SYDNEY – Altium Ltd has released Service Pack 4 (SP4) for Altium Designer, a single, unified application that is said to incorporate all the technologies and capabilities necessary for electronic product development. Available as a free download to existing licensed customers, it includes over 100 new features and enhancements.

Document file locking improves collaborative design. Documents opened for editing by one designer can be locked to prevent accidental overwriting by other designers.

A new ‘Archive Project’ command automatically consolidates all project documents within a compressed zip file.

At the PCB level, SP4 introduces real-time, 3-D component clearance checking when placing parts. Designers can define the extent of components in terms of multiple areas, heights and standoffs, creating a complex 3-D ‘envelope’ of the component body. Enhancements to component clearance checking rules allow clearances in all directions to be monitored in real-time during placement.

Schematic editing now includes the automation of common rework operations on schematic designs. New commands include ‘Push Part to Sheet’, that makes it easy to replace a component with a sheet symbol, automatically creating an additional subsheet containing the displaced component and maintain overall connectivity. ‘Rename Child Sheet’ command allows the user to change the filename of a subsheet and optionally update all sheet symbols in the project or workspace.

ASYNTIS GmbH, a supplier of plasma etch equipment for semiconductor backend manufacturing, introduces the Silicon Star 12 Plasma Etch system for stress relief and surface conditioning of 12” wafers in high-volume production.

The company claims this is the first production-level plasma etch system to operate at near room temperature, allowing wafers to be processed with polymeric B/G (back grinding) tape attached.

“The new Silicon Star 12 provides wafer stress relief by removing damaged silicon layers—increasing individual die breaking strength by a factor of 10,” said Roland Busch, VP of sales and marketing. “But of note to our customers is the minimal impact the addition of our stress relief system will have to their current wafer process flow.”

It removes the micro cracks and dislocations from thinned wafers, reducing wafer stress and enhancing the fracture strength of single dies. High etch rates provide throughput advantages compared to polishing or etch solutions.

Features include:

Etch rates up to 3 µm/min;

Low process temperatures for taped wafer processing;

Process control provides consistent quality for mirror-like and matte surfaces;

Processing wafer sizes up to 300 mm.

ASYNTIS GmbH, www.ASYNTIS.com

San Diego — KIC has announced deleviry of it 3, 000th continuous thermal process monitoring system. The systems rely on embedded sensors in curing and reflow ovens to automatically determine the process data for each processed board. 

Bjorn Dahle, president, said: "The popularity of such systems has primarily been driven by the OEM's request for process traceability and better quality from their contract manufacturers. The emerging lead-free conversion, however, is rapidly becoming a major market driver for our process monitoring systems, in addition to  process development and optimization tools.  Electronics manufacturers find that lead-free’s significantly more difficult thermal process requires new process technologies and routines.  “

The systems allow manufacturers to optimize their thermal process and to monitor the process for each part to ensure continuous quality production. The KIC 24/7 will instantly alarm on an out-of-spec situation and provides real-time Cpk data.

KIC, kicthermal.com

Checker trial software can be downloaded with the latest Checker version 1.3 release (cognex.com/checker).

The simple-to-use, inexpensive sensor can detect the presence of parts and part features, and recognize patterns. Eliminates the wiring and mounting complexity of multiple photoelectric sensors. Does not require precise part fixturing or positioning. All-in-one, IP67 design is suitable for industrial environments. Power up the unit, connect the USB cable to a PC and follow a simple setup procedure to be up and running in minutes.

In addition to the trial software, the latest release now allows for offline setup. It can also switch between 16 different sensor setups on the fly for automatic line changeovers. “Train and Go” capability lets the sensor learn new features to detect without having to connect to a PC. Now works on very large parts.

Cognex Corp., cognex.com