# UHDI Innovations & Next-Gen PCBs with Kunal Shah, PhD.

- Show: [OnTrack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack)
- Published: 2024-03-12
- Length: 44m
- Episode: 257
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd
- Listen: https://podcast.altium.com/e/uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd/

## Summary

Kunal Shah, PhD, President of liloTree, discusses the challenges of Ultra High-Density Interconnects (UHDI) and surface finish innovations for high-reliability defense and medical electronics. He explains how traditional ENIG plating causes signal integrity issues due to nickel's low conductivity and magnetic interference, as well as overplating bridging in sub-10 micron features. Shah presents liloTree's nickel-free barrier layer solution, which offers the reliability of gold without the signal loss of nickel, and contrasts it with the corrosion and dendrite risks of immersion silver and the shelf-life limitations of OSP.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=0) Introduction: Kunal Shah and liloTree's UHDI Focus
- [2:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=123) UHDI Process Challenges: Sub-10 Micron Features and MSAP Bleed
- [10:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=659) Signal Integrity Losses from Nickel in ENIG
- [16:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=1012) liloTree's Nickel-Free Barrier Layer Solution
- [21:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=1287) Immersion Silver: Conductivity vs. Dendrite and Corrosion Risks
- [29:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=1745) Alternative Surface Finishes: DIG, EPIG, and OSP Limitations
- [40:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd#t=2434) Cost and Reliability Advantages of liloTree's Process

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- liloTree (company)
- SMTA (other)
- ENIG (other)
- OSP (other)
- DIG (other)
- EPIG (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Thermal Reliability and Beyond: A Glimpse into the Future of Tech with Indium Corporation's Chris Nash](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-01-18-thermal-reliability-and-beyond-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-tech-with-indium-cor) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [The Spark Gap - Episode 40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-spark-gap/2015-10-03-the-spark-gap-episode-40) (The Spark Gap)
- [How Defense Demand And HDI Capacity Are Reshaping Europe’s PCB Industry with Polytron-Print's Michael Müller](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2026-02-24-how-defense-demand-and-hdi-capacity-are-reshaping-europes-pcb-industry-with-poly) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [Ergs Per Second](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2018-11-11-ergs-per-second) (The Amp Hour)
- [Integrating Hardware and Software Teams](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2022-07-12-integrating-hardware-and-software-teams) (Oxide and Friends)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ontrack/2024-03-12-uhdi-innovations-next-gen-pcbs-with-kunal-shah-phd. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to OnTrack.