Vittorio Sirtori

Rheological characterization of solder pastes

Solder paste is the strategic material for the electronic card assembly process, based on the surface mounting technology. The paste is a concentrated suspension (50% of volume) of metallic powder in an organic continuous phase and its screening on the printed circuit board is the first operation of the assembly. The result of the screening depends strongly on the rheological characteristics of the solder paste but, nevertheless the research activity on this material is so far very poor. In this paper, an analytical procedure for the rheological characterization is given and the most important rheological parameters, affecting the screening performance, are shown.

Reactivity of no-clean pastes and fluxes for the surface mount technology process—part II: corrosion risk measurements for printed circuit boards and solder joints

The introduction of no-clean pastes and fluxes for the surface mount technology process needs testing methods of high sensitivity and reliability to evaluate the activity of the residues after the reflow process. An electrochemical method is proposed, suitable to ascertain the reactivity and the corrosion risk of these residues. Products of normal use are tested, and their behavior described and compared. Surface morphologies and compositions are examined after reflow and after testing. Local surface oxides are investigated with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Surface analytical results are interpreted and related to the electrochemical behavior of solder joints. Tin is shown to have the most important role toward the onset of possible localized corrosion.