Praegitzer hones DRDRAM PCB
Apr. 23, 1999 (Electronic Buyers News - CMP via COMTEX) -- In support
of the new Direct Rambus DRAM interface, printed-circuit-board maker
Praegitzer Industries Inc. has been making substantial headway in
developing the technology for use in conjunction with what many now
view as an emerging standard.
Praegitzer has already supplied Intel Corp. with boards for testing
and validating Direct RDRAM products.
"We made the commitment to Intel to support them in the design,
quick-turn, and volume production of PCBs associated with the [Rambus
in-line memory module]," said Matt Bergeron, president and chief
executive of Dallas, Ore.-based Praegitzer.
"We saw an opportunity to be the first [PCB company] to deliver this
new, complex manufacturing technology associated with the design that
would benefit Intel and its partners," Bergeron said.
Praegitzer's efforts on the Direct RDRAM front are a vote of
confidence for the technology, said analyst Mark Giudici of Dataquest
Inc., San Jose. Alternatives such as double-data-rate DRAM exist, but
with Intel putting its weight behind Direct RDRAM, that solution is
becoming a de facto standard, Giudici said.
Praegitzer is clearly trying to stay at the forefront of design
capabilities, although other PCB makers-including Hadco Corp. and
Pacific Circuits Inc.-can provide the needed technology as well, said
analyst Keith Dunne of BancBoston Robertson Stephens, San Francisco.
Another leading North American PCB maker, St. Louis-based Viasystems
Group Inc., has also thrown its support into the Rambus ring. The
company has two facilities in North America and Europe building
validation models and running designs of experiments to ensure they
have the capability to meet the tolerance requirements of the Rambus
architecture.
"We're probably within 60 days of validating the concept and proving
that we can hold the tighter tolerance," said John Grosso, Viasystems'
vice president of engineering and technology for the Americas, in
Richmond, Va.
Viasystems is "close to accepting orders," Grosso said. "We're
building to specific mechanical and electrical requirements as dictated
by our end customers."
While leading PCB companies want to support Direct RDRAM, the
technology won't really take off until 2000, Dunne said.
Dataquest's Giudici agreed that it's likely the Direct Rambus
interface will become mainstream during the latter part of next year.
The industry is moving cautiously because of a few key issues,
including a design bug discovered by Intel that causes the memory data
reading to the DRAM registers to shut down, and a delay by some
licensed Direct RDRAM suppliers to invest in the technology, Giudici
said.
Praegitzer doesn't have to make a significant investment from a
PCB-design standpoint, other than to increase its level of commitment
to Intel and, in the future, work with tool vendors to develop tools to
continue supporting the technology.
Tom Witten, regional manager for Praegitzer's design group, said that
along with dedicating its best designer to Intel, "since these are very
complex layouts that run at 800 MHz," Intel's engineers will have
access to Praegitzer's Signal Integrity Group for support at a higher
service level.
This group is involved with circuit simulation and PCB layout to
provide feedback on the physical characteristics of the layout for
real-world applications. "It's very critical to do that ... because we
don't have the time to lay out designs two or three times like we used
to," Witten said.
In addition, Praegitzer has committed a group of process engineers to
work on manufacturability. Three key areas that will be affected by the
shift to Direct RDRAM technology are drilling the vias, registration,
and testing, according to Bergeron.
"Because this module is very dense and runs at a lower impedance rate
than standard [printed-circuit] boards, there's a significant amount of
process engineering, material work, and equipment work that we'll have
to go through in order to make this more manufacturable in the future,"
Bergeron said.
Currently, Praegitzer is producing small volumes of boards using
Direct RDRAM technology. However, the company expects to meet Intel's
ramp-up schedule for 1999, and anticipates high-volume manufacturing
capabilities by year's end.
Praegitzer, which produces custom parts for memory-module makers such
as Kingston Technology Co., plans to support Direct RDRAM at all of its
design facilities. Fountain Valley, Calif.-based Kingston announced
earlier this year that it was ramping RIMM production, citing increased
demand for boards incorporating Direct RDRAM technology.
So far, about 95% of DRAM manufacturers have licensed the new memory
technology and plan to produce Direct RDRAM parts or are at the
sampling stage, Giudici said.
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