Tin
whiskers – those single-crystal filaments that often emerge when microcircuits soldered
with pure or almost pure tin are subjected to compressive stress – have been
blamed for the dangerous failure of electronic devices ranging from heart
pacemakers, to satellites, to nuclear power plants. The aerospace and military
industries in particular are required to remove any tin finish on
microelectronic parts to better ensure their reliability. This process is
called mitigation. And the simplest, most cost-effective method of mitigation
is to remove all of the tin and refinish the part with a Tin-Lead (SnPb)
solder.
AcousTech
enters the picture before and after the robotic hot-solder dipping has been
performed. Our use of C-mode scanning acoustic microscopy (C-SAM®)
verifies with exceptional accuracy whether or not the extreme heat of the mitigation
process has negatively affected a microelectronic part. Though the aerospace
and military industries are our biggest customers for this, other test labs and
brokers frequently call on our mitigation-related services. Of course, we
extend our help with Tin Whisker Mitigation to all of the industries we serve, as they need us.
The
products most often submitted to us for Tin Whisker Mitigation review are…
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PEMs (plastic encapsulated
microcircuits) such as TSSOPs, SOICs, PLCCs, MSOPs, PQFPs/TQFPs, PDIPs,
BGAs/FBGAs, and SOTs as well as
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hybrid devices.
The
standards we follow when using our C-SAM®
process are…
When you
contract with us for help with Tin Whisker Mitigation, we also provide you with…
-
a quick turnaround,
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a detailed yet concise pass/fail
report that notes all defects discovered,
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a certificate of conformance, and
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a CD that includes all images
taken during the tests.
Beyond
that, we offer you the same professional collaboration and competitive pricing
that complete the benefits of partnership we extend to every AcousTech client.
Questions?
Contact AcousTech. We’ll be happy to
explain more about how our services can be of use in your Tin Whisker
Mitigation assessment. And when you’re ready, be sure to Request a Quote.
C-SAM® is a registered trademark of Sonoscan, Inc.