False Tin Whiskers: Masquerading Intermetallic



False Tin Whiskers: Masquerading Intermetallic
Paper covers misidentification of tin/copper intermetallic structures as tin whiskers and soldering details during root cause analysis.
Analysis Lab

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Authored By:


David Hillman
Rockwell Collins Inc.
Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

Summary


The electronics industry is undergoing a materials evolution due to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) European Directive. Printed wiring board laminate suppliers and component fabricators have introduced a number of new lead-free (Pbfree) material choices in an effort to be compliant with the EU legislation.

Pure tin component surface finishes have been introduced as one of the RoHS material solutions. Tin whiskers are metallurgical phenomena that are associated with tin rich/pure tin materials and have been a topic of intense industry interest. In this study, the misidentification of tin/copper intermetallic structures as tin whiskers and the soldering process details identified during the root cause analysis of the structures will be described.

Initially Published in the SMTA Proceedings

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