IPC Conference Paper Archive

Many BGA and CSP component suppliers have begun shipment of components with a variety of “second generation” Pb-free solder ball alloys. Much of the motivation for the alloy changes has been to .. read more

Copper Wrap Plate as specified in IPC 6012B table 3-2,is a requirement developed to enhance reliability for PCB’s designed with via structures that require planarization and surface capping. PC .. read more

Over the years,signal integrity performance and bandwidth gets more critical for today’s higher signal transmission speeds and bandwidth demand in every field of applications such as computing, .. read more

The signal channels that link high speed processors to memory and various other peripherals,are limited by the inherent characteristics of the printed circuit board. These are what ultimately c .. read more

The High Density Packaging Users Group (HDPUG) consortia completed an extensive study of 29 different bare board material and stackup combinations and their associated performance after 6X Pb-f .. read more

The reliability of lead-free (LF) solder joints in surface-mounted device components (SMD) has been investigated after thermo-cycle testing. Kirkendall voids have been observed at the interface .. read more

The New England Lead Free Consortium,composed of many companies in the electronic supply chain in the regional area and chaired by the author; has embarked on an extensive long term reliability .. read more

An experimental study was conducted to examine the impact of rework processes on quality and reliability. In this study,676 IO plastic ball grid array packages were assembled with Sn3.0Ag0.5Cu .. read more

Hot gas rework of BGAs with a mirrored BGA design configuration using SnAgCu based lead-free alloys is more challenging as compared to conventional SnPb techniques. Rework of BGAs using a conve .. read more

During lead-free wave soldering or rework operation for through hole components,high rate copper dissolution may occur to printed wiring boards. It is widely believed that Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) lead-f .. read more

Conformal coatings are used in high reliability electronics to protect the circuits from environmental contaminants. They are applied by a variety of methods,and in varying thicknesses. Confirm .. read more

Fully automatic X-ray Inspection (AXI) is an established technique for inspecting component mounting and solder joint integrity on PCBA’s. It is occasionally used for the detection of faults on .. read more

The process of plating through holes (PTH) is inherent to modern PCB manufacturing. In an arena of increasing circuit density and layer counts,the reliability of the PTH process is under consta .. read more

Implementation of lead-free assembly processes results in higher copper dissolution rate than traditional SnPb alloys. The rate at which copper is dissolved could be dependent on many factors,s .. read more

Lead-free selective soldering can result in extended times at high temperatures,which in turn can result in excessive dissolution of exposed copper,such as plated through holes. This phenomenon .. read more

The high temperature exposures associated with lead-free soldering of printed circuit boards (PCBs) can alter the laminate material properties thereby creating a shift in the performance and re .. read more

In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on miniaturization of Board Mount Power (BMP) modules and electronic subassemblies. In addition there has been a shift from predominately t .. read more

The cracking and delamination of printed circuit boards (PCB) during exposure to elevated thermal exposure,such as reflow and rework,have always been a concern for the electronics industry. How .. read more

Inkjet printing is of great interest in the field of electronics manufacture because its digital nature negates the need for physical tooling. A wide variety of active and passive materials are .. read more

Foresite has investigated many whisker failures and found that consistent high levels of chloride,sulfate and amines are present in and around the areas of whisker formation even in hot dry env .. read more

Current leakage on a printed circuit board (PCB) can occur due to a reduction in surface insulation resistance (SIR) between adjacent conductors. This is frequently caused by electrochemical mi .. read more

As new generations of electronic products emerge they often surpass the capability of existing packaging and interconnection technology and the infrastructure needed to support newer technologi .. read more

The trend towards increasingly complex designs with smaller physical sizes has been translated into ever-increasing pressure on system developers to pack more functions and options into a given .. read more

For decades the manufacturers of electronic components have furnished products that were most compatible with soldering processes that employed a eutectic alloy composition that contained tin a .. read more

This paper discusses the results of several independent experiments designed to address the many aspects of successful PoP integration. Assembly through the use of in-line stacking and pre-stac .. read more

Though the electronics industry is nearing the 3-year anniversary marking the ban of lead from electronics products,several challenges still remain with existing lead-free materials for certain .. read more

Reliability testing of printed wire boards (PWBs) by thermal cycling offers the ability to compare relative survivability through assembly and reliability in the end use environment. This artic .. read more

European legislation has meant that lead-free solders now dominate mainstream electronics manufacturing. These replacement solders are all high tin alloys with significantly higher melting poin .. read more

The plated thru hole has changed considerably in 50 years of electronic packaging,but in its many forms remains the most common interconnection in 1st and 2nd level electronic packaging,and is .. read more

This paper presents a novel electrolytic copper panel plate system incorporating equipment and specially developed electrolyte which enables filling of blind micro vias with a minimum of surfac .. read more

The use of electrodeposited copper for filling blind microvias has grown rapidly to become an essential and widely adopted process used by various Printed Circuit Board (PCB) and package substr .. read more

Copper plating is widely used in the electronic industry for fabrication of electronic devices. It is particularly useful for fabrication of printed circuit boards and semiconductors. Copper is .. read more

Since the beginning of Surface Mount Technology over 40 years ago solder paste has been an integral element in electronics assembly. Historically solder paste design and development has been,in .. read more

Thermo-gravimetric Analysis (TGA) measures weight changes in a material as a function of temperature (or time) under a controlled atmosphere. This technique is currently used in the design phas .. read more

Stencil printing is a critical first step in surface mount assembly. It is often cited that the solder paste printing operation causes about 50%-80% of the defects found in the assembly of PCBs .. read more

The Quad Flat Pack No Leads (QFN) type of leadless package,also known as Land Grid Array (LGA),is rapidly increasing in use for wireless,automotive,telecom and many other areas because of its l .. read more

Prediction of accurate values for insertion loss (S21) on printed circuit boards has become ever more critical to SI modeling as signal speeds required for next-generation networking equipment .. read more

Ideas,manufacturing processes,materials and components that were in the realm of science fiction a few years ago are now being adopted into mainstream PCB products. Devices are getting smaller, .. read more

Great efforts are expended by researchers to develop new and better thermal interface materials. In contrast,optimization of the performance of a given material is usually left to more empirica .. read more

As more power is driven through active devices,the integrity of materials used to make the electrically conductive interfaces is becoming ever more critical to the performance of RF radar syste .. read more

As the requirements for controlled depth micro-vias become ever increasing in today’s market place the best feasible solution appears to be laser drilling. However laser drilling can be problem .. read more

The transition to lead-free solders has presented significant challenges for the electronics industry. One of the challenges is that typical lead-free soldering temperatures are much higher tha .. read more

The interaction of the drill entry material and the drill tool are critical to producing accurately aligned connections between the different layers in a printed circuit board. The trend toward .. read more

Dross generation has always been a costly issue for the electronics assembly industry. At least half,and in many cases,more than half of the metal (solder) purchased for electronic manufacture .. read more

The globalization of markets results in stronger competition with clearly noticeably cost pressure. For companies producing electronic equipment it is therefore of existential importance to red .. read more

Recently,with significant increasing of solder manufacturing cost due to raw materials,electronics makers are also faced with the same difficulty. And they are finding solutions that save cost .. read more

At times,wave soldering or reflow involving the entire assembly are not applicable for soldering of components. Selective soldering techniques vary widely in their ability to produce high quali .. read more

Choosing a solder paste can make or break an assembly process. By choosing the right solder paste for the application,you will achieve the highest process consistency and solder joint quality. .. read more

Some of the new handheld communication devices offer real challenges to the paste printing process. Normally,there are very small devices like 01005 chip components as well as 0.3 mm pitch uBGA .. read more

The Surface Mount Technology (SMT) industry has overcome many challenges in the last 30 years,since its introduction in the 1980’s. One recent challenge has been the lead-free assembly. People .. read more