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A 10-layer HDI PCB at a 4-Layer Cost: Why This is Not Going to Happen
September 11, 2013 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
“You get what you pay for!” A universal truth? Well, not entirely, when considering the complicated dynamics of market price, supply and demand, as well as any other factor that determines how urgently you need something. That said, there are, of course, always indicators available for choices that drive the price of anything up or down. The same is true of PCBs, and for the sake of this article, HDI PCBs.
The fundamental distinction for HDI (high-density interconnect) is typically miniaturization. So in essence, you’re paying more for less. There are, however, some key areas worth considering when designing for cost. There will surely be additional factors that bear weight for individual suppliers, such as experience in the HDI field and their yields in your technology range, but what’s listed here is meant to be an initial tool when considering how and where to start.
Stack-up
As sales manager, I’m often asked questions along these lines: “How much does it cost to upgrade from a 2-n-2 to a 3-n-3?” The answer, much to the annoyance of the PCB buyer, is “It depends.” Adding an additional build-up layer (sequential lamination) to an HDI stack-up can range anywhere from +10% to +100% and beyond. This always depends on what you’re adding: exotic base materials, laser via count, via-filling, layer thickness (aspect ratio), line-space reduction, controlled impedance, and so on. However, as a rule of thumb, the more you can keep each additional layer-set on par with the others (meaning the same design rules), the more predictable the pricing becomes. Read the full article here.Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the May 2013 issue of The PCB Design Magazine.