Technology of Manufacture or Technology of Application—Which Will Change More?

Semiconductors and PCBs have progressively become the leading two components in the electronics industry, although marked differences exist between them. PCB technology has witnessed considerable changes in the past 20 years with the progression from simple print and etch to double‐sided PTH and then to multilayers. Analogies are drawn with other industries where plateaux are reached beyond which the pursuance of certain developmental trends would be impractical. Just as there is a limit to the number of layers of practical benefit in multilayers, so too there is a minimum space between conductors, any reduction in which will lead to decreased reliability. The wide variety of processes in a PCB company involve a vast range of types of employee, although there is frequently a transfer from one function to another and a considerable degree of “vertical integration”. “Horizontal” integration is envisaged for the future to hold costs to a minimum.