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The Inside Line
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Movement Toward Lead-free
MILPITAS, Calif. — The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive was adopted by the European Union (EU), and became law in February 2003, effectively banning substances including lead in tin/lead solders used in certain electronic/electrical equipment sold in Europe starting July 2006. Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) also will govern end-life management of electronics products by 2004 in the EU. Japan also has been a leader in controlling lead in electronics products.
According to Jasbir Bath, advisory process engineer at Solectron Corp., "In the U.S. there is a lot of interest in lead-free manufacturing but no direct federal laws." Nineteen U.S. states have introduced legislation pertaining to recycling or regulating certain substances used in electronics manufacturing.
"In electronics assembly we're concerned with taking lead out of the whole system," Bath added.
Solectron has been involved with consortia, such as NEMI, to help come up with a tin/silver/copper alloy to replace the lead-based solder. "We've decided to use a 30°C higher reflow for the new alloy, but because of the higher melting point and higher processing temperature (240°C) there's more pressure on plastic components," Bath explained. There does not seem to be as much difficulty with the FR4 board material in consumer products assembled so far, but both boards and components need to be rated to the higher temperatures.
Component suppliers are balking at the initial cost of temperature-testing components so they will be compatible with lead-free manufacturing. Bath said that component testing takes 1 to 1.5 years for qualification. Part of the problem is that OEMs, and consumers, do not want to pay higher costs involved in lead-free assembly.
Component supplier survey responses Solectron received indicated certain BGAs, flip chips, optical components and electrolytic capacitors have difficulty being rated to higher lead-free processing temperatures.
— Gail Flower
'F.O.X.' of a System Introduced to the Inspection Market
STAMFORD, Conn. — FeinFocus USA Inc. has created µCT-F.O.X., a system that reportedly combines high-resolution 2-D X-ray technology with 3-D computed tomography techniques.
Lance Scott, president of FeinFocus USA Inc., described the system as being capable of providing detailed inspection and analysis of complex electronics devices in the third dimension.
The inspection system is said to be the first industrial X-ray inspection system to include functional 2- and 3-D modalities in one system. Combining the flexibility, functionality and ergonomics of a standard microfocus X-ray system with the ability to generate 3-D imagery, the µCT-F.O.X. visualizes the most inner components and precise structural modeling of a device. Cracks, voids, delamination and other crucial anomalies now can be depicted in their actual 3-D position. Scott added that the system offers a variety of inspection methods throughout the entire design and manufacturing processes.
"With components and packaging continuing to develop into increasingly smaller and compact devices, it is critical to the industry that test and inspection platforms stay beyond the next generational benchmark," Scott explained.
Best suited for sensor, MEMS/MOEMS, medical device and complex electromechanical inspection applications, the X-ray system allows manufacturers to use one system from the R&D phase through production and final quality control. According to Scott, the system, designed for rapid prototyping and reverse engineering requirements, benefits a wide range of industries including electronics, avionics, casting and advanced materials research.
He added that the inspection system is equipped with the company's True X-ray Intensity (TXI) Control technology that constantly controls the output level of
X-ray intensity during the image acquisition process.
— Jenny Popp