Higher melting point of Lead-free solder may cause physical and thermal damage to components and PCB.

Since there is higher tin content, with higher temperature and presence of more active flux, the erosion of soldering tips occurs faster than regular tin/lead solder.

Altera does not have a set schedule to introduce lead-free solder bump flip-chip products at this time. Internal solder bumps are exempted from the RoHS Directive until 2010, and Altera is closely monitoring the industry progress with a plan to start qualification in the near future. Home | Products | Support | End Markets | Technology Center | Education & Events | Corporate | Buy On-Line

Reflow soldering: SnAgCu, SnAgCuBi, SnAg, SnAgBi, SnZnBi, SnIn (the bismuth-containing solders are more suitable for low temperature soldering) Wave Soldering: SnAgCu, SnCu, SnCu(Ni 0.1%), SnCuX, where X is the small fraction of elements claimed to increase performance A13. No suitable alternative has yet been identified for this solder which melts at around 302OC.

Soldered surfaces must be free of lead to begin with. This includes the PCB as well as the component. Lead contamination on a lead-free solder joint will significantly reduce the reliability of the joint. All lead-free alloys melt at a higher temperature than traditional tin-lead alloys. The temperature of the soldering iron may need to be increased, and both the components and PCB will need to withstand these higher levels.

Primarily NEMI and IPC in the United States and Soldertec and Smartgroup in Europe. NEMI, which develops technology “roadmaps” for the electronics industry, identified a gap in the manufacturing infrastructure necessary for conversion to lead free in the early 1990’s when the first WEEE draft appeared. Since then NEMI has been instrumental in providing leadership and coordination to facilitate the conversion to lead-free.

A31. Yes, but there is the potential for poor alignment and open joints. Since the usual SnPb reflow profile may not exceed the melting point of the BGAs’ lead-free solder balls, the SnPb solder paste melts but the SnAgCu solder balls do not. The lack of ball collapse may cause a lack of contact between the solder paste and the solder ball.

Click http://www.freescale.com/files/product/doc/ENV_MSLPPT.pdf to download the Freescale recommendation. Freescale targets a PPT of 260°C with an MSL of 3 or better, however, some products may not be able to meet this target. Freescale provides the PPT and MSL level for each part number via web access or by special request.

We highly recommend Audio Note silver solder. This is one of the very few solders that has been specifically developed for audio use and is very highly rated.

Solder is a lead/tin mixture that is melted and used to bond two pieces of certain types of metal together.

If a customer requires that a package type not qualified as lead-free be manufactured and supplied, a request must be submitted to the Maxim Integrated Products Business Units.

Lead-free is defined as absence of a significant amount of lead (Chemical symbol Pb) in a package or part make-up. In an IC package, Pb is commonly found in the external lead finish or plating. In Chip Scale Packages (UCSP and FlipChip), Pb is found in the Solder Bumps.

Lead is a metal with no known biological benefit to humans. Too much lead can damage various systems of the body including the nervous and reproductive systems and the kidneys, and it can cause high blood pressure and anemia. Lead accumulates in the bones and lead poisoning may be diagnosed from a blue line around the gums. Lead is especially harmful to the developing brains of fetuses and young children and to pregnant women. Lead interferes with the metabolism of calcium and Vitamins D.

Many package types are already qualified as lead-free and others are in the qualification process. All Maxim Integrated Products part numbers can be identified as to their qualification status. If a part is qualified as lead-free, then the Maxim Integrated Products Business Units will make the decision to manufacture and offer the package as lead-free per customer request. Please refer to the Lead-free Information page for packages qualified as lead-free.

Fairchild's initial focus will be on Pb-free plating. These high lead content materials are exempted from current legislation due to the technical limitations of replacement materials. Fairchild is actively investigating alternative solutions. Follow-on activities will be undertaken at a later date to eliminate these other sources of lead, although no firm schedule has been developed. No. Fairchild is replacing the lead finish on its products, not providing an alternative finish.

No, it only means that we have the capability to make the parts as lead-free. The customer must make a request to the Maxim Integrated Products Business Units for approval.

Yes. The leads on new parts for the most part are coated with pure tin, which solders normally. Just make sure you buy some old-fashioned solder before IT goes away!

CML has qualified the following Pb-free composition: Sn 96%, Ag 3.5% and Cu0.5%. At this time, we have no specific plans to qualify any other solder types.

a. Lead is a highly poisonous metal, present naturally in the environment, which was used for many years in products found in and around our homes.