TeamChem Material's 75°C-lamination Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) is a product that can be used in low-temperature (75-100°C) hot bar lamination. After the lamination, the product offers low electrical impedance and high stability. The product allows conductivity when applied in z-direction, but provides insulation when applied in either x- or y-direction.Since other existing ACFs in the market work only within 150-180°C, many newly developed materials or manufacturing processes have failed or seen low yield rates due to problems caused by the high-temperature operations. TeamChem has made a breakthrough: its advanced material technology has succeeded in producing an AFC that allows lamination to be done at temperatures as low as 75°C, far lower than the temperature levels where plastics deform. For example, it can replace the pewter fusion process in the production of film-type touch panels and smartphone-use plastic camera lenses. It can also be used to laminate FPC with liquid lens modules. It also provides a solution to the bonding of touch sensors' HD films, a process that cannot be easily done using existing commercial ACF. Depending on the pressure level and the time spent during hot press, TeamChem's N Series ACF can be adjusted to work within 75-100°C, effectively improving production yield rates. It can be applied to newly developed low-temperature processes.When applying ACF, it is important to choose the right film thickness. Appropriate ACF film thickness is critical to achieving stable lamination. In theory, ACF's thickness should be around half of the combined thickness of the circuits on both the top and bottom substrates. If it's too thin, the film will not be able fill up the gaps between the circuits, resulting in unstable lamination. If it's too thick, resin overflow will occur during hot press, trapping bubbles between circuits and resulting in poor conductivity. For example, a 20 μm layer of circuits on the flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) and a 0.5μm ITO layer on the glass have a combined thickness of 20.5 μm. During hot press, ACF will fill up the gaps between the layers and therefore, the appropriate amount of resin should be half of the combined thickness. In this case, it is 20.5 divided by 2, and it roughly equals to 10. Since the spacing between the top and bottom layers is usually about 5μm, therefore, by adding up the two numbers - 10 and five - we arrive at 15 μm, which is the most appropriate film thickness.Choosing the right substrates is also important. When the substrate is a FPCB, a flexible, thin substrate should be chosen to avoid any unnecessary stress at connecting points. This is to guarantee stability at the connecting points. The surface of the circuits must also be smooth, or conductivity will be affected.If necessary, a two-stage hot press process will be needed for the hot-bar lamination using the 75°C ACF. The first stage of the hot press requires thermal pads to spread pressure evenly to avoid bubbles from forming. One can adopt either of the following settings for the hot press: 100°C x 3.0 kg/cm2 x 6 seconds, or 75°C x 3.0 kg/cm2 x 12 seconds. During the second stage, the thermal pads need to be removed to concentrate the pressure on protruding connection points to enable their better contact with the conductive particles. For the second stage, one can choose the same hot press settings as those in the first stage: 100°C x 3.0 kg/cm2 x 6 seconds or 75°C x 3.0 kg/cm2 x 12 seconds.It is also important to choose the right thermal pads. Thermal pads are used mainly to spread pressure evenly on the hot press surface, avoiding the pressure from concentrating only on the circuit areas and leaving non-circuit areas with almost no pressure. If no or little pressure is exerted on the non-circuit areas, bubbles may not be removed. Therefore, one should choose soft-type thicker (for example, 0.4mm) thermal pads.Furthermore, attention must be given to maintaining a dry environment when storing and working with the product. ACF's hygroscopic characteristic is the main reason for bubbles to form during hot press. While the problem arising from the hygroscopic characteristic is unavoidable, one needs to try to minimize it. While doing hot press, one must avoid water vaporizing, which occurs in high temperatures for a long period of time. If hot press is done in higher temperatures, one must reduce the duration of the process, or bubbles will form.Most traditional ACFs uses uniform-sized nickel-gold resin balls to act as their conductive particles. However, TeamChem's 75°C ACF adopts a filamentary nickel powder with particles of various sizes and shapes. This gives advantages over traditional ACFs. First, the requirements for smoothness and thickness uniformity of the lamination substrates' surfaces are less strict than the traditional ACFs, greatly raising the possibility of it replacing connectors. Second, the filamentary nickel powder does not break under high pressure, making it less sensitive to pressure variations during hot press.TeamChem's ACF features a bonding strength (90°-peel) at about 400-800 N/m, enabling highly stable conductivity. It does not break off under normal operating conditions. For general storage, refrigeration is essential - the lower the storing temperature, the longer the product life. The operation and storage environments must avoid high temperatures and humidity, and if it needs to be reworked, it may be cleaned with acetone.The direction of the electric current in TeamChem 75°C ACF

IPC stands for Industrial PC, a kind of device that brings computing power into all the numerous areas where it's needed, but where deploying a consumer-grade laptop or desktop simply don't do. Industrial PCs usually consist of a compact steel box with cooling fins to eliminate the need for a potentially troublesome fan, and with embedded industrial-grade systems circuitry inside.Though compact, most IPCs are fairly heavy and bulky. Not so Advantech's ARK-1122 embedded Box PC.Introduced in April 2013, Advantech calls the ARK-1122 "palm-size" and that's not just marketing hype. This little Box PC measures just 5.3 x 3.7 inches and it's about 1.7 inches tall. So if a Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone fits into a palm, then the ARK-122 Box PC does, too, because it's actually not even as long as the Galaxy S4. That is tiny for an industrial-grade, industrial-strength PC.Yet, despite its comparatively tiny size, the ARK-1122 is a full-function PC. It runs Windows Embedded Standard 7 (or also Windows 7 Pro) on a 1.86GHz Intel Atom N2800 dual-core processor, providing performance that not so long ago was only available through Intel's high-end mobile processors. And despite the small size, the ARK-1122 has full-size, industry-standard ports and jacks, and not the fragile mini and micro versions of them. It doesn't use much power either. The Atom N2800 processor has a Thermal Design Power rating of just 6.5 watts(compared to 15 to 45 watts for mobile Intel Core processors), and only 3.5 watts for the also available 1.6GHz Atom N2600 processor. That means no fan, a small power supply, and economical operation.ARK-1122 industrial Box PC

The FPM-7181W and FPM-7211W are 18.5" and 21" widescreen multi-touch truly flat panel monitors, specifically designed to provide easier operation and boost productivity in manufacturing control environments, building automation and other HMI applications.Designed with the same elegant design as the new widescreen TPC models, the FPM range have an attractive and functional truly flat widescreen and a ratio of 16:9, providing 40% more screen areathan 4:3 displays. In order that the models can be cleaned and operated in a wide range of environments both models are IP65 certified so that they are dust-tight and protected against jets of water. Furthermore, with the addition of four-finger multi-touch capabilities they provide even greater control and viewing of the information shown.As with all Advantech flat-panel monitors these two can be mounted on panels or on walls, providing a range of options for any industrial environment.The FPM-7181W is available now and the FPM-7211W will be available at the end of July.To find out more about how these models can be used in your business, contact your local sales representative or go to http://www.advantech.com/.New 18.5" Widescreen Multi-touch Flat Panel Monitors

Indium Corporation's Mario Scalzo, Senior Technical Support Engineer, will present at the Surface Mount Technology Association's Ohio Valley Expo and Tech Forum, July 11 in Independence, Ohio. Scalzo's presentation, Effects of Thermal Pad Patterning on QFN Voiding, discusses the major challenge of eliminating voids underneath low standoff components. This presentation explores what causes voiding and presents results to help optimize thermal performance and reliability.Scalzo holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Saint Anselm College and a certificate from the American Chemical Society for Professional Education. He is an SMTA-Certified Process Engineer and earned his Six Sigma Black Belt from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College. Scalzo is the author of the Electronics Assembly Materials blog, http://www.indium.com/blogs/Mario-Scalzo-Blog/.The SMTA Ohio Valley chapter is one in a network of chapters across the United States, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. The volunteer officers and leaders of SMTA local chapters plan events serving regional networks of industry professionals. For more information on upcoming expos, visit www.smta.org/expos.Indium Corporation is a premier materials manufacturer and supplier to the global electronics, semiconductor, solar, thin-film and thermal management markets. Products include solders, preforms, and fluxes; brazes; sputtering targets; indium, gallium, and germanium metals and inorganic compounds; and NanoFoil. Founded in 1934, Indium has global technical support and factories located in China, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the USA.For more information about Indium Corporation, visit www.indium.com or email abrown@indium.com.Mario Scalzo, Senior Technical Support Engineer, Indium Corporation

Indium Corporation's Indium8.9HFA Solder Paste is a versatile, halogen-free, Pb-free, solder paste with leading print performance on miniaturized components. Assemblers and OEMs are adopting this remarkable new product at an accelerating pace.Print performance is especially critical for manufacturers of mobile phones and other personal electronics devices as they struggle to contend with sub-8 mil challenges associated with continuing miniaturization in the electronics assembly industry.Indium8.9HFA Solder Paste provides:*Low cost of ownership & high print yields- Unsurpassed transfer efficiency for consistent, full volume print deposits (8 mil) results in reduced frequency of insufficients and high first-pass print yields- Low print pressure and excellent response-to-pause saves time and money on stencils and line changes- Solvent-free dry-wiping reduces costs*Increased throughput- Higher print speed and reduced wipe frequency enables short cycle time, high up-time, and high throughput printingDr. Ning-Cheng Lee, Vice President of Technology for Indium Corporation's Research and Development commented, "Indium8.9HFA represents the culmination of years of research into optimizing rheological properties to obtain the industry's best printing solder paste."Tim Jensen, Product Manager for Indium Corporation's PCB Assembly Materials noted, "The fast ramp of Indium8.9HFA with personal electronics manufacturers is driven by the product's ability to enable high print yields. Customers really value its high throughput performance. We have not seen adoption rates this fast since the introduction of NC-SMQ92J in 1999."Indium8.9HFA Solder Paste is part of Indium Corporation's Indium8.9 series of solder pastes. The series was designed to provide multi-faceted performance characteristics, bringing the right balance of solder paste attributes tailored specifically to customers' manufacturing process. Each paste in the series was developed to optimize print performance and mitigate common defects faced by manufacturers of personal electronics, such as QFN voiding, head-in-pillow, and graping.For more information about Indium8.9HFA or the Indium8.9 series of solder pastes, visit www.indium.com/indium8.9series or email askus@indium.comIndium8.9HFA Solder Paste

Dialog Semiconductor, a provider of highly integrated power management, audio and short-range wireless technologies, announced a new audio codec reference module - based on its DA7321 audio codec - for Freescale Semiconductor's Tower System Development Platform. The DA7321 is part of Freescale's microcontroller (MCU) and microprocessor (MPU) portfolio ecosystem and targets a broad range of audio applications, including small speakers, headphones, docking stations and gaming systems.OEMs can now use Dialog's latest low power audio codec to significantly improve the consumer's audio experience. Dialog's DA7321 codec delivers louder and cleaner audio by using a multi-channel architecture to digitally mix and route multiple audio streams. An on-chip, programmable Digital Signal Processor (DSP) offloads audio software from the host processor, enabling OEMs to benefit from consistent high quality audio. It also eliminates the need to re-encode the audio data in multi-channel applications. By using the DSP to process the audio signal, OEMs developing with the Freescale Tower System will benefit from:-More perceived volume to the audio signal without headphone or speaker distortion;-Psychoacoustic bass boost to improve perceived low frequencies;-Patented SRS SoundTM to improve the audio image size, bass sensation and audio system dynamics.The Freescale Tower System is a modular, expandable, open source development platform for 8, 16 and 32-bit MCUs and MPUs. The interchangeable and reusable modules and open source design files make it easy to customise a product and reduce low level design, giving OEMs more time to focus on creating differentiated solutions.Udo Kratz, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Systems Business Group at Dialog Semiconductor commented, "Freescale is a global leader in processing solutions with a broad portfolio of microprocessors and microcontrollers, offering a unique ecosystem approach for their customers. Dialog is delighted to continue to expand our partnership with Freescale with our latest multi-channel audio codec with dual I2S, which gives OEMs the design flexibility that they need to develop new generations of high performance audio peripherals."Rudan Bettelheim, Audio and Accessories Business Development Manager at Freescale noted, "Dialog is enabling OEMs to build and evaluate innovative new audio accessories quickly, while maximising hardware re-use across their product ranges by providing an optimised audio solution that is supported by the Freescale Tower System."The DA7321 is offered in a 64-pin BGA package with a 0.5mm pitch, with an operating temperature range of -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C, and can be found onboard the new TWR-AUDIO-DA7321 peripheral module for the Freescale Tower System. It is now available through Freescale Buy Direct. Learn more at www.Freescale.com/Tower

Dialog Semiconductor, a provider of highly integrated power management, audio and short-range wireless technologies, announced leading ODM Wistron as its first customer for its SmartWave Multi-Touch Integrated Circuit (MTIC) – part number DA8901. The MTIC is the world's first chip to enable touch technology from FlatFrog in high volume consumer devices. Using edge-to-edge, in-glass infrared light, the system can detect and track multiple touches, gestures and pressures from gloved hands and other objects, providing a premium, true-touch user experience at performance levels surpassing the latest capacitance-based solutions, but at a lower cost.Targeting high volume All-in-One PCs and monitors, Wistron has developed a 23-inch SmartWave-enabled touch module that can be used as a direct one-to-one replacement of today's projected capacitance touch module. This provides OEMs fast-to-market, low risk and low cost multi-touch technology without the need for product re-designs.Currently, other optical-based solutions require an edge bezel and do not meet the performance criteria for Windows 8. The DA8901 MTIC, enabling FlatFrog touch technology, allows OEMs to have edge-to-edge flush solutions without a bezel, which is similar to capacitive touch. However, unlike capacitance-based solutions, there are no expensive ITO layers to impede or distort light from the display. Moreover, the unique ability to detect high resolution pressure opens up new user interface options for GUI navigation and gaming. Combined with a superior viewing experience and the assurance of Windows 8 certification, ODMs and OEMs alike are finally able to increase the market penetration of touch into their lower price-point products without compromising performance.Mark Tyndall, VP Corporate Development and Strategy at Dialog Semiconductor commented, "Less than three months after announcing our first Multi-Touch IC, Dialog is pleased to announce our first ODM customer - an established manufacturer for the world's leading PC brands - and with it, the deployment of Dialog's mixed signal ICs into the exciting new generation of All-in-One PCs and touch monitors. This will help Dialog diversify and expand our addressable market beyond smartphones and tablets and into mass market PCs, including Ultrabooks."David Shen, President of Digital Consumer Business Group at Wistron commented, "As a leading ODM to the world's biggest PC brands, it is vital that Wistron is able to provide our customers with the best technology at the right price point and with the lowest risk. Developed in collaboration with FlatFrog, we expect our latest touch modules, featuring Dialog's MTICs, to deliver a cost-effective touch experience with superior performance. We anticipate first products in-store from January 2014."Dhwani Vyas, CEO FlatFrog Laboratories added, "Today we are launching FlatFrog touch system solutions for high volume desktop, notebook and tablet PCs. This has been made possible through our close collaboration with Dialog and Wistron, who together are ensuring the deployment of our FlatFrog touch technology to the high volume consumer market."MTIC is suitable for today's laptops, All-in-One PCs, Ultrabooks, and monitors and is optimised for displays of between 11 and 36 inches. Supporting up to 40 simultaneous touches, the MTIC uses the proven principles of FlatFrog's patented Planar Scatter Detection (PSD) touch technology to detect changes in infrared light injected into the cover lens of the display and help convert these changes into multi-touch coordinates.A single MTIC has the flexibility to drive up to twelve infrared LEDs directly or provide control for a large number of externally powered LEDs. Each chip is also able to process the signals from up to twelve infrared receivers.A typical Ultrabook, Tablet or All-in-One PC would contain a number of MTICs configured in a master/slave arrangement, catering for a flexible number of screen sizes. The 23-inch touch module from Wistron features ten DA8901 ICs, which provide the necessary performance to meet and exceed Windows 8 certification.The DA8901 comes in a 59 pin, 5.7 x 5.0mm QFN package. Its small footprint and minimal external bill of materials, makes it ideal for mounting alongside the LED emitter and receiver components on a very thin, low cost printed circuit board, located around the edges of the display or mounted on top of the display bezel to provide an edge-to-edge, clean industrial design, ideal for Windows 8 PCs, tablets and Ultrabooks.The DA8901 MTIC will be available in mass production from Q3 2013.

Secutech Thailand, planned for the first week of July, is a critical event for the security, fire and safety industries in Thailand. As a leading showcase of global security manufacturers, Secutech includes exhibitors in every segment of security, from key components, finished products to integration and solutions. The exhibition provides these exhibitors the chance to highlight their offerings to a crucial and growing market, while allowing attendees an overview of upcoming trends in safety and security.This year at Secutech Thailand, EverFocus plans to showcase a complete product lineup, including their comprehensive range of IP, HDcctv, Mobile and Analog Surveillance solutions. Installation based product line and mobile surveillance solutions will also be presented.EverFocus will demonstrate our newest recording products, such as the EPHD04+ compact HDcctv DVR and 960H capable PARAGON960 DVR, aimed at enhancing usability and surveillance quality.For imaging, EverFocus' upgraded network camera range, including award-winning IP cameras targeted at wide range of applications will be showcased, with emphasis on our enhanced third-party software compatibility.The new EDN1000 and EMN2000 series compact fixed domes, for indoor and on-board monitoring applications will also be on display. These cameras provide specialized features targeted especially at mobile applications, including IK10 Rating, IP67 Rating, backup partition, and EN50155 compliance.These devices will be highlighted on-site at EverFocus' booth, F107. EverFocus looks forward to providing you more detail about our products and solutions!Secutech Thailand Info:Date: July 3rd ~ July 5th, 2013Bangkok, ThailandBooth No.: F107

Altera Corporation expanded its FPGA-based solutions targeting smart energy systems by announcing a High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) and Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) reference design targeting smart grid substation automation equipment. Developed jointly with Flexibilis Oy, a provider of networking equipment and technologies for wireless and wired applications, the IEC 62439-3-compliant reference design includes Flexibilis Redundant Switch (FRS) intellectual property (IP) implemented on an Altera low-power, low-cost Cyclone-class FPGA or Cyclone V SoC. The reference design simplifies development and implementation of highly reliable mission-critical communications systems in smart grid substations."A key trend today in developing a smarter power grid is bidirectional communication and real-time control of the equipment in the grid's transmission and distribution substations," said Jason Chiang, senior strategic marketing manager in Altera's Industrial Business Unit. "Our FPGA-based HSR/PRP reference design enables equipment manufactures to build flexibility, performance, reliability and product longevity into their systems while lowering system costs and future proofing designs."The Flexibilis HSR/PRP IP included in the reference design is a triple-speed 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet Layer 2 switch that is scalable from 3 to 8 ports and is compliant with the IEC 62439-3 standard. The IP is optimized for use on an Altera low-power, low-cost Cyclone IV FPGA, Cyclone V FPGA or Cyclone V SoC, which feature an integrated dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor subsystem. Cyclone V SoCs enable customers to reduce component costs by implementing their HSR/PRP switch along with the associated software stacks running on the ARM processor subsystem in the FPGA. For timing synchronization, the HSR/PRP solution supports IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) Version 2. Altera and Flexibilis are showcasing the FPGA-based HSR/PRP reference design in Altera's booth at Embedded World 2013, located in Hall 4, Booth 436."The IEC 62439-3 standard is rapidly evolving, making the flexibility of an FPGA an ideal platform to base our FSR IP on," said Heikki Ala-Juusela, chairman of the board at Flexibilis. "Altera's highly integrated FPGAs and SoCs allow users to reduce their total cost of ownership while at the same time leverage the device's performance to handle Gigabit Ethernet traffic. This HSR/PRP solution ensures designers can future-proof their substation automation systems by ensuring communication with future generations of intelligent electronics devices."The FPGA-based HSR/PRP reference design expands Altera's reach into the smart energy market. Altera's programmable solutions provide developers of smart grid equipment the means to adapt to evolving standards and increase their system's performance and scalability.No-hassle HSR/PRP Ethernet switch on an FPGAAltera and Flexibilis make it easy to implement an FPGA-based HSR/PRP Ethernet switch. Combining Altera FPGAs with the FRS IP provides an easy and cost-effective way to implement highly reliable mission-critical communications systems in smart grid substations by offering no license negotiation, no up-front licensing costs and no per-unit royalty reporting. For additional information regarding Altera's solutions targeting smart grid applications, contact your local Altera sales representative or visit http://www.altera.com/smartgrid.

Linear Technology has announced the LT3081, a rugged 1.5A wide input voltage range linear regulator with key usability, monitoring and protection features. The device has an extended safe operating area (SOA) compared to existing regulators, making it ideal for high input-to-output voltage and high output current applications where older regulators limit the output. The LT3081 uses a current source reference for single resistor output voltage settings and output adjustability down to "0." Output current limit can be set externally with a single resistor. This regulator architecture, combined with low millivolt regulation, enables multiple ICs to be paralleled easily for heat spreading and higher output current. The current from the device's current monitor can be summed with the set current for line-drop compensation, where the output of the LT3081 increases with current to compensate for line drops.The LT3081 achieves unmatched line and load regulation of under 2mV independent of output voltage and features an input voltage range from 1.2V to 40V. The device fits well in applications requiring multiple rails. Output voltage is programmable with a single resistor from 0V to 38.5V with a 1.2V dropout. The on-chip trimmed 50µA current reference is ±1% accurate. The regulation, transient response and output noise (30µVrms) are independent of output voltage due to the device's voltage follower architecture. The LT3081 is configurable as a 2-terminal current source with just two resistors. Input or output capacitors for stability are optional in either linear regulator or current-source mode of operation.The LT3081 provides several monitoring and protection functions. Current limit, accurate to ±10%, can be programmed with a single resistor. Monitor outputs provide a current output proportional to temperature (1µA/°C) and output current (200µA/A), allowing easy ground-based measurement. The current monitor can be used to compensate for cable drops. The LT3081's internal protection circuitry includes reverse input protection, reverse-current protection, internal current limiting and thermal shutdown.According to Robert Dobkin, Linear Technology's Vice President, Engineering and CTO, "The LT3081 regulator's robust architecture, protection and monitoring features provide designers with new tools for reliable design. A TO-220 package for high power dissipation and various surface mount packages for lower power applications are available. System power and temperature are easily checked for proper operation."The LT3081 is offered in a variety of thermally enhanced surface-mount compatible packages, including a low profile (0.75mm) 12-lead 4mm x 4mm DFN, a 16-lead thermally enhanced TSSOP and a 7-lead DD-Pak; all dissipate 2W in surface mount applications with no heat sink. The LT3081 is also available in a 7-lead TO-220 power package for vertical mounting to heat sinks for higher power dissipation capability. A wide variety of grades/temperature ranges are offered including: E & I grades -40°C to +125°C, H grade -40°C to +150°C and the high reliability MP grade -55°C to +150°C. 1,000-piece pricing starts at US$2.60 each for the E grade.