| Term |
Definition |
| 2G (Second generation wireless
communication systems) |
Wireless communications systems using digital transmission and
advanced control techniques to improve the performance of voice
communications, provide special features and limited digital messaging
capabilities.
|
| 3G (Third generation wireless
communication systems) |
3G is the newest generation of wireless communications systems,
allowing greater bandwidth and opening the way to increased data-over-wireless
solutions. The 3rd generation (3G) mobile devices and services will
transform wireless communications into on-line, real-time transfer
of information, regardless of time and place.
|
| µ |
back to top |
| µBGA |
see Micro BGA |
| µVia |
see Microvia |
| A |
back to top |
| ABT |
see Advanced Backplane
Technology |
| Accelerated
Stress Test (AST) |
A test to deliberately produce a failure for the purpose of studying
potential failure modes.
|
| Acceptable
Quality Level (AQL) |
Maximum number of defects per 100 pieces that are allowable. |
| Acceptance Tests |
Tests deemed necessary to determine the acceptability of products. |
| Accuracy |
(1) The ability to hit the target. (2) Conformity of a measured
value to the actual value of the sample. |
| Acoustic Microscopy |
A nondestructive test that produces high resolution ultrasonic
images, often used for inspecting component lid seals and die attached
within components. |
| ACT |
see Advanced CMOS with TTL
inputs (ACT) |
| Active Components
(general) |
Electronic components such as semiconductors, transistors, diodes,
etc., that can operate on an applied electrical signal and change
its basic characteristics (e.g., switching, amplification, rectification). |
| Active Components
(optic) |
Optical components that are defined by the need for electrical
power to generate, boost, or transform optical signals. Active components
consist of source lasers, pump lasers, detectors, modulators, and
optical switches. |
| Active Hold-Down |
The process of pressing a component lead directly in contact
with a bonding pad during soldering to ensure intimate contact between
the lead and pad. |
| ADC |
see Analog-To-Digital Converter
(ADC or A/D converter) |
| Adhesive Failure |
Failure resulting from an insufficient bond between the adhesive
and one or both substrates. |
| Advanced
Backplane Technology (ABT) |
Method of making PCs easier and cheaper to upgrade as technology
changes. The idea is to put the main components, such as the microprocessor,
onto a circuit board which plugs into a backplane bus. This consists
of a set of connectors on a circuit board. Unused connectors or
slots are available for other boards, such as modems and sound cards.
Updating the technology should then simply be a matter of changing
the microprocessor board, rather than exchanging the whole system.
This is just one of many possible methods of improving upgrade ability.
(Introduced by a company called Graphite) |
| Advanced
CMOS with TTL inputs (ACT) |
A version of the AC logic chips which allows easy connection
to TTL logic chips. [AC, CMOS, TTL] |
| AES |
Auger Electron Spectroscopy |
| AFM |
see Atomic Force Microscope |
| AI |
see Auto-Insertion |
| Air Knife |
(1) A mechanical air pressure amplifier. (2) A plenum with a
narrow opening to used develop high velocity air from a low pressure
air source to (a) dry / remove liquid films from surfaces (b) control
the coating of surfaces, or (c) heat or cool. |
| Alignment Hole |
see Tooling Hole |
| AM |
see Amplitude
Modulation |
| Ambient Level |
The values of signals and noise that exist at a test location
when the device under test is not active. |
| Amplitude Modulation |
CW modulation using amplitude variation in proportion to the
amplitude of the modulation signal; usually taken as DSB-LC for
commercial broadcast transmissions and DSB-SC for multiplexed systems. |
| AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone
System) |
The original standard specification for analog systems. Operates
in the frequency range of 800 MHz, with a bandwidth of 30kHz. Used
primarily in North America, Latin America, Australia and parts of
Russia and Asia.
|
| Analog-to-Digital
Converter (ADC or A/D converter) |
An electronic circuit that produces a digital output directly
proportional to an analog signal input. |
| Anechoic Chamber |
An enclosure especially designed with walls that absorb sound
or radiation, creating an essentially free-field environment for
testing. |
| Annular Ring |
The pad area that remains after a hole is drilled through the
pad. |
| ANSI |
American National Standards Institute. |
| Antenna |
The part of a radio transmission system designed to radiate or
receive electromagnetic waves.
|
| Anti-Pad |
The area of copper etched away around a via or a plated through-hole
on a power or ground plane, thereby preventing an electrical connection
being made to that plane. |
| AOI |
see Automated Optical Inspection |
| APD |
Active Photonic Device |
| Aperture |
An opening in a stencil or screen. |
| Application-Specific
Integrated Circuit (ASIC) |
A custom-built integrated circuit that has been designed for
a specific purpose. The idea is that one ASIC might replace several
other chips in a system and hence lower manufacturing costs. At
one time this would only have been economical with very large production
quantities, but now specialist software is available to assist with
design and a number of cheaper semi-custom methods are also available.
[Hal, LSI, MSI, Pal, PLA, PLD, SSI, ULA, VLSI] |
| AQL |
see Acceptable Quality Level |
| Aqueous |
Water soluble. |
| Arrayed
Waveguide Grating |
Also known as a phasar. An integrated optical component which
serves as an optical multiplexer/demultiplexer. It is based on the
phase differences experienced by different input wavelengths to
separate the channels, much like the classical diffraction grating. |
| Artwork |
An accurately scaled photoprocessing tool that is used to fabricate
a printed circuit board. |
| ASIC |
see Application-Specific
Integrated Circuit. |
| ASIC Design |
Ability to design an application specific integrated circuit
(ASIC) chip. An ASIC chip is custom designed for a specific application,
in contrast to a general purpose chip such as a microprocessor.
|
| ASME |
American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
|
| Aspect Ratio |
(1) Thickness of a printed circuit board to the diameter of the
smallest hole. (2) Thickness of a stencil to the width of the smallest
aperture. |
| Assembly |
A functional subdivision of a component, consisting of parts
or subassemblies that perform functions necessary for the operation
of the component as a whole. Examples: regulator assembly, power
amplifier assembly, gyro assembly, etc. |
| AST |
see Accelerated Stress Test |
| ASTM |
American Society for Testing and Material.
|
| Asynchronous
Transfer Mode (ATM) |
A method of data multiplexing that can provide large, instantaneous
bandwidths for busy traffic while permitting slow traffic to use
that bandwidth between bursts. Very short, fixed-length packets
or cells are used to transmit information. Its basic cell is 53
bytes long. |
| ATE |
see Automatic (Automated) Test
Equipment |
| ATM |
see Asynchronous Transfer
Mode |
| Atomic Force
Microscope (AFM) |
A microscope that works by bringing a fine needle right up to
the surface of a semiconductor and tracing the topography of the
material. AFMs are an alternative to scanning electron microscopes
as a means of measuring and monitoring the widths and heights of
critical dimensions on an integrated circuit die. |
| Attenuation |
The loss of average optical power. Attenuation results from absorption
and scattering in the optical fiber. An attenuator is a passive
optical component that reduces the power of the optical signal transmitted
through it. |
| Auto-Insertion |
A method/equipment used to place pin-through-hole components
onto PC boards |
| Automated
Optical Inspection (AOI) |
A mechanized visual inspection process. |
| Automatic Test
Equipment (ATE) |
Equipment designed to automatically analyze functional static
parameters in order to evaluate performance degradation. It may
also be designed to perform fault isolation. |
| Axial Leaded
Components |
Usually cylindrical in shape and have leads exiting from opposite
ends along its long axis. |
| B |
back to top |
| B-Stage |
A partially cured thermosetting adhesive used in multiplayer
boards. During lamination, the application of heat and pressure
completes the curing process.
|
| BABT |
see British
Approval Board for Telecommunication (BABT) |
| Back End of the
Line (BEOL) |
Test, assembly, and packaging of semiconductor manufacturing. |
| Backpanel/Backplane |
Essentially large (some can be the size of a door), complex,
high-layer count printed circuit board (PCB). PCBs are often attached
to the backplane via connectors. Backplanes are often found in larger
sized telecom infrastructure equipment. |
| Backpanel/Backplane
Assembly |
Backplane assembly includes the attachment of connectors, semiconductors
and other components to the backplane to interconnect discrete components,
using surface mount technology or the manual pin-through-hole process. |
| Backplane
Fabrication |
This process consists of manufacturing a backplane. Similar to
PCB manufacturing, backplane fabrication is a capital-intensive
process that can be environmentally sensitive. |
| Ball Grid Array (BGA) |
Surface mount technology IC package that provides electrical
advantage of shorter signal and power paths and the mechanical advantage
of greater interconnects and higher lead pitch, while decreasing
package size. |
| Bare Board |
An unpopulated printed circuit board. |
| Bare Board Testing |
Continuity testing of an unassembled (unpopulated) circuit board.
|
| Bare Die |
An unpackaged integrated circuit. |
| Barrel |
The cylinder formed in the drilled through hole in a printed
circuit board. |
| Base Material |
In printed circuit board fabrication, the insulating laminate
where the conductor pattern is formed. |
| Batch |
An entity that represents the production at any point in the
process. A batch is a running control recipe. The material that
is being produced or that has been produced by a single execution
of a recipe is also considered a batch. |
| Batch Control |
Consists of a sequence of one or more steps (phases) that must
be performed in a defined order for a finite period of time to process
finite quantities of input material to produce finished product. |
| Batch Manufacturing |
Manufacturing in groups, lots or batches in which each part or
finished good is identical. |
| Batch Processing |
The method adopted when the required product volumes do not allow
continuous production of one product on particular machines. |
| BBA |
Bus Ball Array |
| BCC Package |
Bumped Chip Carrier Package.
|
| Bed-of-Nails |
A test fixture, used with (automated) test equipment, made of
spring loaded contact pins (Pogoâ pins) located to correspond
with desired measurement points (notes) on a printed circuit board
for in-circuit testing (ICT).
|
| Bellcore |
see Telcordia |
| BEOL |
see Back End of the Line |
| BGA |
see Ball-grid array |
| Binning |
Classifying components by their performance at the final test.
The analogy is to physically drop things into different bins. |
| BIST or BIT |
see Built-In Self Test |
| Bit-Error
Performance |
The ratio of the number of bits received incorrectly to the total
number of bits transmitted digitally in a system. |
| Blind Via |
see Via, Blind |
| Board |
see Printed Circuit
Board |
| Board Conveyor |
A machine that transports and buffers PCBs between process machines.
|
|
Board Inverter
|
A machine that turns PCBS upside down for processing of the other
side. |
| Board-Level
(Circuitry) Repair |
see Repair, Board-Level
(Circuitry) |
| Board Loader |
A machine that automatically feeds boards from a stack onto a
production line. |
| BOM (Bill of Material) |
A document that lists all electrical, mechanical and supporting
materials including their reference designations, quantities, associated
part/find numbers, that are required to manufacture a PCA.
|
| Bond Strength |
The force per unit area required to separate two adjacent layers
of a package. The force is applied perpendicular to the surface
of the package. |
| Bonding |
Joining of two materials. |
| Bonding Alloy |
Solder or other metallic alloy that bonds two items together.
|
| Bonding Pad |
Pad. Termination |
| Bonding, Ball |
A wire bonding method that melts a sphere of gold wire, melts
the sphere at the first connection point, draws a loop in the wire,
and makes a wedge bond at the other connection point. |
| Bonding, Die |
The attachment of an integrated circuit chip to a substrate. |
| Bonding, Tape |
Using a metal or plastic tape material to support the carrier
of a component in a gang bonding process |
| Bonding,
Thermocompression |
Machines that use pressure and heat in the absence of electrical
current and without an intermediate material to form wire bonds. |
| Bonding, Thermosonic |
Machines that use heat (typically 150°C), ultrasonic energy,
force, and time to form wire bonds |
| Bonding, Ultrasonic |
Machines that use ultrasonic energy, force, and time to form
wire bonds. |
| Bonding, Wedge |
A wire bonding method that can use either gold or aluminum wire.
Aluminum wedge bonds are made with ultrasonic bonding machines.
Gold wedge bonds are made using thermosonic bonding machines. |
| Bonding, Wire |
A die connect methodology that runs either gold or aluminum wires
between pads on the integrated circuit to either a lead frame or
pads on a printed circuit board. Ball and wedge bonding are primary
wire bonding methods, of which ball bonding is more common. |
| Boundary Scan |
A diagnostic method that uses circuitry integrated in a functional
electronic component to monitor the performance of that component
and its surrounding interfaces.
|
| Box Build |
Manufacturing of a finished product (usually includes final assembly,
system integration, and test). |
| BPA |
Bus Pad Array |
| British
Approval Board for Telecommunication (BABT) |
British Approval Board for Telecommunications: BABT certifies
products and services in the fields of IT and telecom. A body run
by the British Government to regulate the connection of equipment
to the British public telephone system. By law, equipment (including
phones, faxes and modems) may only be connected if BABT-approved,
but non- approved devices may be offered for sale provided they
are clearly described as such. |
| British
Standards Institute (BSI) |
A standard setting organization. |
| British Telecom
(BT) |
The privatized body which runs the main telephone network in
the British Isles. |
| BS (Base Station) |
The equipment on the network side of a wireless communications
link. The base station contains the tower, antennas and radio equipment
needed to allow wireless communications devices to connect with
the network.
|
| BSI |
see British Standards Institute |
| BT |
see British Telecom |
| BTO |
see Build-to-Order |
| Build-to-order (BTO)
systems assembly |
Build a unit from component level to an individual order, including
required software, peripherals, components and any other available
options. Ship direct to customer. |
| Build-to-stock
systems assembly |
Build significant volume of units based on forecast, typically
a base unit or standard configuration. Ship to either OEM warehouse
or distribution warehouse. |
| Built-In Self
Test (BIST or BIT) |
see Test, Built-In |
| Bump |
A small mound formed on the device or the substrate pads that
can be used as a contact for face-down bonding. This is a method
of providing connections to the terminal areas of a device. |
| Burn-In |
The process in which a device is electrically stressed by subjecting
it to an elevated temperature and voltage for an adequate period
of time to cause the failure of a marginal device. |
| Burn-In Test |
A method used to screen out a component with early life failures. |
| C |
back to top |
| CAB |
Conformity Assessment Body, Europe |
| Cable and
harness assembly |
Consists of assembling the cable and harnesses used in electronic
equipment. Cable assembly in its simplest form is the attachment
of a connector to a cable. The cable is traditionally a fiber-optic,
coaxial and/or electrical cable. These products are mainly used
to supply power to the electronic equipment. |
| CAD |
see Computer-Aided Design (computer-aided
drawing) |
| CADMat |
Computer-aided design, manufacture and testing. |
| CAE |
see Computer-Aided ngineering. |
| CAM |
see Computer-Aided Manufacture. |
| Canadian
Standards Association (CSA) |
A Canadian safety standard certification organization. (UL's
Canadian counterpart) |
| Capability Ratio
(Cp) |
Measurement of the width of the distribution of process measurements,
compared to a desired point. |
| Capacitors |
An electronic component that stores electrical charge - can
be used to buffer power supply lines to provide extra charge when
needed or to filter out sudden changes in voltage. |
| Capacity Buy |
Buying of equipment to increase manufacturing capacity, as opposed
to a technology buy. |
| Card |
see Printed Circuit
Board |
| CASE (Tools) |
see Computer-Aided
Software Engineering. |
| Cavities |
Number of impressions in the mold capable of molding apart per
shot of material
|
| CBGA |
see Ceramic Ball Grid Array |
| CCGA |
see Ceramic Column Grid Array |
| CD |
see Critical Dimension |
| CDMA (Code Division Multiple
Access) |
One of several digital wireless transmission methods in which
signals are encoded using a specific pseudo-random sequence, or
code, to define a communication channel. A receiver, knowing the
code, can use it to decode the received signal in the presence of
other signals in the channel. This is one of several "spread
spectrum" techniques, which allows multiple users to share
the same radio frequency spectrum by assigning each active user
a unique code. CDMA offers improved spectral efficiency over analog
transmission in that it allows for greater frequency reuse. Other
characteristics of CDMA systems reduced dropped calls, increase
batter life and offer more secure transmission.
|
| Centered
Capability Ratio (Cpk) |
Measurement of the mean of process measurements, compared to
a desired point. |
| Ceramic Ball
Grid Array (CBGA) |
A ball grid array (BGA) package of cofired alumina ceramic substrate
allowing various lid sealing and encapsulation techniques. |
| Ceramic
Column Grid Array (CCGA) |
A ceramic ball grid array (CBGA) with solder columns replacing
the solder balls. |
| Certification |
The act of verifying and documenting that personnel have completed
required training and have demonstrated specified proficiency and
have met other specified requirements. |
| CGA |
see Column Grid Array |
| Chip |
A common synonym for an integrated circuit, usually the one used
for the main processor. |
| Chip Carrier |
A low profile four sided (rectangular) part package, whose semiconductor
chip cavity or mounting area is a large fraction of the chip size. |
| Chip On Board (COB) |
An unpackaged silicon die mounted directly on the printed circuit
board and connected with wire bonds. |
| Chip Scale Package
(CSP) |
A popular description is that a CSP must be no more than 120%
the X and Y dimensions of the silicon die within the package. So,
the CSP is a die on a carrier substrate. In order to maintain the
CSP die to package ratio the CPS is generally a ball grid array.
So, this description becomes fuzzy because CSP fabricators routinely
shrink the die to reduce cost, but generally do not change packaging. |
| Chip Shooter |
A piece of surface mount technology (SMT) equipment that is responsible
for attaching components to a PCB. Chip shooters are high-speed
machines that can place more than 40,000 components in an hour. |
| CIM |
Computer Integrated Manufacturing |
| Circuit design |
This service enables customers to have an electronic circuit
board designed from it customer's specifications. EMS providers
construct a schematic or circuit diagram in computer aided design
(CAD) format, which reflects the actual construction of the printed
circuit board. |
| Circuitry |
The configuration or design of the conductive material on the
base material. This includes conductors, lands, and through connections
when these connections are an integral part of the manufacturing
process |
| Circuitry-Level
Repair |
see Repair, Board-Level
(Circuitry) |
| Clamshell (Fixture) |
A two sided test fixture that opens like a book (clamshell) to
accept the printed circuit board or assembly for testing. |
| Class XXXX Clean
Room |
A clean room rating system. For instance, a Class 100,000 Clean
Room limits the particle count to less than 3500 particles per liter
(100,000 particles per cubic foot) of a size of 0.5 micron or larger,
or 25 particles per liter (700 particles per cubic foot) of a size
5.0 microns or larger. |
| CLCC |
Ceramic Leaded Chip Carrier |
| Clean Room |
An enclosed room employing control over particulate matter in
the air with temperature, humidity, and pressure controls |
| Cleaning |
The process of removing flux residues and other contaminants
from the surface of a printed circuit assembly. |
| Cleaning, Aqueous |
Cleaning parts with water (e.g., tap, pure, or de-ionized) as
the primary cleaning fluid. |
| Cleaning, Manual |
Spot cleaning flux residues from assembly surfaces, usually using
a brush and isopropyl alcohol as the cleaning agent or solvent. |
| Cleaning, Plasma |
A bonding pad preparation process that uses electrically excited
gas molecules to remove surface contamination. |
| Cleaning,
Semiaqueous |
A cleaning process using a solvent followed by a hot water rinse
and drying. |
| Cleaning, Solvent |
A cleaning process using chlorinated and fluorinated hydrocarbon
liquids. |
| Cleaning, Ultrasonic |
A cleaning process using ultrasonic energy (mechanical oscillation
) along with a chemical solvent. |
| Cleaving/Cleaving
Tool |
A tool that creates a deliberate, controlled break, intended
to create a perfectly flat end face that is perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of the fiber or wafer. A good cleave is required
for a successful splice of an optical fiber, whether by fusion or
mechanical means. |
| Clinched Lead |
A pin through hole lead that is bent on the solder side of the
printed circuit board to hold the component in place prior to soldering. |
| CM |
see Contract Manufacturing |
| CMOS |
see Complementary
Metal-Oxide Semiconductor |
| CNC Machining (Computer
Numerical Controlled) |
Uses computer databases to control machine shop tools like mills
and lathes.
|
| COB |
see Chip On Board |
| COC |
Certificate of Competence.
|
| Coefficient
of Thermal Expansion (CTE) |
The ratio of change in dimension per unit change in temperature. |
| Cold Flow |
Movement of insulation (e.g. Teflon) caused by pressure. Creep. |
| Column Grid Array
(CGA) |
A packaging technology similar to a pin grid array, in which
a device's external connections are arranged as an array of conducting
pins on the base of the package. However, in the case of a column
grid array, small columns of solder are attached to the conducting
pads. |
| Compact Flash |
A small memory device commonly used in digital cameras and consumer
electronics.
|
| Complementary
metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) |
CMOS chips are extensively used in computer systems because of
their low power consumption. They can also operate over a very wide
range of supply voltages. However they're susceptible to damage
by static electricity and care is required when handling them. [ABT,
AC, ACT, BCT, HC, HCT, TTL] |
| Complex
systems assembly |
Ability to assemble and test systems that involve large scale
assembly, integration, staging and product support; that require
extensive testing and configuration; have high part counts/complex
BOM management require engineering changes and accelerated testing
(e.g. HASS, power cycling) |
| Component |
(1) A functional subdivision of a system, generally a self-contained
combination of assemblies performing a function necessary for the
system's operation. Examples: power supply, transmitter, gyro package,
etc. (2) A part of an assembly or subassembly. A part. |
| Component
Engineering |
The service of applying engineering know-how to the processes
of component selection, application and procurement. Can provide
analysis of new trends in electronic devices. |
| Component Hole |
see Plated-Through-Hole
(PTH) |
| Component-Level
Repair |
see Repair,
Component-Level |
| Computer-Aided
Design (CAD) |
A design method that uses computer generated images, rather than
mechanical drawings. |
| Computer-Aided
Engineering (CAE) |
Computers are now used in many branches of engineering, ranging
from design work and preparation of drawings (CAD) through to controlling
and complete monitoring of the manufacturing process (CAM). [CAD,
CADMat, CAM, CNC] |
| Computer-Aided
Manufacture (CAM) |
This term was first used to describe computers in control of
lathes, milling machines and so on. It's now more commonly used
to refer to the control of a whole range of production equipment,
including robots. [CAD, CAE, CNC] |
| Computer-Aided
Software Engineering (CASE) |
Tools allow users to make changes in the way they access information
from a relational data base. |
| Conductive Material |
Electrostatic Conductive Material |
| Configure-to-order
systems assembly |
Takes an already built or partially built unit and adds specific
peripherals and software for individual customer order. Ship direct
to customer. |
| Conformal Coating |
A thin electrically nonconductive protective coating that conforms
to the configuration of the covered assembly to provide environmental
and mechanical protection. |
| Conformity |
The ability to satisfy specified requirements. |
| Connection |
An electrical termination that was soldered. A solder joint. |
| Connection,
Interlayer |
An electrical connection between conductive patterns in different
layers of a printed circuit board. Via |
| Contract
Manufacturing (CM) |
The practice of providing manufacturing services based on a contract
that specifically identifies terms of a transaction and may include
the number of units to be produced. CMs are often used as overflow
manufacturing support when an OEM's customer demand exceeds its
internal manufacturing capacity. With contracts it is possible for
the services providers to lose money, or make a large profit, depending
on the negotiations. |
| COO |
Cost Of Ownership |
| Core competencies |
Those functions or practices deemed by a company as central to
its existence. Those activities that the company believes it does
best, should focus on and that are in the companys best interest
for long-term success and growth. |
| Core Material |
In printed circuit board fabrication, fully cured inner layers
of a multilayer printed circuit board. |
| Cp |
see Capability Ratio |
| Cpk |
see Centered Capability Ratio |
| CPMT |
Society of Component Packaging and Manufacturing Technology,
IEEE
|
| Creep (injection molding) |
see Cold Flow |
| Critical Dimension
(CD) |
The minimum width that is allowed as part of the circuit design,
on any given patterning layer. |
| Critical Path
Method |
A technique to determine the order in which operations must be
executed to complete a project in minimum time, and determine which
operations have some "float" or capacity to be rescheduled without
affecting the minimum time. |
| CRT |
Cathode Ray Tube (TV/Monitor display vs. LCD) |
| CSA |
see Canadian Standards
Association |
| CSP |
see Chip Scale Package |
| CSP-C |
Ceramic Chip-Scale Package |
| CSP-L |
Laminate Chip-Scale Package |
| CTE |
see Coefficient of Thermal
Expansion |
| Custom packaging |
The ability to add accessory and field repair unit items, unique
to the customer order, for end distribution. This could involve
adding promotional items, country-specific kits for accessories
including keyboards, power cords and literature, and shipping to
the customer in a wide assortment of end-packaging requirements. |
