No abstract

No abstract

The electrolytic properties of sodium chloride and no-clean solder flux residue, and their effects on electrochemical migration and dendrite growth on surface mount chip capacitors were investigated. The leakage current dependency on concentration of contaminants was measured by a solution conductivity method and compared with current measurements using DC voltage. The effect of electrolyte concentration and potential bias on the probability of electrochemical migration was investigated using a water droplet method on chip capacitors. The results from leakage current and conductivity measurement showed a difference which is caused by polarization effects, and demonstrated existing issues when indexing contamination levels on printed circuit board assemblies using a standardised solvent extract method. The experimental results showed that dendrite growth was dependent on the type and amount of contamination. The probability of migration becomes less dependent on the amount of contamination for sodium chloride at high concentrations. However, for organic acids from flux residues the migration probability shows an abrupt decrease with increasing concentration, which is attributed to a pH change in the condensed electrolyte phase.

No abstract

Purpose – This paper aims to investigate the effect of no-clean flux chemistry with various weak organic acids (WOAs) as activators on the corrosion reliability of electronics with emphasis on the hygroscopic nature of the residue. Design/methodology/approach – The hygroscopicity of flux residue was studied by quartz crystal microbalance, while corrosive effects were studied by leakage current and impedance measurements on standard test boards. The measurements were performed as a function of relative humidity (RH) in the range from 60 to ∼99 per cent at 25°C. The corrosiveness of solder flux systems was visualized by the ex situ analysis using a gel with tin ion indicator. Findings – The results showed that the solder flux residues are characterized by different threshold RH, above which a sudden increase in direct current leakage by 2–4 orders of magnitude and a significant reduction in surface resistance in the impedance measurements were observed. Practical implications – The findings are attributed to the deliquescence RH of the WOA(s) in the flux and chemistry of water-layer formation. The results show the importance of WOA type in relation to its solubility and deliquescence RH on the corrosion reliability of printed circuit boards under humid conditions. Originality/value – The classification of solder flux systems according to IPC J-STD-004 standard does not specify the WOAs in the flux; however, ranking of the flux systems based on the hygroscopic property of activators would be useful information when selecting no-clean flux systems for electronics with applications in humid conditions.