SEMI International Standards
Standards New Activity Report Form (SNARF)
Date Prepared: 02/29/2024Revised (if Applicable):

Document Number: 7222
SNARF for: New Standard: Guide for Flexible Hybrid Electronics Assembly

Originating Global Technical Committee: Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE)
Originating TC Chapter: North America
Task Force (TF) in which work is to be carried out: FHE Assembly Task Force
Note: If a new task force is needed, also submit a task force organization form (TFOF)

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1. Rationale:
a. Describe the need or problem addressed by this activity.
(Indicate the customer, what benefits they will receive, and if possible, quantify the impact on the return on investment [ROI] if the Document is implemented.)
Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) is a new technology that creates printed circuit boards with printed inks and flexible substrates. Currently, there are no industry wide accepted rules pertaining to the assembly of electrical components on FHE substrates to ensure reliability and performance. This document will serve as a design guide to help customers avoid each independently making the same mistakes.

For example, this document will describe known best practices, processes, and procedures for attaching and validating the performance of FHE printed circuit substrates with integrated circuits (ICs), passive elements, connectors, and active elements attached using printed conductors and/or solders, with additional polymer adessives as necessary. These assembly methods will allow complex electronic FHE devices to become commercially viable and widely accessible electronic products.

As such, there is a need to create a consensus based standard pertaining to FHE assembly, covering specifications, guidelines, and practices. Through voluntary compliance, this standard will promote mutual understanding and improve communications between designers, users, and suppliers of FHE integrated systems, components, materials, and testing capabilities, as well as enhance the assembly process and capability to improve manufacturing efficiency and capability.


b. Estimate effect on industry.
2: Major effect on an industry sector - identify the relevant sector
Sector or Company Information: Manufacturers of FHE systems using printed electronic processes

c. Estimate technical difficulty of the activity.
II: Some Difficulty - Disagreements on known requirements exist but developing consensus is possible

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2. Scope:
a: Describe the technical areas to be covered or addressed by this Document development activity. For Subordinate Standards, list common concepts or criteria that the Subordinate Standard inherits from the Primary Standard, as well as differences from the Primary Standard:
This document will provide guidelines and best practices for electronic circuit substrate assembly techniques required for the manufacturing of FHE devices. This guide will provide a summary of existing trials used in FHE manufacturing with the goal of developing, testing, and validating future design practices for industrial standards. The following manufacturing criteria are considered when assembling electronic packages onto FHE circuit devices:

· Chip assembly methods such as active-side down or face up pad placement
· Types of assembly may require simple attachment onto the surface, an interposer for rigidity support and/or fanout, or a predrilled location within the substrate.
· Electronic package types include many standard integrated circuit (IC) package types, pin fed devices, radio frequency (RF) connectors, some pin connectors, and bare die with, or without interposers.
· Material processes used for connection with printed metal inks, conductive adhesives, anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA), anisotropic conductive films (ACF), and solders
· Dielectric assembly processes are used for adhesive underfills and protective encapsulants.
· The combination of print methods, materials, and packages is used to determine the optimal assembly approach.

The scope of this document will define assembly methods and testing for determining acceptable ranges manufacturing. Other documents within the committee will specify material properties and processes required for the general use of inks, dielectrics and substrates, the reliability of assembled components and circuit substrates, as well as the integration of different operations such cooling, sensor arrays, and more. This document limits itself to initial performance testing applied for quality acceptance of different assembly techniques in the context of the following application needs:

· Imaging: inspection of alignment, placement, and fill of contacts.
· Electrical: contact resistance, impedance of connection
· Mechanical: shear testing, bending radius, cracking in joint material, stretch testing
· Thermal: coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatches leading to crack failure at interfaces.
· Metallurgical: metal leaching at interfaces, galvanic corrosion at interfaces, poor wetting between materials

Successful evaluation of these criteria will factor in the full stack of materials needed in the assembly including: underfills, encapsulants, and rigid modifiers to support assembly.

b: Expected result of activity
New Standard or Safety Guideline (including replacement of an existing Standard or Safety Guideline)

For a new Subordinate Standard, identify the Primary Standard here:




For Standards, identify the Standard Subtype below:
Guide

Miscellaneous (describe below):

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3. Projected Timetable for Completion:

a: General Milestones
a. Activity Start: 03/25/2024b. 1st Draft by: 07/01/2024
c. (Optional) Informational Ballot by: d. Letter Ballot by: 09/10/2024
e. TC Chapter Approval By:11/01/2024

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4. Liaisons with other Global Technical Committees/TC Chapters/Subcommittees/TFs:
a. List SEMI global technical committees, TC Chapters, subcommittees, or task forces in your or other Regions/Locales that should be kept informed regarding the progress of this activity. (Refer to SEMI Standards organization charts and global technical committee charters and scopes as needed.)
FHE GTC

b. List any planned Type I Liaisons with external nonprofit organizations (e.g., SDO) that should receive Draft Documents from Standards staff for feedback during this activity and be notified when the Letter Ballot is issued (refer to Procedure Manual § 7):
n/a

c. Intercommittee Ballots:
will not be issued

Identify the recipient global technical committee(s):

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5. Safety Considerations:
The resulting document is expected:
NOT to be a Safety Guideline

NOTE FOR "to be a Safety Guideline": When all safety-related information is removed from the Document, the Document is NOT technically sound and complete - Refer to Section 15.1 of the Regulations for special procedures to be followed.

NOTE FOR "NOT to be a Safety Guideline": When all safety-related information is removed from the Document, the Document is still technically sound and complete.

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6. Intellectual Property Considerations:
Note: Both a: and b: below should be checked for Revision of existing Standard(s) and Safety Guideline(s).

a. For a new Standard or Safety Guideline and for any part to be modified or added in a Revision of published Standards and Safety Guidelines:
the use of patented technology is NOT required.

If "patented technology is intended to be included in the proposed Standard(s) or Safety Guideline(s) " is selected above, then also check one:


b. For Revision, Reapproval, Reinstatement, or Withdrawal of existing Standard(s) and Safety Guideline(s):


c. The body of the Document and any Appendices, Complementary Files, Related Information sections, or Various Materials that may or may not be a part of the Document by reference:
the incorporation of Copyrighted Item will NOT be required



NOTE FOR ‘the use of patented technology or the incorporation of Copyrighted Item(s) is NOT required’: If in the course of developing the Document, it is determined that the use of patented technology or Copyrighted Item(s) is necessary for the Document, the provisions of Regulations § 16 must be followed.

NOTE FOR ’will incorporate Copyrighted Item’: A copyright release letter must be obtained from the copyright owner prior to publication.

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7. Comments, Special Circumstances:
None.

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8. TC Member Review:
took place between (put dates below) before approval by the GCS, or

Member Review Start Date; 03/01/2024
Member Review End Date: 03/15/2024

NOTE FOR ‘TC Member Review’ is required by the Regulations for a period of at least two weeks
before approval of a new, or a major revision of an existing, Standard or Safety Guideline. (Refer to Regulations ¶ 8.2.1)
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9. SNARF Approval Dates:
TC Chapter or GCS03/21/2024
Recorded in TC Minutes

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10. SNARF Extension Dates:
TC Chapter Extension Granted on
Extension Expires on