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May - 2016 - issue > siTech20 2016 - 20 Most Promising Technology Companies 2016
Sierra Circuits HERALDING THE NEW AGE OF COMMUNICATION
SI Team
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
"Imagine a server farm that could store twice the data and produce half the heat that it does today." As daunting a pipe dream, as that might sound, Ken Bahl envisions an ecosystem of computers and other hi-tech devices embedded with such technologies to be just around the corner. "This would have the power to change the world," Bahl beams up. Bahl heads the board at Sierra Circuits as its CEO along with his wife, Bala Bahl, VP of Operations, Sierra Circuits. The company has been a pioneer in the semiconductor industry, and manufactures and assembles high technology Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs).

"The current semiconductor landscape requires high density printed circuit boards (PCBs) and substrates with ultra-fine features capable of carrying the new breed of fine pitch chip scale devices," explains Bahl. The challenge lies in authoring PCB technologies that can carry devices directly onto the PCB chip scale without the need for intermediate packaging technology or interposer boards. Sierra Circuits' expertise and consistent R&D efforts has favored innovation, and through unconventional PCB technologies, they manufacture cost-effective fine line PCBs.

The PCBs manufactured using these unconventional technologies consist of ultra fine features, including 25 micron line widths and space with significant yields. This ensures the almost effortless manufacture of low cost, fine-featured PCBs. This technology has the potential to shorten the manufacturing cycle time and lower the cost of PCB production. It is also equipped with improvement capabilities that boosts the electrical performance of the electronic circuitry at very high frequencies.

By creating such high-end technology and bringing value to designers, Sierra strives to create a technical revolution that enables Internet of Things (IoT) devices. "This goal can be achieved by solving the common challenges found within IoT devices," Bahl asserts. Some of the largest IoT challenges include maintaining and improving the integrity of information that is transmitted from one device to another in a cost effective, timely fashion. "One must carefully inspect complete path of the signalfrom the moment it is created, to the end point and ensure it has been fully optimized," adds Bahl. Considering the cost of a device that transmits information to be less than what it is today, and the data integrity to be the same at twice the speed, then one has created a value for the industry that does not exist today.

With a four-pronged paradigm-customer service, tools, manufacturing, and responsiveness after the customer has received the product, Sierra Circuits has been strengthening upon its strong footprint in the industry. "What makes Sierra unique is our ability to proffer both service and support for the manufacturability of newly designed products" extols Bahl. One of Sierra's most crucial benefits is their quick turn time. Because they do the design, fabrication and assembly in-house, they alleviate any miscommunication between multiple vendors that might occur with other vendors.

Sierra Circuits as a PCB manufacturing and assembly company is certified for the following quality standards and procedures: ISO: 90001, ISO: 13485 (for medical devices), and MIL-SPEC (for the military, defense and aerospace industries). They have been serving the needs of defense, aerospace, semiconductor and missioncritical applications for several decades and will continue to focus on creating the intellectual property for a signal integrity revolution. "Facebook created the social revolution; Elon Musk revolutionized the space and automobile industries, and Sierra will trigger the signal integrity revolution in the communication industry," assures Bahl.
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