns Hopkins University

Chemical “Kick Start” for the Autocatalytic Formaldehyde-Free Electroless Copper Plating Process — Tafadzwa Magaya, Atotech Deutschland, Germany

OA Flux Cleaning Studies on Highly Dense Advanced Packages Parameters . Mike Bixenman, D.B.A., Kyzen

Case Study – “Limitations of DI-Water Cleaning Processes” Umut Tosun, ZESTRON America

Copper Pad Dissolution and Microstructure Analysis of Reworked Plastic Grid Array Assemblies — Beverley Christian, RIM

Robust Automated Void Detection in Solder Balls and Joints — Bonnie Bennett, Intel Corporation

Advances in Automatic Monitoring of Stencil Printing Processes — Dick Johnson, DEK International

Zoom Fixtures for ATE — Gary St. Onge, Everett Charles Technologies

Investigation of Process Feasibility / Compatibility and Solder Joint Reliability of Tin-Lead Dippable Solder Paste Ball Grid Array (BGA) Component Rework/Repair — David Hillman, Rockwell Collins Douglas Pauls, Rockwell Collins

NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Project: Mechanical Shock Test — Thomas Woodrow, Ph.D., Boeing

Copper Tin Intermetallic Crystals and Their Role in the Formation of Microbridges Between the Leads of Hand-Reworked Fine-Pitch Components — Jeff Kukelhan, BAE

The Challenges of Counterfeit Components — Hal Rotchadl, Premier Semiconductor Services

The Black Swan Effect in Military Applications — Jack Stradley, Rochester Electronics LLC

Conformal Coatings for Tin Whisker Risk Management — William Fox, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control

Effect of Soldering Method, Temperature, and Humidity on Whisker Growth in the Presence of Flux Residues — Keith Sweatman, Nihon Superior Co., Ltd., Japan

Bridging Supply Chain Gap for Exempt High-Reliability OEMs — Hal Rotchadl, Premier Semiconductor Services

Benefits and Limitations of Universal, Low Pin-Count Automated Test Equipment for Printed Circuit Assemblies — Heiko Ehrenberg, GOEPEL Electronics LLC

A Flexible Fixturing System for In-Circuit Test of High Node-Count Circuit Boards — Robert Jukna, Jabil

Effective Transition of Electronics Production Between Manufacturing Sites — Paul Novak, Delphi Corporation

Migrating from Paper to Interactive Paperless Work Instructions — John Stimadorakis, ScanCAD International, Inc.

Telecommunications Case Studies Address Head-In-Pillow (HNP) Defects and Mitigation through Assembly Process Modifications and Control — Russell Nowland, Alcatel-Lucent

Addressing the Challenge of Head-In-Pillow Defects in Electronics Assembly — Mario Scalzo, Indium Corporation

Thermal Effects on PCB Laminate Material Dielectric Constant and Dissipation Factor — Scott Hinaga, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Impact of Moisture Content on Printed Circuit Board Laminate Thermal Properties — Bhanu Sood, Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, UMD

Assessment of Moisture Content Measurement Methods for Printed Circuit Boards — Christopher Hunt, Ph.D., National Physical Laboratory, UK

Understanding SIR — Eric Bastow, Indium Corporation

Effects of Solder Mask on Electrochemical Migration of Tin-Lead and Lead-Free Boards — Xiaofei He, University of Maryland

Solder Paste Residue Corrosivity Assessment: Bono Test — Celine Puechagut, Inventec

Photochemical Machining (PCM) for Cost-effective, Rapid Production — David Allen, Cranfield University

Photochemical Machining and Photoetching: What Can It Do For You? — Mike Lynch, United Western Enterprises Inc.

Precision Parts Made by Photochemical Machining — Anthony Marrett, PrecisionMicro Ltd

Selection of Dip Transfer Fluxes and Solder Pastes for PoP Assembly — Ning-Cheng Lee, Indium Corporation of America

PCB Assembly System Set-Up for PoP –Gerry Padnos, Juki Automation Systems

Embedded Packaging Technologies: Embedding Components to Meet Form, Fit, and Function — Casey Cooper, STI Electronics, Inc.

Printable Materials and Devices for Electronic Packaging — Rabindra Das, Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.

Improvements in Microwave Laminates for Power Amplifier Reliability and Efficiency — George Kang, Arlon-MED

Effects of Moisture Content on Permittivity and Loss Tangent of Printed Circuit Board Materials — Bhanu Sood, Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering, UMD

Low Loss & Novel Halogen-Free Laminates for High-Frequency Device Applications — Anderson Cheng,, ITEQ Corporation

Determining Dielectric Properties of High Frequency PCB Laminate Materials — John Coonrod, Rogers Corporation

Design to Manufacturing Standards – What’s Now; What’s New, What’s Next? — Dieter Bergman, IPC

IPC/JEDEC J-STD-609A, Marking and Labeling of Components, PCBs and PCBAs to Identify Lead (Pb), Lead-Free (Pb-Free) and Other Attributes — Fern Abrams, IPC, Jack McCullen, Intel, Lee Wilmot, TTM Technologies, Inc.

The Value of IPC-2152 — Michael Jouppi, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company

IPC-2221, Keeping Pace with the Times — Gary Ferrari, FTG Circuits

Thermal Cycling Reliability Screening of Multiple Pb-free Solder Ball Alloys — Joe Smetana, Alcatel-Lucent

Achieving High-Reliability, Low-Cost Lead-Free SAC Solder Joints Via Mn Or Ce Doping — Ning-Cheng Lee, Indium Corporation of America

Low-Silver BGA Assembly Phase II-Reliability Assessment Fifth Report: Preliminary Thermal Cycling Results — Chrys Shea, Shea Engineering Services

Module Assembly Process Panel — Dongkai Shangguan,, Flextronics Corporate Technology Group

Module Assembly Material — Steven Greene, STR

Module Assembly Equipment — Patrick Hofer-Noser, 3S Industries AG

Module Assembly Standards — David Torp, IPC- Association Connecting Electronics Industries

Module Certification — Richard Bozicevich, TUV Rheinland Photovoltaic Testing Laboratory

Creep Corrosion of OSP and ImAg PWB Finishes — Chen Xu, Lucent Technologies

An Investigation into Hand Sanitizers and Hand Lotions and Potential Risks to High Performance Electronics — Douglas Pauls, Rockwell Collins

Relationship of Via Size and Cleanliness –Eric Camden, Foresite

Where are REACH SVHC in Electronic Products and Parts? — Walter Jager, Intertek

Round Robin Testing in Support of IPC J-STD-709 Combustion: Sample Preparation Methods for Ion Chromatography Analysis of Br and Cl — Javier Falcon,, Intel Corporation

Effect of Board Clamping System on Solder Paste Print Quality — Rita Mohanty,Speedline Technologies, Inc

Stencil Design Considerations to Improve Drop Test Performance — Jeff Schake, DEK USA Inc.

Fighting the Undesirable Effects of Thermal Cycling — Gabe Cherian, Cherian LLC

Comparative Analysis of Solder Joint Degradation Using RF Impedance and Event Detectors — Michael Azarian,, University of Maryland

Poor Metrology: The Hidden Cost — Michael Cieslinski, Panasonic Factory Solutions Company of America

Using DMAIC Methodology for MLP Reflow Process Optimization — Dennis Lang, Fairchild Semiconductor

Head-On-Pillow Defect – A Pain in the Neck or Head-On-Pillow — BGA Solder Defect Chris Oliphant, Research in Motion Ltd., Canada

A Novel Approach to Experimentally Create and Mitigate Head-in-Pillow Defects — Guhan Subbarayan, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Challenges Toward Implementing a Halogen-Free PCB Assembly Process — Chris Anglin, Indium Corporation of America

A Novel Halogen-Free Material for High Speed PCB — Minsu (Tim) Lee,, Doosan Corp. Electro-Materials BG, South Korea

Halogen-Free Flame Retardant Epoxy Resins — Edward Peters, Sabic Innovative Plastics

Stencil Options for Printing Solder Paste for 0.3 mm Pitch CSPs and 01005 Chip Components — William Coleman, Photo Stencil Inc.

Effect of Squeegee Blade on Solder Paste Print Quality — Rita Mohanty, Speedline Technologies, Inc

Stencil Printing Transfer Efficiency of Circular vs. Square Apertures with the Same Solder Paste Volume — Chris Anglin, Indium

Drop Test Performance of Medium Complexity Lead-Free Board After Assembly and Rework — Jason Bragg, Celestica Inc.

Pad Cratering Evaluation of PCB — Dongji Xie, Flextronics International USA

Effect of Environmental Stress and Bias Conditions on Reliability of Embedded Planar Capacitors — Mohammed Alam, University of Maryland

Basic PCB Level Assembly Process Methodology for 3-D Package-on-Package — Vern Solberg, STC-Madison

Designing the PCB for Efficient Pop Underfill — Brad Perkins, Asymtek

Reliability Evaluation of One-Pass and Two-Pass Techniques of Assembly for Package-on-Packages under Torsion Loads
Vikram Srinivas, Center for Advance Life Cycle Engineering

Progress in Developing Industry Standard Test Requirements for Solder Alloys — Kristen Troxel, Hewlett-Packard Company

Characterizing the Lead-Free Impact on PCB Pad Craters — Brian Roggeman, Universal Instruments Corporation

Challenges in Reflow Profiling Large & High Density Ball Grid Array (BGA) Packages Using Backward Compatible Assembly Processes — Raiyomand Aspandiar, Intel Corporation and Robert Kinyanjui, Sanmina-SCI