Search

In this paper, the concept of a defect phase diagram is introduced which quantifies the effects of Cu and Pb additions to electrodeposited Sn films on surface defect formation, including but not limited to the formation of Sn whiskers. Transitions were observed in both the defect densities and the morphologies of hillocks and whiskers as Cu and Pb film compositions were systematically varied. Changes in crystallographic texture were also reported for a subset of the Sn–Cu–Pb alloys examined. The transitions between different defect types and the coexistence of certain defect types help to interpret the role of grain boundary pinning in hillock and whisker formation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) proposed a set of tests that were subsequently standardized by the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) Solid State Technology Association as JESD22A121. However, further optimization was needed to validate and verify proposed iNEMI tests to determine whether these test methods could differentiate between component surface finishes, to investigate the connection between short-term and long-term tests, and to determine optimal inspection intervals and test durations. In the current work, 15 surface finishes were evaluated using iNEMI's three proposed environmental test conditions. These finishes were evaluated for whisker presence and length using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) every 1000 h or 500 accelerated thermal cycles for a total of at least 9000 h of isothermal testing or 3000 accelerated thermal cycles. Test results showed that thermal cycling and high-temperature/humidity testing could grow whiskers for all Pb-free Sn-based finishes, while only a few finishes exhibited whiskers after 10 000 h in an air-conditioned office environment. The results described in this paper were used to change the JEDEC tin whisker test method from the original iNEMI proposal by decreasing the humidity of the high-temperature humidity test, controlling the ambient test condition to 30 degC and 60% relative humidity (RH), and increasing the number of leads per sample and number of samples (sample size) for inspection [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Environmental and health concerns, due to the leaching of lead from landfills into ground water, have necessitated legislation that restricts the use of lead in electronics. The transition from the eutectic tin-lead composition used in electronic solders to lead-free solder is imminent. Understanding the impact of this transition on lead-free wave soldering is crucial because a large segment of printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in electronic home appliances are wave soldered. The usage of volatile organic compound (VOC)-free flux chemistry is expected to gather momentum in conjunction with lead-free wave soldering because of process requirements and environmental considerations. A thorough review of published literature indicated that there is limited information available on the application of water-soluble VOC-free flux chemistries for lead-free wave soldering. Consequently, the objectives of this research were to select a preferred VOC-free water-soluble flux chemistry, understand the process window of wave soldering using a 96.5Sn/3.0Ag/0.5Cu lead-free alloy, and study the impact of the lead-free wave soldering process on different surface finishes. Many of the earlier process recommendations were based on a solder pot temperature of 260 degC and higher. However, the packaging of through hole components may not withstand the higher pot temperature and longer contact time. Hence, assembly at a lower solder pot temperature and shorter contact time are highly desired. Consequently, experiments were conducted to verify the feasibility of reducing the solder pot temperature (250 degC) and the contact time (2 s). Three VOC-free fluxes, from three different vendors, were evaluated and the best flux chosen was used to establish the process window. It was demonstrated through this study that it is possible to wave solder, using a lead-free solder with low silver content, different surface finishes with a wide process window. The effect of lead-free process temperatures - - on the cleaning of the VOC-free water-soluble flux residues was evaluated. Residues were washed and cleaned using the existing equipment sets without any change in the process parameters. The process developed based on the initial set of experiments has been validated by the successful assembly of a number of lead-free prototype assemblies [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]