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  • Author Author: rscasny
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Will Embedded Passive Components Obsolete Surface Mounted Passives?

Embedded passive components are buried within the PCB substrate during fabrication. They can offer benefits such as lower costs, improved electrical performance, increased packaging density, less parasitic losses, less cross talk, improved signal transmission, and more.

 

Here's the question: Will Embedded Passives Components Obsolete Surface Mounted Passives?

  • I think we will see a lot more electrical components and interconnections embedded directly in 3D printed mechanical structures - sometimes doing away with PCBs altogether.

    I wonder if electrical components will become available in special form factors for assembly into 3D printed structures, or if normal SMT form factors are adequate.

  • The chemistry of making fibreglass/copper pcbs is not compatible with that for making semiconductors or most passive components - so you might end up embedding small, pre-tested and manufactured parts in the pcb. For most applications this sounds like increased cost and additional problems for very little gain.

    There may be special applications where there is a big performance advantage and it may happen there.

    Current applications are mainly chip on board (for low cost, low reliability) or very low grade resistors for mass production.

     

    MK

  • I doubt that will ever be the cheapest way to produce PCBs and that's what drives a large amount of production. I can see it getting used for high end stuff where size or performance is paramount, but that's not the bulk of electronics.

  • Interesting question. The number of designs that use this technique will increase as costs come down and the advantages start to outweigh the costs. It isn't clear to me how much density would increase with this technology since the interior of PCBs is already congested with many trace layers.

    However, not only does the process need to be cheap, CAD tools will have to be developed and available at low cost to allow a new generation of students to drive demand for the technology before it has a chance to really take off.

    I can imagine the day when chips have BGAs on both top and bottom of the chip.....