Technical Articles From Solderability Testing and Solutions Inc

Extreme Long Term Printed Circuit Board Surface Finish Solderability Assessment

Jan 28, 2021 | Gerard O'Brien, Solderability Testing and Solutions Inc., Richmond, KY Dave Hillman, Rockwell Collins, Cedar Rapids, IA

Printed circuit board surface finishes are a topic of constant discussion as environmental influences, such as the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive or technology challenges, such as flip chip and 01005 passive components, initiate technology changes. These factors drive the need for greater control of processing characteristics like coplanarity and solderability, which influence the selection of surface finishes and impact costs as well as process robustness and integrity. The ideal printed circuit board finish would have good solderability, long shelf life, ease of fabrication/processing, robust environmental performance and provide dual soldering/wirebonding capabilities; unfortunately no single industry surface finish possesses all of these traits. The selection of a printed circuit board surface finish is ultimately a series of compromises for a given application....