Topics Library - Contents
Topic are stand-alone elements of teaching material that are likely to be used in more than one unit, module or course. Students are welcome to browse through the contents and refer to any item. As authors develop new items, this list will grow.
GENERAL TOPICS
- Glossary of terms used in electronics
- Using mind-mapping
- Using web resources
- Local computer certification
DESIGN ISSUES IN ELECTRONICS
- Effect of component choice on board design
- Guide to using graphicode GC-Prevue
- New product introduction tools
- The DfX concept
- Demonstration of aliasing of a sinusoidal signal
- FIR digital filter applet
ELECTRONICS MATERIALS
Basic principles of materials
- Coefficient of thermal expansion
- Conductors and insulators
- Dielectric properties
- Elastic, viscous and viscoelastic materials
- Mechanical properties of metals
- Metals basics
- Microstructure of surfaces
- Stress and its effect on metals
- Stress caused by thermal mismatch
- The ‘homologous’ temperature
Electronic materials and components
- A component review
- Ceramic components
- Ceramics and glasses
- Classes of component
- Die bond materials
- Electrolytic capacitors
- Film processes for polymers
- Getting the right part
- Inductive components
- Introduction to components
- Other passive components
- Polymer basics
- Polymer materials and properties
- Polymer types
- Semiconductor packages
Printed circuit boards
- Alternative board materials
- Application methods and their influence on solder mask processing
- Basic board materials
- Selecting a board finish
- Conductor finishes: nickel-gold
- Conductor finishes: tin-lead
- Immersion silver
- Immersion tin
- Organic board coatings
- Properties of laminates
- Solder mask design basics
- Track resistance
ELECTRONICS MANUFACTURE
Assembly processes
- Component insertion
- ICT fixtures
- Intrusive reflow
- Panels and de-panelling
- Repair and rework
- Selective machine soldering
- SM component placement
- Solder paste printing
- The in-circuit test sequence
- Wave soldering
Common processes
- Dispensing
- Is your board clean?
- Making mouldings
- Photoimaging
- Plating
- Polymer health and safety issues
- Screen and stencil printing
- To clean, or not to clean?
- Underfilling
ESD control
Semiconductor back-end processes
- Alternatives for die separation
- Bonding to the chip face
- Plastic encapsulation for semiconductors
- Semiconductor assembly practice
- Semiconductor back-grinding
- Semiconductor die bonding
- Semiconductor die separation
- Semiconductor finishing processes
Soldering
- Changes in solderability with time
- Fluxes for soldering
- Holes and voids
- How joints are made
- Intermetallics
- J alloy
- Other solder-related failure causes
- Pad design
- Pin witness
- Practical solder paste issues
- Reflow soldering
- SIR
- Solder materials
- Solder paste basics
- Solder paste characteristics
- Solder skips
- Solderability
- Solderability testing
- Surface flatness
- Surface tension effects
- Surface wettability
- Tombstoning
- Traditional solder materials
- Wave soldering problems
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
- An ISO 14001 overview
- Assembly waste
- Board fabrication issues
- Cleaning
- Flame retardancy additives
- Life cycle thinking
- Making green choices
- PCB recycling issues
- Reuse and recycling
- Sustainable development
- The use of energy
- Volatile Organic compounds (VOCs)
Interconnection methods
- Beam leads
- The chip-scale package
- Conductive inserts
- Conductive resin alternatives
- Connecting to PCBs
- Crimping
- Flexible and flex-rigid circuits
- Flip-chips
- Gluing components
- Hermetic encapsulation
- High-density interconnect
- Inert soldering
- Insulation-displacement connectors
- Press-fit connectors
- Tape automated bonding
- Thick film technology
- Wire wrapping
- Wires matter
SIGNAL INTEGRITY & ELECTROMAGNET COMPATIBILITY (EMC)
- The Gradient of an electrostatic field
- Electrostatic divergence
- Electromagnetic Radiation and PCB Design
MANAGEMENT ISSUES
- Benchmarking
- Change management
- Concurrent engineering
- Learning curves
- MRP
- Poka-yoke
- Requirements for an efficient NPI process
- Risk management
MODELLING
- Choosing a model
- Linear and non-linear models
- Pitfalls of modelling
- Representing space and time in a numerical model
PHYSICS FUNDAMENTALS
- Adhesion
- Atoms and bonding
- Conducting heat file ??? 0207_ch missing
- Effects at liquid surfaces
- Viscosity and flow
RELIABILITY ISSUES AND FAILURE MECHANISMS
- Assessing product reliability
- Board failures
- Conductive Anodic Filaments - the CAF mechanism
- Corrosion
- Derating
- Failure through electrical stress
- Electrical protection
- Electromigration
- Estimating time-to-fail
- Failure due to humidity
- Failure in solder joints
- Failure mechanisms in ceramic capacitors
- Failure mechanisms in other components
- Failure rate and MTBF - ?? file 0185_frm missing
- Track resistance
- Hermetic package failure
- Humidity protection
- Improving reliability by screening
- Ingress protection
- Failure for mechanical reasons
- Modelling failure rate
- Moisture absorption
- Protecting against mechanical failure
- Simulating the real world in the test house
- The “real world”
- Tin pest
- Tin whiskers
- Introduction to failure mechanisms - what is a failure?
Updated 15.10.07 RA