Electronics Manufacturing Technical Articles

Electronics Manufacturing Technical Articles

Papers and articles related to SMT, PCB & EMS industry.

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1799 SMT / PCB Assembly Related Technical Articles

PCB Surface Finishes & The Cleaning Process - A Compatibility Study

Oct 20, 2021 | Umut Tosun, Naveen Ravindran

All PCBs that are manufactured require a surface finish to protect exposed copper on the surface which if left unprotected, can oxidize, rendering the board unusable. To address this issue, it is common to surface treat the PCB prior to assembly and reflow. The surface finish not only prevents oxidation of the underlying copper, but guarantees a solderable surface. A cost effective and widely used approach to PCB surface finish is HASL (Hot Air Solder Leveling). However, as circuit complexity and component density have increased, HASL has reached its limitations, necessitating the need for thinner coatings. Thus, coatings such as Immersion Tin (ImSn), Immersion Silver (ImAg), Organic Solderability Preservatives (OSP), and Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold (ENIG) are becoming more widely used....

Publisher: ZESTRON Americas

ZESTRON Americas

The globally leading provider of high precision cleaning products, services and training solutions in the electronics and semiconductor manufacturing industries.

Manassas, Virginia, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Manufacturer, Training Provider

Counterfeit Detection Strategies: When to Do It / How to Do It

Oct 12, 2021 | Greg Caswell

Counterfeit components have been defined as a growing concern in recent years as demand increases for reducing costs. In fact the Department of Commerce has identified a 141% increase in the last three years alone. A counterfeit is any item that is not as it is represented with the intention to deceive its buyer or user. The misrepresentation is often driven by the known presence of defects or other inadequacies in regards to performance. Whether it is used for a commercial, medical or military application, a counterfeit component could cause catastrophic failure at a critical moment....

Publisher: DfR Solutions (acquired by ANSYS Inc)

DfR Solutions (acquired by ANSYS Inc)

DfR Solutions has world-renowned expertise in applying the science of Reliability Physics to electrical and electronics technologies, and is a leading provider of quality, reliability, and durability (QRD) research and consulting

College Park,

Consultant / Service Provider

Advanced Physical Inspection Methods for Counterfeit IC Detection

Oct 12, 2021 | Sina Shahbazmohamadi, Domenic Forte, and Mark Tehranipoor

The remarkable increase in counterfeit parts (a factor of 4 since 2009) [1] is a huge reliability and security concern in various industries ranging from automotive electronics to sensitive military applications increasing the possibility of premature failure in critical systems [2-5]. Counterfeit parts can also incur a great financial loss to legitimate electronics companies [6]. The issue is even more alarming as the counterfeiters use more sophisticated methods making counterfeit detection a much harder task [7-8]. Therefore, it is reasonable to develop more advanced counterfeit detection methods targeting a more efficient detection of sophisticated counterfeited parts....

Publisher: University of Connecticut

University of Connecticut

The University of Connecticut is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut. It was founded in 1881. The primary 4,400-acre campus is in Storrs, Connecticut, approximately a half hour's drive from Hartford and

Storrs, Connecticut, USA

Research Institute / Laboratory / School

A Novel Authentication Methodology to Detect Counterfeit PCB Using PCB Trace-Based Ring Oscillator

Oct 12, 2021 | Dongrong Zhang, Qiang Ren, Donglin Su

The existence of counterfeit products, e.g., integrated circuits (ICs) and printed circuit boards (PCBs), in the modern semiconductor supply chain has seriously jeopardized the security and reliability of electronic systems, and has also caused the loss of suppliers' profit and reputation. Most of existing research papers prevent or detect counterfeit IC and PCB substrate separately, without testing the PCB as a whole, and often require the assistance of external equipment. In this article, a novel ring oscillator- based PCB authentication (ROPA) methodology to detect counterfeit PCB through supply chain is proposed, which ......

Publisher: Beihang University

Beihang University

Beihang University is designated as an eminent key university ( literally a "first-rate university" of type-A[3] ) by China's Ministry of Education Class A . It was one of China's key universities subsidized by "Project 985" fundi

Beijing, China

Research Institute / Laboratory / School

The Effects of Plasma Treatment Prior to Conformal Coating

Oct 06, 2021 | John D. Vanderford, Ann E. Paxton, and Dave Selestak

The corrosion of Nickel-Palladium-Gold (Ni-Pd-Au) finish terminals in humid environments is known to be reduced with the application of a conformal coating such as acrylic. Corrosion has a higher rate of occurrence around the terminal 'knee' of a surface mount component, which may be reduced with the application of conformal coatings. Although radio frequency (RF) plasma processing is generally known to enhance conformity of conformal coating to surfaces through ionic bombardment, the effect on the functionality of assembled printed circuit boards (PCB) is not as well known. The purpose of this study is to assess whether RF plasma processing can enhance the adhesive and coverage qualities of an acrylic conformal coating on PCBs...

Publisher: MARCH Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

MARCH Products | Nordson Electronics Solutions

MARCH Products is the global leader in plasma cleaning equipment and plasma processing technology for PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging. The company has designed and manufactured plasma equipment for 35+ years.

Carlsbad, California, USA

Manufacturer

Cleaning Before Conformal Coating

Oct 06, 2021 | Naveen Ravindran

Cleaning PCBs before conformal coating removes potentially harmful and unknown contaminants from the board's surface resulting in better adhesion of the conformal coating and thereby preventing delamination. Cleaning PCBs can ultimately prevent issues like leakage current, electrochemical migration and coating failures. From a production standpoint, it can help to decrease the cost of labor and time needed for the re-work of the boards....

Publisher: ZESTRON Americas

ZESTRON Americas

The globally leading provider of high precision cleaning products, services and training solutions in the electronics and semiconductor manufacturing industries.

Manassas, Virginia, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Manufacturer, Training Provider

Selective soldering in an optimized nitrogen atmosphere

Sep 29, 2021 | Gerjan Diepstraten

In PCB circuit assemblies the trend is moving to more SMD components with finer pitch connections. The majority of the assemblies still have a small amount of through hole (THT) components. Some of them can't withstand high reflow temperatures, while others are there because of their mechanical robustness. In automotive applications these THT components are also present. Many products for cars, including steering units, radio and navigation, and air compressors also use THT technology to connect board-to-board, PCB's to metal shields or housings out of plastic or even aluminium. This is not a simple 2D plain soldering technology, as it requires handling, efficient thermal heating and handling of heavy (up to 10 kg) parts. Soldering technology becomes more 3D where connections have to be made on different levels. For this technology robots using solder wire fail because of the spattering of the flux in the wires and the long cycle time. In wave soldering using pallets the wave height is limited and pin in paste reflow is only a 2D application with space limitations. Selective soldering using dedicated plates with nozzles on the solder area is the preferred way to make these connections. All joints can be soldered in one dip resulting in short cycle times. Additional soldering on a small select nozzle can make the system even more flexible. The soldering can only be successful when there is enough thermal heat in the assembly before the solder touches the board. A forced convection preheat is a must for many applications to bring enough heat into the metal and board materials. The challenge in a dip soldering process is to get a sufficient hole fill without bridging and minimize the number of solder balls. A new cover was designed to improve the nitrogen environment. Reducing oxygen levels benefits the wetting, but increases the risk for solder balling. Previous investigations showed that solder balling can be minimized by selecting proper materials for solder resist and flux....

Publisher: Vitronics Soltec

Vitronics Soltec

Global manufacturer of XPM Reflow Ovens, ZEVA Selective Soldering and Delta Wave Soldering Equipment.

Camdenton, Missouri, USA

Manufacturer

Applying Microscopic Analytic Techniques For Failure Analysis In Electronic Assemblies

Sep 21, 2021 | Otto Grosshardt, Boldizsár Árpád Nagy and Anette Laetsch

The present paper gives an overview of surface failures, internal nonconformities and solders joint failures detected by microscopic analysis of electronic assemblies. Optical microscopy (stereomicroscopy) and Fourier-Transform- Infrared (FTIR) microscopy is used for documentation and failure localization on electronic samples surface. For internal observable conditions a metallographic cross-section analysis of the sample is required. The aim of this work is to present some internal and external observable nonconformities which frequently appear in electronic assemblies. In order to detect these nonconformities, optical microscopy, cross section analysis, FTIR-microscopy and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) were used as analytical techniques....

Publisher: ZOLLNER ELECTRONICS, INC.

ZOLLNER ELECTRONICS, INC.

Headquartered in Germany and founded by Manfred Zollner in 1965, Zollner Elektronik AG has successfully grown to become one of the largest and most formidable Electronic Manufacturing & Engineering Services providers in the world today.

Sterling, Virginia, USA

Manufacturer

Alternative Methods For Cross-Sectioning Of SMT And PCB Related Architectures

Sep 21, 2021 | Manuel J. Solis "Paco"

The electronics industry has been using the epoxy puck for the processing of the vast majority of electronics microsections since the 1970s. Minimal advancements have been seen in the methods used for precision micro-sections of PCBs, PCBAs, and device packages. This paper will discuss different techniques and approaches in performing precision and analytical micro-sections, which fuse the techniques and materials common in preparation of silicon wafers and bulk materials. These techniques have not only been found to produce excellent optical results, but transfer effectively to SEM for high magnification inspection and further analysis with minimal post-lapping preparation needed. Additionally, processing time is reduced primarily due to a significant reduction of bulk material removal earlier in the preparation, therefore needing less removal at later lapping steps compared to traditional sectioning methods. Additional techniques are introduced that mitigate some classic challenges experienced by technicians over the decades....

Publisher: Foresite Inc.

Foresite Inc.

Foresite is a process consulting house and analytial laboratory dedicated to solving product reliability challenges for electronics manufacturers.

Kokomo, Indiana, USA

Consultant / Service Provider, Manufacturer

Physics of Failure (PoF) Based Lifetime Prediction of Power Electronics at the Printed Circuit Board Level

Sep 15, 2021 | Andrew Wileman, Suresh Perinpanayagam and Sohaib Aslam

This paper presents the use of physics of failure (PoF) methodology to infer fast and accurate lifetime predictions for power electronics at the printed circuit board (PCB) level in early design stages. It is shown that the ability to accurately model silicon–metal layers, semiconductor packaging, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and assemblies allows, for instance, the prediction of solder fatigue failure due to thermal, mechanical, and manufacturing conditions. The technique allows a lifecycle prognosis of the PCB, taking into account the environmental stresses it will encounter during the period of operation. Primarily, it involves converting an electronic computer aided design (eCAD) circuit layout into computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA) models with accurate geometries. From this, stressors, such as thermal cycling, mechanical shock, natural frequency, and harmonic and random vibrations, are applied to understand PCB degradation, and semiconductor and capacitor wear, and accordingly provide a method for high-fidelity power PCB modelling, which can be subsequently used to facilitate virtual testing and digital twinning for aircraft systems and sub-systems....

Publisher: Cranfield University

Cranfield University

Cranfield University is a British postgraduate public research university specialising in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics in 1946.

Bedford,

Research Institute / Laboratory / School

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