Week 3:
The Real Deal

June 24, 2021

Goodbye training wheels! This week I made the transition from practice materials to real components. In this transition, I also moved away from SMT and focused mainly on die-attach. Die-attach requires three steps: first, a thin layer of epoxy is spread across a substrate; second, a die is aligned and applied to the substrate; and third, the entire unit is cured in an oven. Spreading epoxy is like advanced, high-stakes coloring. The epoxy is a liquid that can be spread like paint, but it’s very important that the epoxy is limited to the substrate and stays “inside the lines”. Placing the die requires a steady hand and excellent tweezer skills. I’ve found that it’s easiest to try and align the die from the beginning rather than place it and nudge it into the correct orientation.

This week, I also had the opportunity to contribute to some other ongoing projects. Andrew Hanson is one of Microtek’s engineers and he’s also a Cornell alum.  While working with Andrew, I learned new techniques for spreading epoxy over larger surfaces. Andrew also taught me how to use a machine that can be used to place dies with an accuracy of ±0.5 μm.

It’s been a fun challenge working with real materials. It was a bit nerve-wracking initially because there was more pressure to get each placement correct. But overall, it’s nice to know that the things I’ve been working on are the real deal and will actually be used by Microtek’s customers.

On the 16th, Microtek celebrated its 6th anniversary. In honor of the celebration, we had a small lunch party with food from a local Chinese restaurant and boba tea. Tri brought out a slideshow of pictures from Microtek’s very beginning. I didn’t realize that the cleanroom and production room were not a part of the office space when Microtek first moved in, so it was very cool to see pictures of Tri and Nhung building those areas.

Over the past two weekends, I’ve been able to do a little bit more exploring in San Diego. Last Sunday, Michelle and I drove down to La Jolla Shores and joined a kayak tour of La Jolla Cove. Parking was an absolute nightmare and the beach was packed, but once we made it out on the water, it was really nice. I love kayaking but I’ve only ever kayaked on mountain lakes before. That being said, the waves were super intimidating. Fortunately, we made it out past the wave break without any trouble. The same cannot be said for our trip back to shore. A wave caught our kayak from behind and we took a massive nose-dive. I still had an absolute blast.

Yesterday, Michelle had an errand to run in Solana Beach and I tagged along. My original plan was to walk down to the beach, but the marine layer was thick which made it a little chilly. Instead, I walked around the Cedros Avenue Design District and found a little coffee shop where I could read. Afterward, Michelle and I drove up the coast to Cardiff by the Sea where we stopped for lunch.

Cardiff had a great vibe and I’d love to go back and spend some time at the beach when it’s a little less overcast.