I recently spoke with Melissa Martinez, a PCB design student in John Watson’s class at Palomar College. In this interview, Melissa shares her inspiring journey from the world of animation to the realm of printed circuit board design. Introduced to the field by her father, an engineer at Northrop Grumman, she discovered her passion for PCB design through John’s curriculum at Palomar. Her story highlights the importance of mentorship and education in attracting new talent to the industry, encouraging young individuals to explore opportunities they may not yet know exist.

My 2025 wish list for the electronics manufacturing industry is short. In fact, there’s only one item on the list: reliable EV charging stations. I love to drive cars, off-road vehicles, and boats. I also fly airplanes, and I’m an unabashed tech geek. From computers to tech gadgets, count me in. Because electric vehicles combine my fascination for both propulsion and technology, most of my friends and colleagues are surprised to learn that I do not yet have an electric vehicle. So, what’s holding me back? The answer does not lie with the electric vehicle itself, but with the current state of public EV charging stations.

High-density interconnect (HDI) printed circuit boards (PCBs) transform modern electronics by providing increased functionality, reduced sizes, and enhanced performance in complex designs. They do so by using advanced techniques, such as finer line and space definitions, microvias, and additional board layers. Specialized via structures—namely blind, buried, and stacked vias—offer complex routing while conserving space. This allows for the development of highly compact electronic devices. This article delves into HDI PCB technology, the function and benefits of blind, buried, and stacked vias, and their impact on PCB performance and design.