ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the basic steps employed in the manufacture and assembly of Integrated circuits and printed circuit boards, an understanding of which is very important to the printed circuit board designer. The complexity and assortment of components which are being employed in electronic systems have grown at an alarming rate. In fact, the growth of the electronics industry can be directly tied to developments made in the fundamental building blocks, the electronic components. Electronic systems are composed of electronic devices, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, switches, relays, semiconductors, and hybrids, as well as auxiliary components which provide structural support and aid in reliability and maintainability. Multilayered chip carriers are fabricated using cofired ceramic technology. Surface mounting technology was developed in the Swiss watch industry in the late 1960s as a way to decrease the volume of electronics in watches.
