Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) to Mitigate Tin Whisker Growth and Corrosion Issues on Printed Circuit Board Assemblies

Kutilainen, Terho; Pudas, Marko; Ashworth, Mark; Lehto, Tero; Wu, Liang; Wilcox, G.D.; Wang, Jing; Collander, Paul; Hokka, Jussi

doi:10.1007/s11664-019-07534-7

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 25 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Other applications could probably be found on the market in a close future. Various ALD films can suppress Sn whisker growth and corrosion on printed circuit board assemblies [116]. Surgical scalpel blade were covered by a thin ZnO films exhibiting good adhesion and corrosion resistance.…”

Section: Large-scale Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic layer deposition: An efficient tool for corrosion protection

Santinacci

2023

Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science

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Section: Large-scale Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic layer deposition: An efficient tool for corrosion protection

Santinacci

2023

Current Opinion in Colloid & Interface Science

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“…However in the European Union, legislation to ban lead-tin alloys is moving ahead. Therefore the use of Al2O3 ALD coating is one promising lead-free alternative to inhibit tin whisker growth in space-grade electronics (Kutilainen et al 2019).…”

Section: Ald Is a Type Of Chemical Vapour Deposition (Cvd) Technique This Paper Focuses On Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing Spacecraft Components Using Additive Manufacturing and Atomic Layer Deposition: First Steps for Integrated Electric Circuitry

et al. 2021

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Many fields including the aerospace industry have shown increased interest in the use of plastics to lower the mass of systems. However, the use of plastics in space can be challenging for a number of reasons. Ultraviolet radiation, atomic oxygen and other phenomena specifically associated with space cause the degradation of polymers. Here we show a path towards creation of space-grade components by combining additive manufacturing (AM) and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Our method produced ALD Al2O3 coated thermoplastic parts, suitable for space applications. The highlight of this work is a significant reduction in outgassing, demonstrated using residual gas analyzer (RGA) sampling. Compared to uncoated parts, the ALD-Al2O3 coating decreased the outgassing of polyether ether ketone (PEEK), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC) and nanodiamond-doped polylactide (ND-PLA) by 46%, 49%, 58% and 65% respectively.The manufacturing method used in this work enables the use of topology optimization already in the early concept creation phase. The method is ideally suited for spacecraft applications, where the volume and mass of parts is critical, and could also be adapted for in-space manufacturing.

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“…The main parameters associated with these different steps include process temperature, ozone concentration, precursor, and chamber purging time. We refer the reader to one of our earlier works [37] for more details about the ALD process. Figure 1b shows the effect of different pretreatments alone on a 50 nm-thick ALD film (ALD1) in terms of subsequent whisker density after 2 and 4 months from ALD coating.…”

Section: Ald Process Steps (Presence Of Precursor and Ozone In The Process Chamber)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) for environmental protection and whisker mitigation of electronic assemblies

et al. 2021

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In this study, we demonstrate how metal-oxide thin-film conformal coatings grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) can be exploited as an effective approach to mitigate tin whisker growth on printed circuit boards. First, we study the effect of different ALD coatings and process parameters on Sn–Cu-electroplated test coupons, by combining optical imaging and scanning electron microscopy and evaluating whisker distribution on the surface. On these samples, we found that one important parameter in mitigating whisker growth is the time interval between electroplating and the ALD coating process (pre-coat time), which should be kept of the order of few days (2, based on our results). Atomic layer-deposited coatings were also found to be effective toward whisker formation in different storage conditions. Furthermore, we show that ALD coating is also effective in limiting the need for outgassing of electronic assemblies (PCBAs), which is an additional stringent requirement for applications in space industry. Our experimental results thus demonstrated that atomic layer deposition is a suitable technique for aerospace applications, both in terms of degassing and whisker mitigation.

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Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) to Mitigate Tin Whisker Growth and Corrosion Issues on Printed Circuit Board Assemblies

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

Atomic layer deposition: An efficient tool for corrosion protection

Atomic layer deposition: An efficient tool for corrosion protection

Constructing Spacecraft Components Using Additive Manufacturing and Atomic Layer Deposition: First Steps for Integrated Electric Circuitry

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) for environmental protection and whisker mitigation of electronic assemblies

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