Technical Library | 2019-05-24 09:22:59.0
There is a smaller process window and a much narrower margin of error when creating and using lead-free reflow profiles for surface mount parts on printed circuit boards (PCBs). Solder balls, dewetting, tombstones, voids, and head-on-pillow problems will occur much more frequently because lead-free alloys behave differently than eutectic pastes. Problems are compounded due to the extra heat necessary for some lead-free pastes to reach their melting points.
Technical Library | 2022-10-31 17:25:37.0
Mixed formulation solder alloys refer to specific combinations of Sn-37Pb and SAC305 (96.5Sn–3.0Ag–0.5Cu). They present a solution for the interim period before Pb-free electronic assemblies are universally accepted. In this work, the surfaces of mixed formulation solder alloys have been studied by in situ and real-time Auger electron spectroscopy as a function of temperature as the alloys are raised above the melting point. With increasing temperature, there is a growing fraction of low-level, bulk contaminants that segregate to the alloy surfaces. In particular, the amount of surface C is nearly _50–60 at. % C at the melting point. The segregating impurities inhibit solderability by providing a blocking layer to reaction between the alloy and substrate. A similar phenomenon has been observed over a wide range of (SAC and non-SAC) alloys synthesized by a variety of techniques. That solder alloy surfaces at melting have a radically different composition from the bulk uncovers a key variable that helps to explain the wide variability in contact angles reported in previous studies of wetting and adhesion. VC 2011 American Vacuum Society. [DOI: 10.1116/1.3584821]
Technical Library | 2013-01-05 22:21:01.0
More and more countries legislate to forbib lead usage in solder material. However, the lead-free solder wire has higher melting point and soldering temperature, increase soldering iron temperature may damage the PCB or components. How to solve this problem?
Technical Library | 2017-10-05 17:13:04.0
Intermetallic compounds (IMC) in solder bonds are commonly considered critical for the reliability of interconnections. The microstructure and thermal aging characteristics of solder bonds of crystalline silicon solar cells are investigated, whereby two solders, Sn60Pb40 and a lead-free, low melting point alternative Sn41Bi57Ag2 are considered.
Technical Library | 2013-01-24 19:16:35.0
The electronics industry has mainly adopted the higher melting point Sn3Ag0.5Cu solder alloys for lead-free reflow soldering applications. For applications where temperature sensitive components and boards are used this has created a need to develop low melting point lead-free alloy solder pastes. Tin-bismuth and tin-bismuth-silver containing alloys were used to address the temperature issue with development done on Sn58Bi, Sn57.6Bi0.4Ag, Sn57Bi1Ag lead-free solder alloy pastes. Investigations included paste printing studies, reflow and wetting analysis on different substrates and board surface finishes and head-in-pillow paste performance in addition to paste-in-hole reflow tests. Voiding was also investigated on tin-bismuth and tin-bismuth-silver versus Sn3Ag0.5Cu soldered QFN/MLF/BTC components. Mechanical bond strength testing was also done comparing Sn58Bi, Sn37Pb and Sn3Ag0.5Cu soldered components. The results of the work are reported.
Technical Library | 2023-02-13 19:04:25.0
The tin whisker phenomenon is a failure mode associated with all electronic devices that use a number of low melting point elements (e.g., Sn, Cd, In) in operations such as soldering. Recognized many years ago, the problem was minimized by adding lead, now identified as a hazardous substance and banned
Technical Library | 2020-09-23 21:37:25.0
The need to minimise thermal damage to components and laminates, to reduce warpage-induced defects to BGA packages, and to save energy, is driving the electronics industry towards lower process temperatures. For soldering processes the only way that temperatures can be substantially reduced is by using solders with lower melting points. Because of constraints of toxicity, cost and performance, the number of alloys that can be used for electronics assembly is limited and the best prospects appear to be those based around the eutectic in the Bi-Sn system, which has a melting point of about 139°C. Experience so far indicates that such Bi-Sn alloys do not have the mechanical properties and microstructural stability necessary to deliver the reliability required for the mounting of BGA packages. Options for improving mechanical properties with alloying additions that do not also push the process temperature back over 200°C are limited. An alternative approach that maintains a low process temperature is to form a hybrid joint with a conventional solder ball reflowed with a Bi-Sn alloy paste. During reflow there is mixing of the ball and paste alloys but it has been found that to achieve the best reliability a proportion of the ball alloy has to be retained in the joint, particular in the part of the joint that is subjected to maximum shear stress in service, which is usually the area near the component side. The challenge is then to find a reproducible method for controlling the fraction of the joint thickness that remains as the original solder ball alloy. Empirical evidence indicates that for a particular combination of ball and paste alloys and reflow temperature the extent to which the ball alloy is consumed by mixing with the paste alloy is dependent on the volume of paste deposited on the pad. If this promising method of achieving lower process temperatures is to be implemented in mass production without compromising reliability it would be necessary to have a method of ensuring the optimum proportion of ball alloy left in the joint after reflow can be consistently maintained. In this paper the author explains how the volume of low melting point alloy paste that delivers the optimum proportion of retained ball alloy for a particular reflow temperature can be determined by reference to the phase diagrams of the ball and paste alloys. The example presented is based on the equilibrium phase diagram of the binary Bi-Sn system but the method could be applied to any combination of ball and paste alloys for which at least a partial phase diagram is available or could be easily determined.
Technical Library | 2019-07-02 23:02:05.0
The introduction of lead-free solders resulted in a selection of different chemistries for solder pastes. The higher melting points of lead-free alloys required thermal heat resistant rosin systems and activators that are active at elevated temperatures. As a result, more frequent maintenance of the filtration systems is required and machine downtime is increased.Last year a different method of cleaning reflow ovens was introduced. Instead of cooling down the process gasses to condensate the residues, a catalyst was used to maintain the clean oven. Catalytic thermal oxidation of residues in the nitrogen atmosphere resulted in cleaner heating zones. The residues were transformed into carbon dioxide. This remaining small amount of char was collected in the catalyst. In air ovens the catalyst was not seen as a beneficial option because the air extracted out of the oven was immediately exhausted into the environment. When a catalyst is used in an air environment there is not only the carbon dioxide residues, but also water. When a catalyst is used in an air reflow oven the question is where the water is going to. Will it condensate in the process part of the oven or is the gas temperature high enough to keep it out of the process area? A major benefit of using a catalyst to clean the air before it is exhausted into the environment is that the air pollution is reduced dramatically. This will make environmental engineers happy and result in less pollution of our nature. Apart from this, the exhaust tubes remain clean which reduces the maintenance of air ovens.This paper will give more detailed information of catalyst systems during development and performance in production lines.
Technical Library | 2018-03-05 11:17:31.0
In order to comply with RoHS and WEEE directives, many circuit assemblers are transitioning some or all of their soldering processes from tin-lead to lead-free within the upcoming year. There are no drop-in replacement alloys for tin-lead solder, which is driving a fundamental technology change. This change is forcing manufacturers to take a closer look at everything associated with the assembly process: board and component materials, logistics and materials management, solder alloys and processing chemistries, and even soldering methods. Do not expect a dramatic change in soldering behavior when moving to lead-free solders. The melting points of the alloys are higher, but at molten temperatures the different alloys show similar behaviors in a number of respects. Expect subtler changes, especially near the edges of a process window that is assumed based on tin-lead experience rather than defined through lead-free experimentation. These small changes, many of them yet to be identified and understood, will manifest themselves with lower assembly yields. The key to keeping yields up during the transition to lead-free is quickly learning what and where the subtle distinctions are, and tuning the process to accommodate them.
Technical Library | 2007-11-01 17:16:07.0
This paper discusses micro-filled epoxy-based conducting adhesives modified with nanoparticles, conducting polymers, and low melting point (LMP) fillers for z-axis interconnections, especially as they relate to package level fabrication, integration,
