The Application of SMT Engineering Technology in iphone 17 Mobile phone. The relationship between SMT FEEDERS, SMT NOZZL

Hello everyone, today let's talk about the SMT process of the iPhone 17.

We’ll focus on sharing its technological breakthroughs, the challenges it faces, and its future development directions.

The content will revolve around three parts:

• Technical highlights
• Process difficulties
• Future trends

This will help you quickly grasp the innovations in SMT technology for smartphones.

First, let’s look at the technical highlights:

To enhance integration and performance, the iPhone 17 has made multiple breakthroughs in packaging materials and processes.

• The A19 chip adopts TSMC’s 2nm process and system-level integration.
• The chip packaging uses Through-Silicon Vias (TSV) for multi-chip stacking.
• The Pro Max version’s motherboard area has been reduced by 8%.
• Data read speeds reach 7,500 MB/s, significantly improving the user experience.
• 2.5D packaging technology eliminates the traditional substrate, directly connecting the gold wiring to the motherboard. This not only thins the components but also improves space utilization.
• The circuit board uses a 10-layer substrate with low thermal expansion coefficient glass fiber cloth, reducing the thermal expansion coefficient by 30%. This minimizes the motherboard’s bridging area and enables a dual-sided high-density layout.
• The dual-sided high-density layout is also a highlight:
  • The front houses the 5G RF module.
  • The back contains the main chip.
  • A flexible connector bridges them for collaborative operation.
• Within a compact space of just 255 square millimeters, it achieves both high-performance computing and 5G multi-band transmission, pushing SMT space utilization to the extreme.
• In terms of component mounting:
  • There is large-scale use of 0.4mm x 0.2mm 01005 components.
  • High-precision mounters and laser compensation ensure a mounting accuracy of 25 micrometers.
  • Package-on-package (PoP) technology enables vertical chip stacking with a placement accuracy of 9 micrometers.
• Finally, the iPhone 17 has also made efforts in thermal management and environmental protection:
  • Graphene thermal films are directly attached to the A19 chip and memory modules.
  • The heat spreader area is increased by 15%.
  • Combined with a titanium alloy frame, the phone’s temperature under high load can be reduced by 12%, addressing the heat dissipation issues of high-performance chips.

Now, let’s look at the process challenges:

The core challenge is balancing component miniaturization with reliability.

• Consistency in micro-component soldering:
  • The pin spacing of 01005 components is only 0.1mm, requiring specialized nozzles and nitrogen-protected reflow soldering.
  • Equipment is susceptible to vibrations, temperature, and humidity, demanding extremely high environmental and precision control.
• Issues with ultra-thin PCBs:
  • Reflow soldering for 0.6mm thick 10-layer PCBs requires step stencils and precise printing pressure.
  • Thermal stress must be controlled, and X-ray inspection ensures solder joint void rates are below 2%.
• Thermal management in multi-chip stacking:
  • System-in-package (SiP) integration increases thermal resistance by 30%, requiring precise reflow temperature profiling.
  • The thickness uniformity of graphene films must be controlled within 5 micrometers.
• Compatibility of eco-friendly materials with no-clean processes:
  • Flux residues can affect 5G signals, necessitating plasma cleaning.
  • The compatibility of flux with low thermal expansion coefficient materials must be verified.
• Additionally, the limited production capacity of low thermal expansion coefficient glass fiber cloth requires coordination with suppliers. Modular designs can reduce repair costs, but stacked packaging increases motherboard replacement rates, requiring ongoing cost-balancing optimization.

Finally, let’s explore future trends:

iPhone SMT processes will move toward system-level optimization.

• 3D-SMT technology will vertically integrate components like sensors and batteries, improving space utilization.
• AI and digital twin technologies will optimize process parameters, targeting a yield rate of over 99.8%.
• In sustainable manufacturing:
  • Bio-based fluxes and biodegradable packaging will be explored.
  • By 2030, the goal is to power SMT production lines with 100% clean energy, promoting green manufacturing.

In summary, the iPhone 17’s SMT process has made significant breakthroughs but still faces challenges. In the future, through 3D-SMT, AI optimization, and sustainable manufacturing, it will achieve a leap from individual breakthroughs to system-level optimization, injecting new vitality into the electronics industry.

The above are my personal opinion. Errors are inevitable and I welcome corrections from all experts. If you like my videos please follow and subscribe to my channel. See you next time.Bye.