IPC Workshop Examines Lead-free Finishes

(August 8, 2006) BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — The IPC workshop, "Lead-free Surface Finishes and Compatibility to Lead Free Soldering: The Road to RoHS Compliance," will give attendees insights into the effect of lead-free surface finishes on solderability and reliability. Topics will include requirements for solderable finishes protecting the bare copper prior to assembly, co-planarity, solder paste spreadability, and joint strength achieved when filling thru-holes. A major obstacle in lead-free soldering — higher solder melting points that cause heat stress and aging — will also be examined.

Located at IPC headquarters in Bannockburn, Ill., on August 23, 2006 from 8 to 5, the workshop will be taught by Michael Carano, vice president of technical operations, Electrochemicals, Inc. Carano represents the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society, and has authored articles on copper plating, tin plating, PCB technologies, and analytical control of electroplating baths. He also serves on the IPC Board of Directors.

IPC will provide an overview on solderability and also explain special topics. The workshop will lay a framework for implementing manufacturing strategies that adapt to lead-free. Materials discussed will include electroplated nickel/gold, electroless nickel/ immersion gold (ENIG), palladium, and immersion tin and silver. Organic coatings will also be debated — between thin and thick coatings. Problematic areas for PCB manufacturers, such as the effects of aging and multiple thermal cycles on solderability, deposit integrity, and costs, will be presented. The special workshop topics include black pad, microvoids, trench-plating formation, and tin whiskers.

For more information, or to register for the event, visit IPC’s website.

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